The best reading tablets of 2024: Expert tested and recommended

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ZDNET's reviewers spend weeks to months testing each laptop on this list, using it for both everyday tasks like browsing, streaming, and gaming, to more performance-intensive work like photo and video editing. We aim to give you a view into how each laptop could actually fit into your life and workflow, and the pros and cons of their various features like performance, display, and battery life.

Winter is the perfect time to curl up under a blanket with a good book — or an entire library. A great reading tablet will let you carry hundreds of titles in a lightweight device, and it will have a battery that lasts days. It should also be lightweight enough that you can hold it for hours without straining your wrists.

Also: The best tablets of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

E-readers allow you to store entire libraries (including books, magazines, and even newspaper subscriptions) in one sleek and lightweight device. Of course, you can pick up most tablets, like an iPad, to read a book, but not all tablets and e-readers are created equal or are easy on the eyes. That's why we've rounded up the best tablets for reading if you're ready to dive into the next book on your list or conserve space in your school backpack.

What is the best reading tablet right now?

We compiled this list by extensively going hands-on with the best tablets for reading on the market, considering price, storage, and special features in our testing. Through this, we named the Kindle Paperwhite as the best reading tablet overall for its adjustable lighting, performance, and battery life. However, we also include reading tablets from brands like Apple and TCL so you can find the right tablet for your needs and reading style in time for going back to school this fall.

The best reading tablets of 2024

Perhaps the most well-known tablet for reading is Amazon's Kindle devices, and the new Kindle Paperwhite released this fall is our favorite. It has all the familiar features of a Kindle (300 ppi e-ink screen, long battery life, and adjustable warm light), along with noticably faster performance -- Amazon said it features 25% faster page turns and 20% of an overall faster experience, whether you're browsing book titles or downloading an audiobook.

But aside from speed, the Paperwhite gets up to 12 weeks of battery life (compared to 10 weeks from the previous Paperwhite generation. Staff writer Maria Diaz tested the Kindle for two weeks and never had to charge it. "After two weeks of daily reading on a single charge, some days for up to three hours a day, my Kindle Paperwhite's battery is still at 32%," she wrote in her review.

Review: One of the best E Ink readers I've tested isn't made by Boox or Kobo

The new Paperwhite also has a larger, 7-inch display (the previous generation was 6.8 inches), and it's thinner as well, making it even more comfortable to hold while reading for hours. It's also waterproof (how many tablets can say that?), so you can read by the pool or in the bath without worrying about stray splashes.

There is still a Signature Edition to the Paperwhite as before, and for $40 more, you get wireless charging, 32GB of storage instead of 16GB, and an auto-adjusting front light sensor.

Of course, this is definitely more of an e-reader than a tablet, and you can't really browse the web and there is no stylus compatible with it. Still, if your primary use of a tablet will be for reading, the Paperwhite is a great option.

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The TCL Tab 10 Nxtpaper 5G is the perfect compromise for a reading tablet and a regular tablet. TCL's Nxtpaper technology lets you switch from regular mode to color paper to ink paper, the latter being the most similar to what you can expect from an e-reader. Its display helps reduce eye strain and improves readability over traditional screens while also reducing blue light, doesn't have a conventional backlight, and eliminates flickering, making it easy on the eyes while displaying the different types of content you'd expect from a tablet or smartphone.

Diaz went hands-on with the TCL tablet and said it was perfect for everyday use, especially for reading. "Using several anti-reflective and anti-glare layers, TCL's Nxtpaper enhances readability in different conditions, so you can enjoy that bestseller on a bright day at the beach or by the pool," she wrote, adding,"A front light panel evenly illuminates the screen and helps maintain a comfortable viewing experience."

Review: TCL Tab 10 Nxtpaper 5G

It comes built-in with Android 14, so you can browse the web, download reading apps, watch videos, and more. However, because of its unique display, you won't be able to use a stylus with this reading tablet.

TCL Tab 10 Nxtpaper 5G specs: Display: 10.4-inch NXTPAPER display | Battery life: Up to 20 hours | Weight: 16.93 oz | Storage: 128GB

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The Kindle Scribe is perhaps the perfect example of part e-reader, part tablet to satisfy your reading and note-taking needs. It has the same functions you've come to know and love in a Kindle, like a 300 ppi glare-free screen, weeks of battery life, and adjustable warm light. It's also compatible with Amazon's Basic or Premium Pen, so you can take handwritten notes or underline important quotations within the book you're reading.

