For Easy Reading
Photograph: Nena Farrell
If you’ve ever had a long reading session give you hand cramps, these accessories might help. You can check out more options in our Best Kindle Accessories guide.
Strapsicle E-Reader Hand Straps for $21: Attach one or both of these to the back of your Kindle—one is angled for your right hand and the other for your left—and slide your hand in. Your hands won’t cramp, you won’t accidentally hit the screen and flip pages, and the reader won’t slip out of your hands. There are three sizes meant to hold different types of e-readers. You should see exactly which models they work with on the Amazon pages as well as on this page on the Strapsicle website.
Lamicall Gooseneck Tablet Holder for $29: WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell tested this and said that while it’s not completely hands-free, it’s a super convenient and comfortable experience, particularly if you have any sources of chronic pain in your wrists. The clamp is easy to attach to bed frames and side tables (there’s also a floor stand version for $70). It’s lightweight to deploy anywhere and has enough resistance to the neck that it doesn’t fall forward or out of the position you place it in. It does wobble a bit when touched to turn the page (or bumped by a curious cat), so she tended to rest a hand on it to keep it steady from herself and her feline roommate. If you want to go fully hands-free, add a page-turner remote so you can read without lifting a finger.
PopSocket for $10: Popsockets aren’t just for your phone, they also work great on e-readers. Whether you have a Paperwhite or a basic Kindle, it’s another great solution for reducing hand cramps.
Do You Need a Cover?
Photograph: Amazon
Kindles are, thankfully, not as fragile as our pricey smartphones, but you may still want to add a cover to protect the screen if you’re frequently toting it around in a bag. These aren’t padded for serious drops. The Kids’ editions come with cases.
Fabric Covers for Kindle ($32) and Paperwhite ($37): These open like a book and come in some variation of black, blue, pink, or green. They’re made from post-consumer recycled fabric.
Fabric Cover for Scribe ($60): This one flips up and over like a notepad, and you can position it into a stand too. There’s also a slot for the pen if you don’t want it to attach magnetically all the time. It’s also made with recycled materials.
The Quirky Cup Collective E-Reader Sleeve for $42: I prefer these gorgeous sleeves, particularly the Sun and Moon version. They’re beautiful and will protect your device when you aren’t using it, so you can throw it in your bag without worry. The outside is velvet and the inside is satin, with some padding in between and a zip closure. On the back is a small zip pocket. On each product page, you’ll see which devices fit, but consult the measurements. There are also separate, and larger, book and iPad sleeves.
CoBak Clear Case for $10: The best part about having a clear case is that it protects the back of your Kindle and allows you to decorate it with stickers underneath. In addition to CoBak’s case, I also recommend this fun sticker pack ($10).
Great Reading Lights
Photograph: Simon Hill
If you typically read before bed but don’t want to disturb sleeping partners, kids, or roommates, I suggest investing in a reading light. All the Kindles now have a front light, so you don’t need one, but these can still be handy, especially if you switch between your Kindle and physical books. Below are a few of our favorites. You can find more in our Best Reading Lights guide.
Vekkia 14 LED Book Light for $18: This is our top pick. It’s a clip-on light with an adjustable gooseneck and two swiveling light bars that pack seven LEDs each. You can cycle through five levels of brightness and three warm colors. It’s relatively large, though, so it’s not great for small paperbacks. The clamp opens as wide as 2.1 inches and serves as a stable base to place on a nightstand.
Glocusent LED Neck Reading Light for $22: This reading light wraps around your neck, so it looks silly. But it’s an excellent alternative to a clip-on reading light while remaining hands-free. It’s lightweight, adjustable, and comes with three color temperature modes as well as six brightness settings. It’s rechargeable and offers up to 80 hours of battery life at dimmer settings.
Black Diamond Wiz Headlamp for $28: This is our favorite headlamp for kids. It’s comfortable, and the adjustable straps come in various colors. It has three brightness settings and an IPX4 water-resistance rating, so you don’t have to worry about splashes. It turns itself off automatically after two hours, in case they fall asleep with it on. It takes two AAA batteries.
About Those Older Kindles
Amazon doesn’t release new Kindles often—the company usually takes a few years between models. Whenever a new model arrives, its predecessor’s stock starts to dwindle. It’s not that I don’t recommend these per se, but I only suggest these if you can find them on sale for the right price. Otherwise, I recommend buying the latest version.
Before making your purchase, cross-check the price with the latest model to make sure you’re spending a fair amount less on the older device.
- Kindle (2022, 11th Generation): This is the smallest of the lot at 6.2 inches tall and 4.3 inches wide, with a 6-inch screen. If you find tablets too cumbersome to hold with one hand, consider this one. With this model, Amazon doubled the storage to 16 gigabytes and upgraded the display to 300-pixel-per-inch (PPI) resolution (up from 167 PPI). It’s tough to find, but if you manage to snag one, you shouldn’t spend more than $50.
- Kindle Paperwhite (2021, 11th Generation): This is the next step up from the basic model. It has a bright 6.8-inch screen with adjustable warm lighting, a fast page-turn rate, a USB-C port, and 16 gigs of storage. It’s waterproof too. I like the Signature Edition (8/10, WIRED Recommends) which also includes auto-adjust brightness and 32 gigabytes of storage. I don’t recommend spending more than $100 if you can find them.
- Kindle Scribe (1st Generation): The Scribe (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great option for note-takers. It has a giant 10.2-inch screen, for taking notes, marking up PDFs, or drawing, and numerous paper formats you can choose, like college-ruled or dotted. It also comes with the Basic Pen which feels natural to write with and attaches to the side of the Kindle magnetically. I only recommend it for $230 or less.
- Kindle Kids (2022): This is the kid-friendly version of the entry-level Kindle. It comes with a cover, a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+, parental controls, and a two-year warranty. I don’t suggest spending more than $70 on this one.
- Kindle Paperwhite Kids (2021): The Paperwhite version is a step up from the Kindle Kids. It has a high-resolution 300-ppi display with an adjustable warm screen and is also waterproof. You shouldn’t spend more than $110 on this one.