Kindle with amazon: Your free personal library you can take anywhere

Best Kindle (2023): Which Amazon Ebook Reader Should You Buy?

Medea Giordano

Gear

Jun 29, 2023 8:00 AM

Here’s how Amazon’s ebook readers stack up—and which one might be right for you.

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Featured in this article

Best for Most

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021, 11th Generation)

$140 at Amazon

The Smallest and Least Expensive

Amazon Kindle (2022, 11th Generation)

$100 at Amazon

Frivolously Awesome

Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019, 10th Generation)

$270 at Amazon

Best for Kids

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids Edition (2021, 11th Generation)

$160 at Amazon

4 / 9

We love Kindles here at WIRED. They’re simple, reliable, and perfect at what they do—in one palm-sized device, you can bring thousands of books with you to the park or mountain, and they get a month of battery life per charge. You can subscribe to get unlimited books from Amazon or get free books from your local library (more on those below). But what’s the best Kindle? Our guide will help you decode the differences.

Be sure to check our many other buying guides, including the Best E-Readers, Best Fire Tablets, and Best Alexa Speakers.

Updated June 2023: We’ve updated this guide with new Kindle Scribe features and a note about the Oasis’s battery.

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Photograph: Amazon

Best for Most

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021, 11th Generation)

We think most people will like the Paperwhites the best. The step-up, waterproof e-reader went from one to three models, and they rival the more expensive Oasis. We tried the Signature Edition (8/10, WIRED Recommends), but all three have bigger, 6.8-inch screens with smaller bezels. The screens are brighter overall at their max and have adjustable warm lighting, but only the Signature can auto-adjust that brightness to your surroundings—we think that should be standard across all models. Its faster page-turn rate means there’s no delay while you read.

The Signature has 32 gigabytes of storage and the Standard has 8 gigs. That’s a big difference, but you can still read and store a lot of books with 8 gigabytes (around 5,000). If you mostly listen to audiobooks, you may want to go for the Signature, since those tend to take up more room. Still, if you want to save some cash, just clean out your backlog; you can remove a book from your device without deleting it entirely from your Amazon account. The 2021 Paperwhites all have USB-C charging, but the Signature supports wireless charging.

$140 at Amazon

$190 at Amazon (Signature Edition)

$160 at Amazon (Kids Edition)
Photograph: Amazon

The Smallest and Least Expensive

Amazon Kindle (2022, 11th Generation)

The difference between Kindle models is not as stark anymore, so you’ll probably be happy with whatever price point you prefer. This base Kindle was finally updated in 2022 and is the cheapest one at $100. It’s the smallest of the lot at 6.2 inches tall and 4.3 inches wide, with a 6-inch screen (the same screen size as the new Kindle Kids). If you find tablets too cumbersome to hold with one hand, consider this one.

The price increased by $10 from the last version, but it doubled the storage from 8 gigabytes to 16, and the screen is a 300-pixel-per-inch (PPI) resolution versus the old one’s 197 PPI. It gets the same USB-C port for charging as the Paperwhite models, and it charges quickly. However, it’s not waterproof, and it doesn’t get warm lighting or auto-adjusting light.

$100 at Amazon
Photograph: Amazon

Frivolously Awesome

Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019, 10th Generation)

There’s no practical reason to buy a $270 ebook reader, but the Oasis has a sleek aluminum design with a ridge on one edge and physical buttons to turn the pages. These make it ideal for one-handed reading. The light-up display also looks a little more natural and automatically adjusts the brightness.

Many of the Oasis’ features now show up in the Paperwhites, like adjustable warm lighting, water resistance, and a faster processor. At 7 inches, the touchscreen is only slightly bigger too. After years of use, reviews editor Adrienne So has noticed that the battery on her Oasis now only lasts several days. It’s also due for an update.