Your notes are automatically organized in one place for every book so that you can browse, review, and export them via email. The Kindle Scribe also comes with preset templates to help you create notebooks, journals, and lists, and you can create sticky notes in Microsoft Word and other compatible Word documents.

Review: Amazon Kindle Scribe

ZDNET contributing writer Matthew Miller went hands-on with the Kindle Scribe and called it "close to perfect." "I use my Kindle Scribe daily as my primary note-taking device, and the habit of carrying it has also resulted in me reading more books than I have in years," Miller wrote. "It's an excellent ebook device while also serving as a capable working tablet."

The Kindle Scribe comes with the Basic pen, but for the more advanced features like a dedicated eraser and the shortcut button, you'll need the Premium pen, which costs $30 extra. However, Amazon customers who have reviewed the Kindle Scribe say that the premium pen is worth paying extra for, especially since it has an eraser and a button that lets you switch the nib from writing to highlighting.

Kindle Scribe specs: Display: 10.2-inch 300 ppi Paperwhite display| Battery life: Up to 12 weeks (at 30 minutes per day) | Weight: 15.3 ounces | Storage: 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB

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Of course, you don't have to get a dedicated e-reader in order to read on a tablet. The iPad Mini is a powerful tablet with great applications, and it serves as a great reading device thanks to its lightweight and sharp screen. It has an 8.3-inch liquid retina display with 326 ppi, which is a higher resolution than the Kindles. As a result, text looks especially sharp on screen, and coupled with Apple's True Tone technology (which adjusts the color and intensity of your display to match the ambient light), it provides a natural reading experience.

Review: Apple iPad Mini (7th generation)

Diaz also tested the Apple iPad Mini and said, "The iPad Mini 7 is compact and fast, and its Apple silicon processor is built to last for years," adding, "buy the iPad Mini 7 for the entertainment tablet it is."

Apple's anti-reflective screen coating also reduces the likelihood of catching a sunlight glare when reading outside on a sunny day. And, since it's a traditional tablet, you can read articles or blog posts on the web, download the Kindle app and read traditionally, or download other apps to borrow library books or find independent authors.

With the iPad Mini, you're also getting Apple's powerful A17 Pro chip, an ultra-wide 12 MP front camera, support for the Apple Pencil Pro to take notes, Apple Intelligence capabilities, and more.

Apple iPad Mini specs: Display: 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display (326 ppi) | Battery life: 10 hours | Weight: 10.4 ounces | Storage: 138GB, 256GB, or 512GB

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Amazon's Fire HD 8 Kids tablet is worth checking out for a kid-friendly reading tablet. It has a kid-proof case built to withstand use by children aged 3 to 7, and it also comes with a free one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+. The subscription gives you access to thousands of kid-friendly, ad-free books and movies, games, and other educational content your child will love.

Review: Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Tablet (12th generation)

ZNDET writer Maria Diaz had her kids tested the Fire HD 8 Kids tablet and called it "a perfect first tablet" built with kids in mind. "Endurance is the main reason why any parent should buy the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids," Diaz wrote. "I can't tell you how many times my preschoolers have dropped (or thrown) their [Amazon] tablets and stepped on them 'by accident' over the past three years, yet the screens have remained intact."

Parents can use parental controls built into the tablet to control screen time and set educational goals for their children. This ensures that your kid is actually reading or learning something while using the tablet. Plus, it has 2 MP front and rear-facing cameras with 720p HD video recording and the ability to add themed filters and fun frames to photos.

Overall, 95% of customers who purchased this reading tablet at Best Buy would recommend it to other parents, giving it an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars.

Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Tablet specs: Display: 8-inch HD display, 1280 x 800 (189 ppi) | Battery life: Up to 13 hours | Weight: 1.14 pounds | Storage: 32GB or 64GB

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The best reading tablet is the Kindle Paperwhite, which has reading-specific features like adjustable warm light, great battery life, and a screen that's easy on the eyes. Below is an overview of how the best reading tablets compare based on price, display size, and battery life:

Reading tablet	Price	Display	Battery life
Kindle Paperwhite	$160	7-inch 300 ppi e-ink screen	Up to 12 weeks
TCL Tab 10 Nxtpaper 5G	$240	10.4-inch NXTPAPER display	Up to 20 hours
Kindle Scribe	$340	10.2-inch 300 ppi Paperwhite display	Up to 12 weeks
iPad Mini (7th gen)	Starting at $449	8.3-inch Liquid Retina display (326 ppi)	Up to 10 hours
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids	$65	8-inch HD display, 1280 x 800 (189 ppi)	10 hours

While all these reading tablets are great options, it ultimately comes down to a few questions. Do you want your tablet to be just for reading, or do you also want it for other things like streaming and web browsing? How big do you want the tablet to be? How much storage space do you need, and how much are you willing to spend?

