During the Amazon Prime Day 2024 sale event, many of the most popular e-readers, including most Amazon Kindle devices, are on sale. This includes the Amazon Kindle Scribe, which does everything you’d expect from an e-reader, but also serves as a digital notepad and PDF file annotation tool. So, if you’re looking to upgrade your existing e-reader or want to try one for the first time, now’s the perfect time to save money.
The latest e-readers offer Paperwhite or e-ink displays, which means you can see the screen in any lighting situation — from direct sunlight to a pitch-black room. Many models are also water resistant, so you can catch up on your reading while soaking in the tub or sunbathing at the beach or poolside. Battery life is measured in weeks, not mere hours (as with a tablet), and a typical e-reader can hold thousands of full-length e-books. Most also serve as an audiobook or podcast player when you pair it with wireless headphones or earbuds.
The 5 best deals on Amazon Kindles during Prime Day
Whether you want to catch up on your summer reading, plan to read a steamy romance novel at the beach, or hope to enjoy catching up on bestselling novels before bed, one of the latest Amazon Kindle e-readers can do all this and so much more. Here are some of the best Kindle deals we’ve found that are available right now during Amazon Prime Day 2024.
Amazon Kindle Scribe: $235 (31% off)
Featuring a 10.2-inch Paperwhite display that can be seen in any lighting situation, plus a battery life that lasts for weeks, the Kindle Scribe stands out from the rest of the Kindle lineup. In addition to serving as a full-featured e-reader and audiobook/podcast player, it comes with a pen-shaped stylus and serves as a digital notepad.
Using the Kindle Scribe, you can create as many custom-named virtual notebooks as you’d like. Each notebook can have any number of pages. And on each page, you can handwrite or draw whatever content you choose. Your handwritten notes can also be converted to editable text. It’s also possible to email PDF files directly to your Kindle Scribe to view and annotate them. Or, files can be sent between your Kindle Scribe and Microsoft Word (via your Microsoft 365 account, if you’re a subscriber to this service).
This version of the Scribe comes with 16GB of internal storage and a three-month trial to the Kindle Unlimited service. It also comes with Amazon’s Premium Pen stylus. For a bit more money, a 32GB or 64GB version of the Scribe is available with the Basic Pen stylus.
Want to learn more about what the Kindle Scribe can do? Check out our in-depth review of this popular e-reader. It’s earned a 4.3-star (out of 5) rating on Amazon, based on more than 6,600 reviews.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition: $180 ($10 off)
Out of all the Amazon Kindle e-readers, this one is the most convenient and comfortable to use. It’s thin, lightweight, extremely portable and waterproof (IPX8 rated). It also uses a Paperwhite display and has a battery that lasts for up to 10 weeks between charges.
Like all Kindle devices, this one connects to the internet via Wi-Fi, so you can download e-books, audiobooks, podcasts and other compatible content directly to the e-reader. The device comes with 32GB of storage, which is enough to hold thousands of e-books or hundreds of audiobooks.
We’re huge fans of the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition because it offers an auto-adjusting 6.8-inch Paperwhite display. This allows you to read in a dark room, outside in bright sunlight, or a room with any type of artificial lighting. The e-reader measures 4.9 x 6.9 x 0.32 inches and weighs a mere 7.3 ounces, so it’s comfortable to hold in your hand for extended reading sessions.
In our coverage of the five best e-readers for 2024, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is our top pick. This is the model we highly recommend to most readers.
Amazon Kindle: $85 (15% off)
Amazon’s Kindle e-reader is the most basic model in the lineup. It offers a glare-free, 6-inch e-ink display, has a rechargeable battery that lasts for up to six weeks and includes 16GB of storage. Instead of using 17 LEDs to brighten the display when reading in dimly lit or dark areas, this Kindle uses just four LEDs. It’s also not waterproof.
It’s a scaled-down version of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition that works as a full-featured e-reader or audiobook/podcast player. It measures 4.3 x 6.2 x 0.32 inches and weighs just 5.56 ounces.
There are two versions of the Amazon Kindle. One that includes ads that get displayed on the e-reader’s lock screen when it’s not being used and one that’s a bit more expensive, but that offers an ad-free experience. A three-month trial subscription to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited service is included.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite: $135 (10% off)
The Kindle Paperwhite edition is a hybrid between the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition and the basic Kindle. It features a 6.8-inch Paperwhite display and has a battery that lasts for up to 10 weeks between charges. It turns pages 20% faster than the basic Kindle and comes with 16GB of storage. It’s also waterproof (IPX8 rated), so you can take it in the bathtub.
One nice feature of the Kindle Paperwhite is that based on ambient lighting, you can adjust the brightness and shade of the display, so in darker situations, it can take on an amber glow that’s easier on your eyes. To brighten the display, it has 17 LEDs built in.
At the time of purchase, choose between an ad-supported or ad-free version of the e-reader. If you choose the ad-supported version, you’ll see ads and special offers displayed on the device’s lock screen when it’s not otherwise being used. The ad-free version costs about $20 more. Both versions come with a three-month trial of the Kindle Unlimited service.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids: $150 (12% off)
There are currently two versions of the Kindle that cater specifically to kids. This one features a Paperwhite display and is a bit more expensive. However, the glare-free screen is easier on the eyes and allows it to be easily viewed in any lighting situation. This e-reader has a 6.8-inch screen and a battery that lasts for up to 10 weeks.
Several things set the Kindle Paperwhite Kids apart from the other models. This device offers an ad-free experience. It also comes with a one-year subscription to the Amazon Kids+ service, which offers a vast library of e-books, audiobooks and other content that’s age-appropriate and curated specifically for a younger audience. (At the end of one year, the Amazon Kids+ subscription can be extended for $5.99 per month.)
