Kindle Paperwhite (12th gen)
Best overall reader
Amazon
Kindle Paperwhite (12th gen)
The most complete dedicated reader you can buy without thinking about ecosystems.
ReadersCarta 1300
$160
9.1
E Ink technology resource
E Ink devices, technology, and reviews
ereaderinfo.com is a dedicated site for electrophoretic displays: how they work, which devices to buy, and how they compare with OLED, LCD, and other screens. Readers, phones, watches, monitors, and signage.
ReadersDedicated books, comics, and libraries.Note tabletsHandwriting, PDFs, and paper replacement.PhonesAlways-on Android with a paper face.PocketPhone-shaped readers that disappear in a coat.WatchesBistable wrists. Weeks of battery.MonitorsDesks that do not shout.SignageRetail labels and posters that sip power.
Recommended
Best E Ink devices
Kobo Clara BW
Best open reader
Kobo
Kobo Clara BW
The open Paperwhite. OverDrive, EPUB, and a Carta 1300 panel in a pocketable shell.
ReadersCarta 1300
$130
8.8
Kobo Libra Colour
Best color reader
Kobo
Kobo Libra Colour
Page-turn buttons, a stylus, and Kaleido 3. The color reader we actually carry.
ReadersKaleido 3
$220
8.7
reMarkable Paper Pro
Best paper tablet
reMarkable
reMarkable Paper Pro
Gallery 3 color with a front light, in the most stubbornly focused OS in e-paper.
Note tabletsGallery 3
$629
8.4
Supernote Nomad
Best small notebook
Supernote
Supernote Nomad
The best small notebook if you care about files you will still open in a decade.
Note tabletsCarta 1200
$400
8.6
Boox Palma 2
Best pocket device
Onyx Boox
Boox Palma 2
A phone-shaped Carta 1300 reader. The device we actually put in a jacket.
PocketCarta 1300
$280
8.5
Hisense A10
Best e-ink phone
Hisense
Hisense A10
Carta 1300 on the face, optional magnetic LCD on the back. The 2026 Hisense argument.
PhonesCarta 1300
$590
8.3
Pebble 2 Duo
Best e-paper watch
Core Devices
Pebble 2 Duo
E-paper on the wrist, revived. Notifications without an OLED torch.
WatchesCarta
$200
8.4
Dasung Paperlike 253
Best e-paper monitor
Dasung
Dasung Paperlike 253
The 25-inch Carta desk. Coding and long prose without a glowing rectangle.
MonitorsCarta 1300
$1,600
8.2
Featured review
Kindle Paperwhite 12th gen: the reader that ends the argument
Carta 1300, 7 inches, warm light, IPX8. We carried it for six weeks. Most people should stop shopping here.
Read the review
Featured devices
All 34 devicesKindle (2024)
Amazon
Kindle (2024)
The default first e-reader. Slow, closed, and still the one most people should buy.
ReadersCarta 1200
$110
8.6
Kindle Paperwhite (12th gen)
Best overall reader
Amazon
Kindle Paperwhite (12th gen)
The most complete dedicated reader you can buy without thinking about ecosystems.
ReadersCarta 1300
$160
9.1
Kobo Clara BW
Best open reader
Kobo
Kobo Clara BW
The open Paperwhite. OverDrive, EPUB, and a Carta 1300 panel in a pocketable shell.
ReadersCarta 1300
$130
8.8
Kobo Libra Colour
Best color reader
Kobo
Kobo Libra Colour
Page-turn buttons, a stylus, and Kaleido 3. The color reader we actually carry.
ReadersKaleido 3
$220
8.7
reMarkable Paper Pro
Best paper tablet
reMarkable
reMarkable Paper Pro
Gallery 3 color with a front light, in the most stubbornly focused OS in e-paper.
Note tabletsGallery 3
$629
8.4
Boox Note Air 5C
Onyx Boox
Boox Note Air 5C
The Android color notebook to beat. Kaleido 3, a real stylus, and every PDF app.
Note tabletsKaleido 3
$500
8.2
How it works
How E Ink displays work
Microcapsules of charged black and white particles sit under glass. A voltage flips a page. Then the image stays with no power and no flicker. That is why a Kindle lasts weeks and a shelf label lasts years on a coin cell.
E Ink technology
E Ink vs other displays
Full comparison| Panel | Sun | Motion | Color | Power | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E Ink (Carta) | 10 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 10 |
| E Ink Kaleido 3 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 |
| OLED | 4 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
| IPS LCD | 5 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
Latest reviews
9 min
Kindle Paperwhite 12th gen: the reader that ends the argument
Carta 1300, 7 inches, warm light, IPX8. We carried it for six weeks. Most people should stop shopping here.
11 min
reMarkable Paper Pro: color, at the speed of pigment
Gallery 3 is not Kaleido. That is the whole review, plus a front light the company spent a decade refusing.
8 min
Kobo Libra Colour: buttons, a pen, and enough color
The color reader we keep in a bag. Kaleido 3 with page-turn keys, OverDrive, and a stylus that is honest about being extra.
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