$270 at Amazon
Photograph: Amazon

Best for Kids

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids Edition (2021, 11th Generation)

The 2021 Paperwhites include a Kids Edition, which brings a bigger and sleeker screen, more lighting options, and IPX8 water resistance for the first time over the original Kindle Kids Edition. The rest of the features are pretty much the same as the new Kindle Paperwhite, except you’ll get a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+, a kid-friendly content library with parental controls. (You can access the same platform across other Amazon devices, like Fire Tablets or Echo speakers.) It also comes with a case and a two-year no-questions-asked replacement guarantee. If your kid smashes it just once, you get your money back. If you’re going to get your kid an entertainment device, an ebook reader that doesn’t have access to social media is a safer choice. There is a web browser, but it’s restricted by default (you can completely disable it too). There are 8- and 16-gigabyte storage options

★ A cheaper alternative with more storage: The newest base Kindle Kids ($120) is cheaper than the 8-gig Paperwhite Kids, but for 16 gigabytes (that’s also double what the original Kids Edition was). But this one isn’t waterproof if you think that will be a problem with your kiddos, and there’s no adjustable warm lighting.

$160 at Amazon

‎Amazon Kindle on the App Store

Description

READ ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
On the bus, on your break, in your bed—never be without a book. Kindle books you have purchased on Amazon will automatically appear in your app. Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Prime members can select and download Kindle books directly in the app.

FIND YOUR NEXT GREAT READ
• Read the books you buy on Amazon in the Kindle app. Choose from over six million Kindle books (including those with Audible narration), magazines, and comics and start reading in seconds. Explore Amazon Charts best sellers and titles across genres like romance, science fiction, children’s books, self-help, religion, nonfiction, and more—and try any book with a free sample straight from the Kindle app.

• Kindle Unlimited members can enjoy unlimited reading and listening, with the freedom to explore over 1 million titles, thousands of audiobooks, and current magazines.

• Over 1,000 books, magazines, comics, and more included with Amazon Prime.

• Kindle Vella brings you stories released one short episode at a time. The first three episodes of every story are always free–after that, purchase Tokens and redeem them to unlock episodes. Tokens may only be used to unlock Kindle Vella story episodes and are available for In-App purchase. Kindle Vella and In-App purchase of Tokens are currently only available in the US.

GO BEYOND PAPER
Turn your iPhone or iPad into a book with the free Kindle app—so you can read anytime, anywhere. Explore these reading features in the Kindle app:

• Read your way. Customize your text size, font type, margins, text alignment, and orientation (portrait or landscape)—and choose whether to turn pages from left to right or continuously scroll. Read comfortably day and night with adjustable brightness and background colors. Go to the Aa menu in your book to get started.

• Look up words, people, and places while you read. Breeze through words you don’t know and characters you can’t remember with the built-in dictionary, X-Ray, Wikipedia lookup, instant translations, and search within your book. Simply tap and hold a word to view its definition, or use the Google and Wikipedia links to get more information.

• Track your reading progress. See what percent of the book you’ve read, real page numbers (for most top titles), and how much time you have left in the chapter or book based on your actual reading speed.

• Bookmark places you want to revisit, and make highlights and take notes throughout your book. Open My Notebook to see all your notes in the same place.

• Hop, skim, and jump with Page Flip. Flip between pages or get a bird’s-eye view of your book with Page Flip—don’t worry, we’ll save your place.

• Zoom in on high-definition color images in Kindle books, magazines, comics, and manga.

• Sync your books across devices. When you’re reading a book, the Kindle app will automatically sync where you left off—along with any bookmarks, highlights, or notes—so you can start reading on one device and pick up where you left off on another.

• When you can’t read, listen. Switch seamlessly from reading your Kindle book to listening to the Audible book, all within the Kindle app.

• Get notified when authors you love have new releases.

By using this app, you agree to Amazon’s Conditions of Use (www.amazon.com/conditionsofuse) and Privacy Notice (www.amazon.com/privacy).

Jun 15, 2023

Version 6.81.1

Several experience improvements and bug fixes.

