Which Kindle should you buy? An expert’s guide to finding your perfect match

For the ‘just one more chapter’ commuter

“If your book goes everywhere you do, the Kindle 6″ is the one. I know so many people who’ve turned their commute into the best part of their day by always having something great to read on hand. It’s compact, it’s light, it slips straight into your bag, and suddenly that train ride or wait for a flat white becomes a little reading escape,” Jacqui said.

The standard Kindle is a great entry point if you’re looking to make the switch to e-reading without spending too much. Its black-and-white screen gives you that classic book-like reading experience, while the adjustable front light means you can keep reading in different lighting conditions. It’s a straightforward option for anyone who wants to focus on the story without any extra bells and whistles.

Available in Ube or Graphite.

Key features:

• 6″ front display
• Books open 30% faster vs. the previous Kindle
• Up to 6 weeks on a single charge

For the reader with a perfectly styled reading nook

“You’ve picked the mug, the cushion, the playlist, the lighting. You know who you are. Your Kindle should match the vibe. The aluminium Kindle has this gorgeous matte finish in Alpine Sky or Seaglass Green, and it feels like the final piece of the puzzle for your reading setup.”

This is where my perfect match lies. I love the aluminium finish of this one, and the Seaglass Green colour is divine! It’s sleek, lightweight and feels a little more premium than your standard e-reader, without being over the top. If you’re after a Kindle that looks just as good sitting on your bedside table as it does tucked into your handbag, this one ticks the boxes.

Key features:

• Same as the 6″, but now in aluminium
• Thinner, with 32GB

For the just one more chapter night owl

“If ‘one more chapter’ regularly turns into three for you, welcome to the club. Paperwhite is your reading soulmate. It has a warm adjustable light that’s perfect for those late-night sessions when you cannot put a book down, and it’s waterproof, so it’s right at home by the pool through a long afternoon too.”

The Paperwhite is definitely a step up if you want a more premium experience. Its larger display offers more room for reading, while the adjustable warm light lets you change the screen’s tone to suit your surroundings.

From $369; Signature Edition, with an auto-adjusting light, from $399.

Key features:

• High-contrast 7″ display
• New edge-to-edge colour, fast page turns, and a waterproof design
• Up to 12 weeks on a single charge

For the reader who judges a book by its cover

“No judgement whatsoever. Sometimes a cover deserves a moment of its own. Colorsoft brings colour to your library, your comics, your graphic novels, and it lets you colour-code the passages you want to come back to. If you appreciate the visual side of reading, you’re going to love it.”

Unlike traditional Kindles, the Colorsoft features a colour display, bringing a new dimension to digital reading. So, if you’ve ever wished your digital library looked a little more like the real thing, this could be the Kindle for you. Want to know more? Our shopping writer Maddy Wilson shares her experience in her Kindle Colorsoft review here.

From $449; Signature Edition in Graphite or Fig, from $499.

Key features:

• 7″ paper-like colour display
• Paper-like colour perfect for comics, graphic novels, and more
• Highlight your favourite scenes in yellow, orange, blue, pink, and green

For the book lover with a notebook habit

“This is me, by the way. I always have a book on the go and a notebook full of half-finished ideas and lists nearby. Scribe brings those two habits together in one device. You can journal, make lists, capture a thought before it disappears, and then settle straight into your next read. And if you’re the kind of person who highlights and colour-codes everything, Scribe Colorsoft will change the way you work.”

The Scribe is designed for those who want to do more than read on their device. Its larger screen gives you space to write directly on the device, making it useful for annotating books, working through documents or keeping track of everyday notes. It’s a more substantial investment than the other models, but its reading and writing capabilities could make it worthwhile if you’d otherwise be juggling a Kindle, notebook and tablet.

Scribe without a front light from $699; with a front light from $849; Scribe Colorsoft from $999.

Key features:

• A Kindle and a notebook, all in one
• Redesigned flush-front display with uniform white borders and upgraded Premium Pen
• 10.2″ glare-free, 300 ppi front-lit display