Here is a look at the unique features of each of these reading tablets:

Choose this reading tablet...	If you want...
Kindle Paperwhite	The best overall option. This reading tablet has IPX8 water resistance, a 12-week battery life, and adjustable warm light.
TCL Tab 10 Nxtpaper 5G	An Android tablet with unique e Ink screen technology. You can switch from reading mode to browsing the web in regular mode in seconds.
Kindle Scribe	An e-reader that doubles as a note-taker with an outstanding battery life and an included pen. It's even compatible with Microsoft Word.
iPad Mini (7th gen)	An Apple tablet that's powerful yet lightweight for reading with True Tone technology. The pixel-dense display also makes for sharper text.
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids	A reading tablet with kid-friendly features like an Amazon Kid+ subscription for one year. It's also super durable and comes with a two-year worry-free guarantee.

Whether you want to jot notes while reading, have a water-resistant tablet for poolside browsing, or invest in a kid-friendly option, we have you covered. ZDNET considered price, size, and special features when making our final picks.

Price: A decent e-reader can range from $100 to $500. You can easily find an e-reader or tablet within your desired price range that serves your reading purposes and offers large memory, long-lasting battery life, and a lightweight feel for ultimate portability.
Size: If you opt for an e-reader instead of physical books, you want that device to be lighter than those novels you're lugging around. We considered how much these e-readers and tablets would weigh in your book bag.
Special features: Some e-readers are water-resistant for beach days or bathtime reads, while other tablets boast matte screens designed for easy reading on a sunny day.

The ZDNET team chose all of the tablets included in this list based on their performance when tested in the real world. When we test tablets, we typically follow the same routine for each one to see which performs best.

Display: We measure the brightness level in different lighting conditions and assess color accuracy.
We also compare the display's performance with what the manufacturer promised, test the screen's responsiveness to touch, and assess the performance of any extra features, like a manufacturer's stylus.
Performance: For real-world performance metrics, our reviewers measure how quickly the tablet reacts to input, assess game performance and frame rates, test how the tablet handles having multiple apps running simultaneously, measure the time it takes to launch apps, and even assess the tablet's temperature during intensive tasks.
Battery life: We test different scenarios for battery life, including measuring how long the battery lasts while streaming, web browsing, using productivity apps, and playing games.

Camera and audio: For cameras, we evaluate features like resolution, aperture, low-light performance, autofocus accuracy, dynamic range, color accuracy, image quality, sharpness, and video quality. For audio, we look at the sound quality and overall listening experience, including audio clarity at different volumes, stereo separation of left and right audio channels, maximum volume level in various environments, and if there is perceived distortion.

For a deeper look into our testing process, check out our comprehensive tablet testing methodology.

The average size book is 6 by 9 inches, so tablets that have a 7 to 10-inch screen are about the same as picking up and reading an actual book. However, please pay attention to how much a tablet weighs since you don't want it to be too heavy for its size.

Also: The best small tablets you can buy

You can also test out what works for you by visiting a local electronics retailer or bookstore.

If you're serious about reading, getting a Kindle over your average tablet is probably your best bet since they come with reading-specific features like adjustable warm light, waterproof designs, and page-turn buttons.

Also: Which Kindle e-reader is right for you? The top models compared

However, if you want an all-in-one type tablet, you can opt for a tablet like the iPad Mini or the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.4 for browsing the web, streaming videos, taking photos, and reading books.

Like all things, doing something too much or too long is never good. If you want to use a tablet for reading, be sure to take frequent breaks to give your eyes a rest from the screen. It's also a good idea to invest in a pair of blue light blocking glasses if you plan to read on a tablet at night.

The best time to snag a deal on a reading tablet is during big sales events like Amazon Prime Day or the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone this year, but you can look forward to Boxing Day sales on December 26.

In addition, some brands have specific deal events throughout the year, such as the Discover Samsung event.