Best Kindle: which ereader should you buy?

If you want a device to read your ebooks on, the market isn't particularly crowded right now. Amazon has taken over the ereader game with its Kindle products and we've curated a selection of our favorite you can buy right now.

Some Kindles and ereaders have risen to the top through a combination of slick performance, stunning screens and attractive prices.

Others wallow at the bottom, bogged down by cumbersome interfaces, high costs and disappointing displays. So we've put together this list so you can avoid them and only buy one of the best Kindles out there right now.

Note: we've ranked these from cheapest to most expensive according to prices at time of writing.

Amazon Kindle

The Amazon Kindle, or all-new Kindle as Amazon calls it, is the most basic and affordable ereader the company sells, coming in at just £59.99.

And it's not much different to the previous model, which means you get an adequate (but not backlit) touchscreen, a long lasting battery and plenty of space for all your digitial tomes, plus an intuitive interface, that makes navigating your books a breeze.

Where it's improved is in the design - 2016's model is slimmer and lighter than what's come before, so even though you could essentially be carrying an entire library with you it won't even feel as weighty as a single paperback.

Amazon's also given its latest basic model a power boost, for fairly snappy performance. It's no match for the Oasis, Voyage or even Paperwhite, but at just over £50 it doesn't have to be.

Why should I buy it? Because you want a bargain and can live without the backlight and sharper screen found on pricier Kindle's.

Read the full Amazon Kindle review

Kindle Paperwhite

The latest version of the Kindle Paperwhite is the best we've ever seen with a beautiful 6-inch HD display that has 300 pixels per inch and 4GB of storage, meaning you can keep thousands of books on one device.

The Kindle Paperwhite is almost the closest you can get to real paper while getting all the benefits of an ereader. You have access to Amazon's huge library of books and you can even use the Kindle Unlimited rental service on the Paperwhite.

There's a built-in light and you're not going to get any screen glare when reading it in bright sunlight. The battery isn't as good as the last version as it only lasts six weeks, but that said it's still a very good amount of time to get reading your ebooks.

Why should I buy it? If you're looking for one of the best screen experiences on an ereader and you want to be able to read in bright sunlight, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is your choice.

Read the full Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review

Kindle Voyage

The Kindle Voyage was once the top of the heap, but it's been bettered by another Amazon offering, the Kindle Oasis.

When this launched, it was essentially a perfected version of the Kindle Paperwhite, with the same interface and features but an even better 300ppi screen. Now the Paperwhite has that screen it's difficult to justify spending the extra on the Kindle Voyage, while the Oasis has a brand new beautiful design.

This one does come with a uniform backlight, an ambient light sensor and PagePress buttons, which allow you to navigate a book without lifting a finger.

It's even got a sleek 7.6mm thick build making it the best looking Kindle ever. All that comes with a high price tag that starts at £169 and like other Kindle's the Voyage lacks a microSD card slot, but this is still arguably one of the most premium ereaders you can buy.

If you read a lot and, crucially, have the money to spare, this is the clear choice.

Why should I buy it? If you're looking for a premium Kindle experience, but not by spending as much as you would on an Oasis, go for this.

Read the full Amazon Kindle Voyage review

Amazon Kindle Oasis

The Oasis sits as the most expensive option in the Kindle range, above the Kindle, Paperwhite and Voyage. At almost five times the price of the standard Kindle, you're spending a lot of money here… but it's worth it.

If you're looking for the most comfortable ereader experience you can ever have this is the best one for you. A brand new design that's thinner on one side makes it even easier to hold in one hand.

It means you can actually read A Game of Thrones while holding onto the hand rail on your commute. There's a vibrant display with 300 pixels-per-inch and a fantastic backlight that makes it the brightest Kindle yet.

You also get a leather battery case bundled in with the Oasis that gives this Kindle the best battery life we have ever seen on an ereader. It can last up to eight weeks.

This will cost you quite a bit more than all the other ereaders on this list - but if this is the device you use every day to absorb your tomes, why not spend that little bit extra?

Why should I buy it? Because this is the ultimate ereader experience you can get right now with the best screen and design that money can buy.

Read the full Amazon Kindle Oasis review

The best of the rest

Now for the best ereaders that aren't made by the big A. Now Nook has left the UK, it's all about Kobo if you don't want a Kindle.

Kobo Aura H2O

It's quite remarkable if you think about it that none of the offerings from Amazon are waterproof considering how many people read by the pool, on the beach, or in the bath. Filling that gap is the Kobo Aura H2O. It's waterproof, oh boy is it waterproof.

The H2O has a level of waterproofing that means it can be underwater for up to an hour and suffer no adverse effects. Not that there are many situations where you will need that level of waterproofing, but it's reassuring that if it gets dropped in the pool it's not going to be an issue.

This is the second generation of the H2O, and Kobo has made improvements on its processing speed, battery life, and screen. It's not got quite as high a resolution screen as its Kindle competitors but it's still a pleasure to read.

ComfortLight PRO technology shifts the colour of the screen towards orange as you get closer to your bedtime so that you can get a good night's sleep after reading.

Why should I buy it? If you like reading by the pool, the beach or in the bath then this is the ereader for you.

Read the full Kobo Aura H2O review

The Kobo Aura One is the big brother of the H2O; it's big in a couple of ways, the price is bigger, but so too is the screen. By quite a way.

At 7.8 inches, the One's screen is much larger than the 6-inch screen that you'll find on all of Amazon's offerings, meaning if you like a larger screen, this is a no-brainer.

Having a larger screen means that there is more space to spread out the innards, meaning while it's large, it's also very thin, which means it's easy to slot into a beach bag. The screen size does mean that it's very easy to read, but it comes at a price, it's significantly heavier, so reading one handed goes out the window.

One thing that is definitely worth noting is that the One has the same robust waterproofing as the H2O, meaning you can read it by the pool or beach, or in the bath without having to worry about it.

The One also has ComfortLight Pro, which removes blue tones from the e-ink screen as you get close to your bedtime, helping you drift off after reading.

Why should I buy it? If you're looking for a big screen on your ereader this is the one for you. At almost 2 inches bigger than any of the offerings from Amazon, it is unbeatable in terms of screen size. Plus it's waterproof.

Read the full Kobo Aura One review