Best E-Reader NZ

E-readers have quietly gotten better every year — brighter screens, faster page turns, and now colour options. Here's what's worth your money in NZ.

Kindle vs Kobo vs Onyx Boox

Amazon's Kindle range is the easiest for buying and borrowing ebooks in NZ, tightly integrated with Amazon's store. Kobo (owned by Rakuten) supports library ebook borrowing through Libby more smoothly and reads more file formats out of the box, including ePub without conversion. Onyx Boox devices run full Android, letting you install any reading app including Kindle and Libby side by side, but cost more and have a steeper learning curve.

Best overall: Kobo Clara BW

The Kobo Clara BW costs around $219 at Mighty Ape and is the best all-round pick for most NZ readers. Its black-and-white E Ink screen is sharp, it borrows library ebooks directly through Libby without a computer, and battery life comfortably lasts weeks of normal reading.

Best for Amazon ecosystem users: Kindle Paperwhite

If you already buy books through Amazon, the Kindle Paperwhite (2024) at around $259 from Noel Leeming remains the smoothest experience — instant delivery of purchases, a warm-light screen that's gentle on the eyes at night, and the largest ebook catalogue available in NZ.

Best budget: Amazon Kindle (basic)

The entry-level Kindle is about $169 at Noel Leeming and covers the basics well — no waterproofing and a slightly dimmer front light than the Paperwhite, but perfectly good for casual readers who mainly use it in bed or on the couch.

Best for note-taking and PDFs: Onyx Boox Note Air4 C

Students and professionals who annotate PDFs or take handwritten notes should look at the Onyx Boox Note Air4 C, around $799 through specialty importers and some Mighty Ape listings. Its colour E Ink screen and stylus support make it genuinely useful for marking up documents, though it's a big step up in price from a pure reading device.

Colour e-readers — worth the premium?

Colour E Ink (used in the Kobo Libra Colour, around $379) is genuinely nice for comics, magazines and highlighted notes, but colours are muted compared to a tablet screen. If you're buying purely for novels, stick with a black-and-white model and put the savings toward a case or more storage.

What to check before buying

• Storage: 8GB is plenty for text-only readers; get 16GB+ if you plan to load graphic novels or lots of PDFs.
• Waterproofing matters if you read in the bath or take it to the beach — check the IPX rating.
• Confirm whether the model supports Libby/OverDrive if borrowing from NZ public libraries matters to you.