Ratings and Reviews

4.2M Ratings

Kindle is great, but Kindle Unlimited has made it AMAZING!!😍😍📖

I have always been a bookworm but times are tough, I can’t afford to go buy books to read right now, especially considering I can’t reread something I’ve already read. I can’t get into it if I know what’s going to happen, so I definitely can’t afford to spend the amount of money they now cost to only get use one time.. Plus I have “feral kids” (if you know, you KNOW but if not, look it up😅).. but Kindle Unlimited allows you to pay so much per month & “borrow” as many books as your heart desires, read, return, & replace with another good book that sparks your interest. And there are all types of books too, healing, self help, thriller, psychological thriller, fantasy, etc. Memoirs, etc. I highly recommend “If You Tell” by Gregg Olsen. It’s a memoir its a true story but be forewarned that it isn’t for the weak, these people went through horrible things, be ready to cry like i did. 🥺 it was beautifully written, & these victims/survivors NEED their story to get out there & the mom is being released this year and they want everyone to be warned, this woman may kill again.

Anyways, if you’re wondering if you should get it or not, here is your sign:
DO IT, & GET KINDLE UNLIMITED. They offer a free trial to show you how great it is so you can try it for free and read a months worth of books for free! Thank me later, you’re welcome.😊

Overall good but…

Kindle app is a great reader. However, it contains some extra features which would be AMAZING if they would develop them just a bit further so they could be put to more practical and more productive use. Kindle reader app for me, is more than just a reader like a little kindle device. It’s a productivity and learning tool and with a few little enhancements could be amazingly useful for that. Anyway, updated features are long overdue. 1. It would sure be nice if the highlights had major customizability (best) or at the very least, more color choices. As I’ve expanded my use of them, I have developed a system of highlights that act visual cues for myself for future reference. I have more ideas but the extremely limited choice of colors is frustrating that. 2. The flashcards feature works in a confusing and non-logical way. If I wanted to use the already existing ability to have highlights become flashcards, it only fills one side of the flashcard. It would be better if one could do something like allow me to choose to put adjoining highlights as a pair, the first on the front and the second second on the back. Then I could make flashcards from premises and conclusions in a book. I think that would get a lot of use from people like me who teach. 3. It would sure be helpful if I could select text across a page break with one selection rather than two separate selections. 4. Perhaps an option to read by vertically scrolling text would help with #3?

I see work is being done on library functionality, but

As an avid reader, I’d like to see more improvements for storing, organizing and finding books in my Kindle library in order to make reading Kindle books more enjoyable. 1) There should be a way to bring the categories into the library so I can filter by category and sub-category. For example: category Mystery; subcategory Police Procedural. I can shop for them this way in the Kindle store, I want to be able to view my library the same way. 2). There needs to be a way to quickly see which books have been read, and which have not. 3) There should be a private section in my kindle library that can’t be seen by anyone I hand my phone or tablet to. 4) I’d like a way to easily view a series of books in order. It looks like this is being done, but it doesn’t seem to work. Also, I’d like to be able to easily go to the next book in the series. Currently, when I finish a book, a page comes up showing the title and synopsis of the next book in the series. (Thanks for adding that, it has helped a bit to at least see the title of the next book in order). Ideally though, I’d like to be able to select the next book (if in my library) and be able to open it from there. Instead, I have to search my library. Thanks for considering there suggestions.

The developer, AMZN Mobile LLC, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy.

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

Purchases
Location
Contact Info
User Content
Search History
Identifiers
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Other Data

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

Seller: AMZN Mobile LLC
Size: 158 MB
Category: Books
Age Rating: 12+
Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor
Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity
Infrequent/Mild Medical/Treatment Information
Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence
Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes
Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
Copyright: © 2009-2023 Amazon.com, Inc. or its Affiliates.
Price: Free

Developer Website
App Support
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More By This Developer

Let’s go camping! A traveler’s ABC and an adventure story from the Amazon jungle

Ekaterina Ushakhina

On a warm summer evening, when the stars light up in the sky, you can cook dinner on a fire and feel far, far away, at the end of the world. Get into a sleeping bag and fall asleep to the rustle of the wind…

Many of us have been hiking more than once, but the wind of adventure calls us again and again. There, where the sounds of cars are not heard, and ship pines seem to whisper their centuries-old stories.

