There’s just one e-reader I do not advocate to anybody

E-readers are one of the best ways to learn in 2026. Should you’re a bit overwhelmed by your shopping for decisions, it is comprehensible — there are such a lot of respected companies to purchase from, and every presents loads of choices. You are in all probability acquainted with Amazon’s e-reader line: Kindles.

As one of many first gadgets to dominate the house, the phrase “Kindle” grew to become synonymous with e-readers years in the past, and different manufacturers have been enjoying catch-up to Amazon’s answer since. Whereas different e-readers permit extra person freedom exterior the enormous firm’s notably restricted software program backyard, many cannot deny the comfort Kindles deliver to their studying expertise.

So in case you’re seeking to turn into part of the Kindle household, I’ve a warning for you. There is a specific Kindle that hides a considerable upcharge behind ineffective “perks,” and also you’d do effectively to keep away from it. It is the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version, and this is why it is best to spend your money on the common Kindle Paperwhite (not the Signature Version), and even the bottom Kindle as an alternative.

Why should not you purchase the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version?

The ‘premiums’ do not make it higher than the common Paperwhite

I have not been shy about my Kindle e-reader ideas up to now — I really do assume that the entry-level Kindle is more than enough for most casual readers. It is solely $110 and nearly all the time on some type of sale, so it is the only option for anybody balling on a price range who desires a easy e-reader with out the additional frills. The main variations between the bottom Kindle and the remaining are that it would not boast water resistance, heat filters, or an additional inch of display actual property. However, it nonetheless has a powerful six-week battery life. It is also the smallest Kindle, which makes it further moveable for readers on the go.

Storage

16GB

Display screen Measurement

6-inch E Ink (300ppi)

Connections

USB-C

Battery

As much as 6 weeks

Now, if you wish to go up a rung, the regular Kindle Paperwhite is a worthy upgrade. It is my very own each day driver, and I do assume the larger show and heat filters are value it after I’m up till 3AM studying the latest romantasy ebook. Plus, as somebody who persistently reads by the pool or within the bathtub, the IPX8 score is unquestionably definitely worth the $50 improve alone.

Feels like an e-reader anybody might get together with, proper? Each characteristic on the Kindle Paperwhite is helpful with out being superfluous. What might the Paperwhite Signature Version do to take it up just a few notches — and be $40 costlier than the common Paperwhite, to not point out nearly double the value of the entry-level Kindle?

Earlier than I inform you what the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version provides, let me inform you what specs it shares with the common Paperwhite:

• 7⁠” glare-free show
• 300 ppi decision
• As much as 12 weeks of battery life on a single cost
• An adjustable heat mild
• Audible through Bluetooth
• Flush entrance design
• IPX8 waterproof score (will be submerged in two meters of contemporary water for an hour)

Now, what might the Signature Version add that justifies a further $40? Maintain studying.

Just one may truly matter to you

There are 4 issues the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version provides:

• Wi-fi charging
• An auto-adjusting entrance mild
• 32GB (double the storage of the common Paperwhite and entry-level Kindle)
• An ad-free lock display

If there’s one hill I am going to die on, it is that wireless charging on a tool that hardly wants charging within the first place is ridiculous. Each 12 weeks, if it is that a lot of a nuisance to discover a USB-C cable and plug it in, then digital studying gadgets will not be for you. Plus, there’s nearly no distinction between laying it flat to cost wirelessly and plugging it in — in truth, I would argue it is simpler to proceed utilizing and holding it like regular when it is bodily linked to energy.

Auto-adjusting entrance lights do sound good in principle, however I discover them to be extra annoying than helpful on my Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. Consistently shifting lighting is extra distracting than something, and each time it lands on a brightness that does not match my environment, I’ve to interrupt my studying to manually regulate the slider. A lot for “distraction-free.”

However extra storage needs to be value the additional money, proper? Incorrect. 16GB sounds tiny in a world the place our telephones and laptops now come stocked with 256GB and 512GB, however it can hold thousands and thousands of standard textual content e-books. I’ve owned a 16GB Kindle for effectively over a decade, and I’ve by no means as soon as come even near working out of house on my machine — I have not even obtained a notification warning me that I used to be shut. Until you are studying hundreds of graphic novels (which take up way more house per web page), it is extremely unlikely you may ever attain that threshold — even after downloading hundreds of titles.

The one characteristic that is engaging is the ad-free lock display. I do not love that my Paperwhite’s lock display is an lively billboard for Amazon’s companies and random dystopian romance books, and I would favor to create my very own custom-made look. Nevertheless, there are many different methods to decorate the e-reader to cover the display from view, and even when it’s in view, it is not so distracting that it ruins my studying expertise.

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version is extra title than helpful options

Nobody’s bragging about their e-reader prefer it’s a brand new automobile

The Signature Version sounds fancy, but it surely’s simply an additional $40 for 3 nearly hole options — the one saving grace is the ad-free lock display, which does not carry an excessive amount of weight whenever you understand you are not watching all of it day. Until you may have money to burn, the common Paperwhite is probably the most bang to your buck with out spilling over into ‘paying for it simply to say you may have it’ territory.

The bar is already excessive off the bottom in relation to the entry-level Kindle, and the Kindle Paperwhite is the one Kindle mannequin truly value its weight in upgrades.