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Pros
- Fast, intuitive, and responsive
- Ultra thin with a compact 6-inch screen
- Both the 16 and 32 gb models come in nice colors
Cons
- Black and white only
- No buttons for page flipping
The newest Kindle is the first to be truly considered “pocket-sized.” Dimensions-wise, it falls somewhere between a pro max iPhone and an iPad Mini, but it fits easily in a back pocket or jacket pocket—just not necessarily the front of those skinny jeans. This 32 gigabyte aluminum unit comes in two colors, Seaglass Green and Alpine Sky, while the slightly more affordable 16 gig comes in Ube and Graphite for only $170 (or $150 if you don’t mind ads on the lock screen) and is made from recycled plastics.
Functionally it’s fast and easy to use. Compared to the last generation of Kindles, it takes 30 percent less time to open up a book from your library. Page turning is responsive via the touch screen, and the power button has been moved from the bottom to the upper right side for fewer accidents. And of course, easy access to a huge library of titles to purchase. If you don’t want to go through the chore of finding files online, the Kindle is the easiest way to get into e-readers.
Pros
- Fast refresh color screen
- Built-in speaker and microphones
- Great for note taking too
- Programmable smart button
- Compatible with Calibre
Cons
- No stylus included
- Higher price point
- SIM card, camera, and phone functionalities all seem pointless
The Boox Palma 2 was the e-reader that opened my eyes to how crucial a pocket-sized form factor is. This new and improved edition has it all. It has the right size, a color screen, and stylus support (stylus sold separately, of course). The refresh rate is smooth by e-reader standards and navigation is simple using intuitive touch controls or one of the buttons on the side. And it's fully compatible with all the apps readers love—from the Kindle and Libby apps to Calibre and their favorite RSS readers.
The Palma 2 Pro has one fully customizable "smart button" that you can program to do whatever you want—like pull up your notepad or make a bookmark. On top of that it sports a headphone jack and built-in speakers for playback from audiobooks or Spotify. Anything that's on the Google Play store works here.
There's a ton of other features that don't really matter for our purposes. For example, you can put a SIM card in it, but that doesn't fully make it a cell phone, which just ends up confusing the matter. Here's all you need to know. This is the handheld, pocket-sized e-reader that comes with a color screen and speakers. It's the best of the best and that comes at a slightly higher price point. Accept it or move on to something that does a little less.
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Pros
- Magnetically attaches to phone, carry two devices in one
- Nice price
- The smallest e-reader you can get
- Buttons on the front and side
Cons
- No front lights
- Limited features
This is the most inventive e-reader I've seen. Not only is it tiny—a minuscule 3.7-inch screen compared to the 6.1 inch screens of the other two on here—it also is a freaking magnet. The tiny device is fully capable of magnetizing to the back of your iPhone like any other MagSafe accessory. In fact, its size is designed with this in mind. Instead of needing to carry two separate devices, why not smash them together? Then, when it's time to read, just flip your phone over and enjoy the world's smallest e-reader.
Once you get into the actual art of reading on it, the thing is pretty barebones. There's no adjustable front lights (e-reader screens have front lights, not backlights like LCDs), it's black-and-white only, and it only supports the bare minimum in terms of document and image formats. But for only $69, it's a steal.
Pros
- A high fidelity black and white screen
- Integrates with your Kindle and Kobo libraries
- Some AI features, like Google Gemini translation, can be helpful
Cons
- Not compatible with Calibre
- A whole button dedicated to AI mode
An AI e-reader is a bit of an oxymoron. But really what this is is an e-reader for the Android heads out there who care about flexibility and freedom. That just happens to go hand in hand with modern AI features, which this device is flush with. If you don't care much for proliferating Sam Altman's idea that intelligence is a utility to be gobbled up and sold back to us piecemeal, you may shy away from the e-reader with the AI button and "personal knowledge bank."
I hate to report that some of this stuff is genuinely useful. While I don't need a button dedicated to AI, I see how having a searchable library of every question you've ever asked it is a useful thing. And beyond what's built in, you can also install the Gemini app on here, which allows for even more expansive use of AI tools.
If you choose to ignore all that, you're still getting what you pay for. Truthfully most readers don't need color (unless they are comic books fans, but that's more fun in the physical form) and this is the most high-fidelity black and white screen you can get, with a refresh rate rivaling the Palma 2 Pro. You can load your Kindle library, your saved New York Times articles, or even a web browser on here to read the news. The only thing it's really missing is compatibility with Calibre, an exceedingly popular program a lot of readers I know use to store their digital library.