Our novelty today is about adventure. Big ones and small ones. In the Amazon forests and in the nearest park, on the ocean and near the village river.

The book is made up of diaries and drawings by an unknown traveler that were found in one of the Amazon jungle huts. They contain exciting travel stories to various parts of the world, tips for those who are going on a hike, amazing facts and incredibly beautiful illustrations.

Let’s look under the cover. The wind of adventure is calling…

The universe belongs to seekers

Teddy Keene, the author of this book, traveled through the Amazon jungle with friends a few years ago. In an old hut, in the corner, under rotten logs, they found a rusty metal box. And in it are notebooks, notebooks and albums wrapped in plastic bags.

These were the diaries of one person who visited various parts of the world. Carefully leafing through the brittle pages, Teddy discovered a real treasure trove of knowledge that any traveler needs, as well as hundreds of pencil drawings and color illustrations that depict the wonders of our world.

Photo of the album found in the hut

For two years, Teddy restored the records, and then compiled them into this inspiring and beautiful book.

Who the mysterious traveler was, the author never found out. But among his papers there was a letter – obviously addressed to two young relatives. The main idea is very simple: be generous with your soul and boldly hit the road. She became the leitmotif of The Adventurer’s Book.

To discover new worlds, you must leave the safe harbor

From jungle to snow desert

An unknown traveler tells many funny and breathtaking stories to readers. So the book turns into an adventure story with scientific facts. The geography of his travels is amazing. It seems that the hero of the book traveled the entire globe.

Together with him you will visit a forest where giant sequoias grow, in a night jungle where jaguars hunt, and on a deserted beach in Micronesia. In the mountains and at the bottom of the ocean, in the forests and on a desert island, in the sands of the Sahara and in a snow hole.

Green eyes sparkled in the jungle at night. I turned on the flashlight and saw the silhouette of a jaguar in the darkness. The beast froze for a second, gazing fascinated at the beam of light, and then turned and disappeared into the thicket of the night.

Basking at a cheerfully crackling fire, which he himself made after a long day of travel, is one of the main pleasures of camping life

Heavenly Orchestra

The book has magnificent poetic texts and amazing illustrations. All of them are written and drawn by a mysterious traveler.

Watch how he talks about the Northern Lights:

I will never forget the first time I was in the polar latitudes and saw the Northern Lights. In the dark blue night sky, a huge transparent green cloth seemed to flutter. Then, against its background, blue and purple stripes floated by, replacing each other. It seemed that the heavenly orchestra decided to play a symphony of colors for me alone.

This light show takes place in the sky because charged particles from space enter the polar atmosphere

Why chewing gum when hiking?

What to do if you get lost in the forest? How to light a fire and put up a tent in winter and summer? How to recognize animals and birds by footprints and navigate without a compass? What should be in a survival kit that fits in a small tin box?

The pages of the book contain a lot of useful tips that will be useful to any traveler: both those who go to the desert and those who are going to spend the night in a tent in a neighboring yard.

Here are some interesting passages.

How to choose a place for a fire. Look for an open, level, spacious area. Make a fire away from tents and trees. Make sure that there are no protruding roots or other irregularities nearby that you can trip over. If the wind is blowing, place the fire on the lee side of the camp. Fire is easier to kindle and maintain in a recess protected from the wind.

Getting into unknown worlds is not so difficult. A little courage, some skill and an expedition plan is all it takes

Why chew gum on a hike? She will help light the fire. Remove the foil wrapper, cut it into strips and connect the ends to the poles of a flashlight battery to create a spark. You can make a “worm” out of chewing gum, and you will get an excellent bait for fishing. Chewing calms, and this is very useful in a critical situation.

