Electronic readers have become an essential product for comfortable reading anywhere and anytime, while having access to a vast library in a single device. Let's review the best electronic readers for the back-to-school season of 2023 through this comparison and buying guide. Although electronic books date back to the 2000s, the early days were timid, and readers did not believe that an electronic reader could ever replace a "real" paper book.
However, things have changed significantly, and in recent years, electronic readers have become popular even among the most avid paper readers. They come in all sizes and with various features. If you want to buy an electronic reader, or just want to learn more about the topic, we reveal our selection of the best electronic readers for the 2023 back-to-school season, as well as how to choose the right one. Just for information, the market mainly relies on strong competition between two major players: Kobo (offered by Fnac but available from different retailers) and Kindle (only offered by Amazon).
Other brands exist (which we propose), but sales volumes are lower.
Amazon Kindle: low price but quality! The Amazon Kindle electronic reader offers good grip thanks to the rounded edges with a rather original design. The electronic reader is turned on via WiFi and starts with the connection to your Amazon account. The device offers a 6-inch backlit touch screen with a technology that fights against blue light.
As a reminder, Amazon readers are not compatible with the universal ePub format, but are compatible with many other formats. So, you will mainly have to buy your books from Amazon, which, given the prices, is not necessarily a bad thing. Internet access is also available on the Amazon Kindle, allowing you to buy and retrieve a book in just a few seconds.
- Kindle Paperwhite (2023) - The Kindle Paperwhite is a very popular reader that features a high-resolution 300 ppi screen and built-in lighting for comfortable reading in all lighting conditions. Waterproof and equipped with 8GB or 32GB of internal storage, depending on the version you choose, the Paperwhite supports Kindle formats (AZW, AZW3), unprotected TXT, PDF, MOBI, as well as HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP formats, converted. Approximate price: €129.99 for the 8GB version and €159.99 for the 32GB version.
- Kobo Forma - The Kobo Forma is a high-end reader with a large 8-inch screen, ideal for reading books in PDF format or for people with vision difficulties. Waterproof and equipped with 8GB of internal storage, it supports many file formats, such as EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, and CBR. Approximate price: €279.99.
- PocketBook InkPad Color - The PocketBook InkPad Color is a reader with a 7.8-inch color screen, allowing you to read comics, magazines, and children's books with color illustrations. Waterproof and equipped with 16GB of internal storage, it supports file formats such as EPUB DRM, PDF DRM, JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, FB2, FB2.ZIP, DOC, DOCX, PRC, MOBI, and CHM. Approximate price: €299.99.
- Onyx Boox Nova3 Color - This e-reader also has a 7.8-inch color screen and supports many different file formats. It comes with an Android operating system, which allows access to third-party apps and the ability to read audio or video files. Waterproof and equipped with 32GB of internal storage, it supports file formats such as EPUB, PDF, TXT, MOBI, DJVU, FB2, DOC, HTML, RTF, CHM, and BMP, JPG, PNG, TIFF. Approximate price: €329.99.
- Bookeen Diva HD - The Bookeen Diva HD is a stylish and lightweight e-reader equipped with a high-resolution 6-inch screen and built-in lighting. It is waterproof and has 16GB of internal storage, as well as a long battery life. It supports file formats such as EPUB, PDF, MOBI, TXT, HTML, RTF, JPEG, GIF, and PNG. Approximate price: €149.99.
- PocketBook Touch HD 4 - The PocketBook Touch HD 4 is a compact and lightweight e-reader with a high-resolution 6-inch screen. Waterproof and equipped with 16GB of internal storage, it supports file formats such as EPUB DRM, PDF DRM, JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, FB2, FB2.ZIP, DOC, DOCX, PRC, and MOBI. Approximate price: €159.99.
- Bookeen Diva - The Bookeen Diva is a stylish e-reader with a high-resolution 6-inch screen. It is equipped with adjustable front lighting and 16GB of internal storage, with support for file formats such as EPUB, PDF, HTML, TXT, and FB2. It is also compatible with DRM-protected Adobe and LCP file formats. Approximate price: €179.99.
- Tolino Vision 5 - The Tolino Vision 5 is a German e-reader with a high-resolution 7-inch screen and several weeks of battery life. Waterproof and equipped with 8GB of internal storage, it supports file formats such as EPUB, PDF, TXT, FB2, DJVU, HTML, RTF, MOBI, and PRC. It is compatible with DRM-protected Adobe file formats. Approximate price: €189.99.
- Onyx Boox Note Air - The Onyx Boox Note Air is a large-format 10.3-inch e-reader, ideal for reading professional or academic documents. Equipped with an Android operating system, it allows access to third-party apps and the ability to read audio or video files. Waterproof and equipped with 32GB of internal storage, it supports file formats such as EPUB, PDF, TXT, MOBI, DJVU, FB2, DOC, HTML, RTF, CHM, and BMP, JPG, PNG, TIFF. Approximate price: €499.99.
- Sony DPT-CP1 - The Sony DPT-CP1 is a professional e-reader with a 10.3-inch screen. It is designed for note-taking and reading PDF documents, with a real-time conversion function from handwritten notes to digital text. Equipped with 16GB of internal storage, it supports file formats such as PDF and PDF/A. Approximate price: €599.99.
