At WIRED, we’re big fans of Kindles. It’s the perfect solution for bookworms who always want to access tons of books on the go in a compact, lightweight way. But they can be expensive. If you’ve been putting off buying one, you’re in luck, because our favorite models are currently discounted during Amazon’s October Prime Day sale.
As a reminder, we don’t recommend anything we haven’t tested, and we test all year round. If you don’t see anything you like here, don’t forget to check out our guides on Best Genres, Best Ebook Readers, and Best Ebook Subscriptions. As always, you need an Amazon Prime membership to get the deal price, but you can sign up for a free trial and Prime offers you many benefits.
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Kindle deals
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This is currently our favorite Kindle. It features a 6.8-inch display with thin bezels, adjustable warm brightness, and 16 gigabytes of storage. It also comes with a USB-C port for wireless charging. We also suggest spending an additional $20 to get rid of lock screen ads. We’re seeing rumors of new Kindles coming, and Amazon is constantly improving the Paperwhite. However, this model still works very well.
This is the basic Kindle and the smallest option. Coming in at 6.2-inches tall and 4.3-inches wide, it’s a great choice if you find the Kindle unwieldy to hold with one hand. The 6-inch screen comes with 300 pixels per inch—an increase from 197 ppi on its predecessor. Other updates include an increase from 8 gigabytes to 16 and a USB-C port for charging. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with warm light or auto-adjust light, and it’s not waterproof.
Photo: Jaina Gray
We recommend the Writer (8/10, WIRED Recommends) for taking notes and drawing. Because it’s a Kindle, the reading experience is still seamless, but the large 10.2-inch screen is perfect for taking notes, marking up PDFs, and images. However, we don’t recommend it for professional artists who want something a little more exotic. You also can’t write on the pages of books (for those who like to annotate while reading), and it’s waterproof. You’ll have a choice between 16-, 32-, and 64-gigabyte options.
This is our favorite Kindle for kids. It comes with a kid-friendly library, parental controls, a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+, and a two-year warranty. It also has a 300-ppi high-resolution display and the ability to switch between light and dark modes. We’ve seen it drop a bit in the past, between $105 and $110, but this is still a solid deal.
Deals on Kindle accessories
Image: Amazon
This is a great accessory if you’re looking for a comfortable way to hold your Kindle. Soft silicone straps stick to the back of the e-reader and give you a better place to rest your hands. It is available in many sizes depending on the type of e-reader you have.
Amazon’s standard cloth cover is not for sale, but if you want to protect your Kindle from damage, we recommend the cover. These open like a book and come in a variety of colors, including blue, pink, green and black. They are also made from post-consumer recycled fabric. This is for the basic Kindle, but it is also available White paper.
Phone reviewer Nena Farrell tested this and said it makes for an easy and comfortable experience, especially if you have sources of chronic pain in your hands and wrists. The clamp is easy to attach to bed frames and side tables. and it’s easy enough to use anywhere (with enough neck resistance that it won’t fall forward or out of place).
Photo: Simon Hill
These are our top picks in our guide to The Best Reading Lights. Clip-on with adjustable gooseneck and two moving lights that pack seven LEDs each. You can also cycle through five brightness levels and three color temperature modes, as well as six brightness settings.
This is my favorite light to read. It looks a little silly, but it’s a great alternative to a clip-on reading light. It’s adjustable, lightweight, and comes with three color temperature modes and six brightness settings. It’s also rechargeable, up to 80 hours of battery life when on dimmer settings.