Standing on the crest of a mountain in Italy, I suddenly saw how the neighboring slope blossomed with millions of bright wings. The life of a traveler is full of such surprises

Meals on fire. What could be tastier than food baked on a fire? Foil will replace any form. Just wrap the desired products in it and put it on hot coals. So you can cook not only potatoes, but also bake bananas, corn and even make buns.

The great polar explorer Ernest Shackleton very rightly said: “The desire for exploration lies in each of us. The biggest failure in life is not discovering anything new.”

Adventures do not have to go to the ends of the earth. A lot of interesting things can be found right outside the doorstep. The main thing is to get out of the house and hit the road.

Based on the book The Adventurer’s Book.

Article cover: illustration from the book.

P.S. Do you want to learn about the most interesting children’s books and receive discounts on the best novelties? Subscribe to our newsletter. The first letter contains a gift.

Adventure and extreme tours in Peru

If a trip to Peru is not enough adventure for you, then we have something to offer!

Amazon jungle survival programs for the bravest

Have you dreamed of learning how to use a machete, build huts and rafts, hunt and fish with what you can find in the forest, start a fire without matches like the heroes of exciting adventure films? For a week in the jungle without provisions and equipment, our experienced guides will teach you all this. You will eat what you collect, catch and cook, sleep in a hut you build yourself, learn about medicinal and poisonous plants – everything you need to survive in the wild.

And if that’s not extreme enough for you, go on an expedition to the Shuar tribe – the one that is famous for its shrunken heads of enemies, “tsantsa”.

An equally exciting opportunity to get off the beaten track and test yourself in the Amazon jungle is rafting and boating from the vicinity of Lake Titicaca at an altitude of 3800 meters to the jungle of Puerto Maldonado. During this expedition, you will not have to get your own food, but endurance and courage will be needed! Hikers spend a week in the jungle, rafting from one campsite to another, sleeping in tents and spending their days exploring the wilderness. Capybaras, tapirs, caimans, jaguars, monkeys and a bunch of other fauna are found here. The night jungle is deafening with sounds and smells, and in the morning multi-colored clouds of thousands of parrots fly to the clay bank of the river.

Survival program or expedition takes from a week to 20 days. A complete reboot and an unforgettable experience guaranteed!

Do you want to visit wild animals? Do you think that only mountains can be better than mountains? Then the Andes are waiting for you!

The city of Huaraz, the capital of the Ancash region at an altitude of 3000 meters, is a unique place. Here is the largest number of glaciers located within the tropical zone. At 180 kilometers you can meet from 20 to 30 six-thousanders! From here you can go on multi-day hikes in the Cordillera Blanca and the Huascaran National Park. Most hikes require good physical shape and at least basic mountaineering training.

Cusco Adventure Tours

Traveling through Peru, you will definitely find yourself in the Cusco region. After all, it is from here that you can get to Machu Picchu. In addition to traditional excursions in Cusco and its surroundings, there are many opportunities for active and extreme recreation:

The famous trip to Machu Picchu along the Inca Trail. You say it’s not extreme? Perhaps you have not tried to buy a ticket to the Trail – the extreme begins at this moment. Indeed, thousands of people apply for 200 entrance tickets per day, which the Ministry of Culture allocates for tourists. Only an authorized tour operator can buy tickets, but you need to contact him a few months before the trip. Write to us and we will book the Inca Trail for you.

The lucky ones who managed to buy a permit to enter the Inca Trail are waiting for 43 kilometers of stone steps with constant descents and ascents and the fabulously beautiful ruins of Machu Picchu as a reward at the end of the path.

If you do not plan your trips for six months or more and do not have time to buy a ticket to the Trail, but really want to go hiking, there are other, no less impressive, trekking to Machu Picchu for you. For example, Salkantay track. The road through glaciers and lagoons, met sunsets and sunrises, nights in a tent under the starry sky of the Andes and liters of tea from coca leaves will lead you to the ruins of the ancient city.