The device is also waterproof and comes with a two-year worry-free guarantee, so if the e-reader breaks during this period, Amazon will repair or replace it for free. This kid-friendly e-reader also comes with a free protective and colorful cover.
Other features this kid-friendly version of the Kindle offer include integrated tools for young readers, such as a vocabulary builder. It also comes preinstalled with the OpenDyslexia font, which makes it easier for some people with dyslexia to read text on the screen.
The biggest benefit to giving your child a Kindle e-reader, as opposed to a tablet, is that they won’t be distracted by social media apps, games, or other types of apps. The Kindle serves exclusively as an e-reader or audiobook player with unlimited access to a vast library of content — available on an unlimited basis — as long as the Amazon Kids+ subscription remains active. This includes content that can be downloaded and stored on the device for offline viewing or listening.
Get an extra 20% off any Amazon Kindle
If you have an old e-reader or another eligible device, even if it’s not functional, you can trade it in when purchasing any new Amazon Kindle e-reader. In addition to receiving an Amazon gift card for the appraised value of your old device, Amazon will give you an instant 20% off on the purchase of whichever new Kindle model you select. Of course, certain trade-in terms and conditions apply.
What is the best Amazon Kindle?
While many e-readers look the same from the outside, it’s the technology inside — display, internal storage, and other capabilities — that set each of them apart. Here’s what to look for when choosing an e-reader that’ll best meet your needs, reading habits and budget.
- Display size: This determines how much on-screen real estate you have to read e-books and perform other tasks when using the e-reader.
- Display type: All of the e-readers in this roundup feature an e-ink or Paperwhite display. All are glare-resistant, so they can be viewed in any lighting situation, including direct sunlight. These displays use very little battery power, so the battery life of a typical e-reader is upwards of six to 10 weeks, not mere hours (like what you’d experience using a traditional tablet). The goal of an e-ink or Paperwhite display is to showcase text in a way that replicates the printed pages from a traditional book as closely as possible. Another benefit of these displays is that they’re much easier on the eyes, so they don’t cause eye strain or fatigue during extended reading sessions.
- Internal storage: This determines how many e-books, audiobooks and other files you can store within the device. Even e-readers with just 16GB of storage can hold thousands of e-books or hundreds of audiobooks. However, if you’re using an e-reader that also serves as a digital notepad, like the Scribe, you’ll want more storage for all of your notes and related files.
- Audiobook and podcast playing: All of the e-readers in this roundup can play audiobooks and podcasts. Since these devices don’t have built-in speakers, you’ll need to pair wireless, noise-canceling headphones or earbuds with your e-reader.
- Note-taking and other features: Some e-readers, like the Kindle Scribe, can be used as a digital notebook. This means you can handwrite or draw directly on the device’s display using a pen-shaped stylus. These e-readers also support cloud-based services, so you can automatically sync or backup your notes in the cloud, share them with your computer(s) and mobile devices, or share them with other people.
- Durability and waterproof rating: While many of the best e-readers are waterproof, meaning you can read in the bathtub, at the pool, or the beach and not have to worry about damaging the device if it gets wet, this is not the case for all of these devices. And while they’re designed to be rather durable, to protect your e-reader’s display when it’s being stored or transported, we highly recommend purchasing an optional case or cover for the device.
- E-book and content selection: Every e-reader gives you easy access to one or more online e-bookstores. Most of these e-bookstores also have a subscription service. For a flat monthly fee, you get unlimited access to a vast library of e-books and audiobooks. But keep in mind that most e-readers are compatible with Overdrive’s Libby service, which allows you to borrow e-books and audiobooks from your local public library for free.
- Physical Size and Weight: Some popular e-readers, like the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition, are designed to be about the same size and weight as a traditional paperback. The e-readers that can also serve as a digital notepad are a bit larger to provide plenty of writing space. The physical size and weight of the e-reader determine how comfortable it is to hold in your hands.
Is Kindle Unlimited worth it?
Amazon Kindle Unlimited is a subscription service that costs $11.99 per month. With an active subscription, you get unlimited access to more than four million e-book titles, including bestsellers, popular series, classics and more. You also get access to thousands of audiobooks and hundreds of magazines that you can access anywhere and anytime using your Kindle e-reader or the Kindle app running on your computer or mobile device.
All new Kindle purchases come with a three-month trial subscription to Kindle Unlimited. After the trial, you can cancel the subscription or continue it by agreeing to the membership (which you can cancel at any time). While you’re a member, you can store content acquired from the Kindle Unlimited service on your e-reader for offline access. But once your subscription is canceled, all of this content will automatically get erased.
Meanwhile, if you prefer to purchase e-books one at a time from the Kindle e-book store, but want an audiobook subscription that’ll save you some cash, consider signing up for Audible. This service allows you to select one audiobook per month that you own outright, plus grants you unlimited access to an ever-expanding library of free audiobooks, podcasts and other audio content while you’re an active subscriber — all for $14.95 per month (after a free three-month trial for Prime members).
Since Audible is an Amazon-owned company, all audio content from Audible is compatible with the latest Kindle e-readers. You’ll just need to pair wireless headphones or earbuds with the e-reader to hear the audio content.
Thinking about becoming an Amazon Prime member? We’ve got all your Prime Day 2024 questions answered, with info on key dates, early Amazon Prime Day deals you can shop right now and what you need to know to get the best prices on home, fitness gear, tech and more on Amazon.
Source Agencies