Do you find simple tracking boring? Try Inca Jungle! In this 4-day hike, you will have time to ride dozens of kilometers of mountain roads on bicycles, raft down the river, go down the cable car, walk along a section of the Inca Trail and walk to Machu Picchu!

Short excursions

If you want to add some extra excitement to your trip to Peru, but do not have a week or two left for hiking and expeditions, there are many options in Cusco and the surrounding area for those who have only one or two free days:

In the Sacred Valley of the Incas, you can feel like a condor and fly with a paraglider.

Or explore the sights of the Valley on quad bikes, motorcycles or mountain bikes.

You can go down the mountain river on a raft. The complexity of the descent depends on the season – in the rainy season the rapids of the rivers are steeper.

You can spend the night in an unusual hotel. For example, in the famous Skylodge Adventure Suit – glass cabins hanging on a mountainside. To get to them, you will have to learn a little rock climbing and learn how to overcome the abyss on steel ropes. But you can go down easily and with a breeze along six cable cars. You have to book a night in Skylodge more than six months before the trip, but if there are no more places to spend the night, then you can just climb the rock and go down the cable car.

Someone climbs up, and someone jumps down! Near Cusco is the highest bungee jumping site in Latin America! A jump from a 125-meter platform will definitely tickle your nerves.

The Vinicunca rainbow mountain near Cusco has become famous all over the world and every day hundreds of tourists step by step climb up to a height of 5100 meters to enjoy the famous view. This is a test even for a trained person. And if you don’t like crowds, but want to see the Colorful Mountains, our guides know a place where you can still do it almost alone.

After Cusco, many travelers go to Titicaca. Most itineraries include relaxing traditional boat trips to the islands, but that’s not what you like, right?

Instead of the standard excursion, you can go kayaking to the reed islands of Uros.

And instead of spending the night in a warm hotel, you can stay right in the reed house of an Indian on a floating island. Get ready for extreme conditions! At night, the air temperature on Lake Titicaca at an altitude of almost 4000 meters can drop to 0 degrees.

Don’t want to sleep in a thatched house? You can spend the night with the Indians on the island of Amantani or the Capacica Peninsula. Any of these options will allow you to see the life of local residents from the inside and get to know them better.

End your trip to Peru on the Pacific coast, where the weather is always nice and you can relax! Although there is something to do here for adventure seekers.

South of Lima, in the Paracas area, you can spend a couple of days perfectly. There are huge sand dunes near Paracas. It takes your breath away when you fly down from them on a buggy or sandboard!

While in this part of Peru, one should not miss the opportunity to fly over the famous Nazca Drawings. But you should not get into one of the small planes for those who are afraid of heights. After all, the entire flight, the pilot tilts the plane either to the right or to the left, so that all passengers can have a good look at the Lines.

Do you like fishing? Real Peruvian fishermen take to the ocean in their boats every day before dawn.

Kindle with amazon: Your free personal library you can take anywhere

Best Kindle (2023): Which Amazon Ebook Reader Should You Buy?

Best for Most

The Smallest and Least Expensive

Frivolously Awesome

Best for Kids

Best for Most

The Smallest and Least Expensive

Frivolously Awesome

Best for Kids

For Note-Taking

Do You Need a Cover?

Do You Have an Older Kindle Model?

Start Reading

What Else Can a Kindle Do?

‎Amazon Kindle on the App Store

Description

Ratings and Reviews

Kindle is great, but Kindle Unlimited has made it AMAZING!!😍😍📖

Overall good but…

I see work is being done on library functionality, but

Data Linked to You

Information

More By This Developer

You Might Also Like

Let’s go camping! A traveler’s ABC and an adventure story from the Amazon jungle

The universe belongs to seekers

From jungle to snow desert

Heavenly Orchestra

Why chewing gum when hiking?

Adventure and extreme tours in Peru

Amazon jungle survival programs for the bravest

Do you want to visit wild animals? Do you think that only mountains can be better than mountains? Then the Andes are waiting for you!

Cusco Adventure Tours

Short excursions