Best E-Readers for Seniors

For seniors, the weakened eyesight makes reading hardcopy books a hassle. That’s why more and more older adults choose to read books on an e-reader. Having an e-reader is like having a portable library with you, and the accessibility options make reading more comfortable.

So are you ready to look at the best e-reader for seniors? Our favorite is the Kindle Paperwhite E-Reader.

If you get more time, we suggest reading our reviews and guides below. You will find a good e-reader that can cater to your own needs.

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Best E-Reader for Seniors: Reviews

1. Kindle Paperwhite E-Reader—Best Overall E-Reader for Seniors

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For those who don’t know which kindle is the best for seniors, we recommend this one.

The Paperwhite e-reader is waterproof and comes with excellent battery life. We tested it, and the battery could last for weeks if you only spend half or one hour per day on it.

It’s lightweight with a 6″ screen, allowing you to carry it around without too much of a struggle. You can change the font size and screen brightness. Additionally, it comes with a crisp and clear 300 PPI (pixels per inch) display, making it the best e-reader for visually impaired users.

The reader also has some fantastic features like switching between your book and the audio version without pausing. You can choose between the 8GB version or the 32GB version if you have an extensive collection of books and audiobooks. 

The integration with Audible means you can get the audiobooks of your favorite books, and with Bluetooth capabilities, you can use your wireless earphones to stream.

We think Paperwhite comes with all the essential features at a pocket-friendly price, making it the best e-reader for most seniors.

Pros

• Waterproof, so you can enjoy it anywhere—even at the beach.
• Has a backlight so you don’t need an outside source of light to read.
• Comes with anti-glare, allowing you to read in the sun without straining your eyes.
• Integration with Audible.

Cons

• The cheaper model comes with built-in ads that can be annoying.

2. Kindle Oasis—Best Extravagant E-Reader for Seniors

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The Kindle Oasis is an extravagant device. Though it’s relatively pricey, its features make up for its high price tag. 

Featuring a 7″ 300 PPI display, this e-reader is slightly large than the Paperwhite but with the same screen resolution. It also comes with a physical button on the right side for paper turning. Some people don’t like the screen touch control, and this one offers the solution for you.

Plus, you can change the paper color from white to amber, making you feel even more comfortable while reading your favorite book. Both the large screen and amber light are great for seniors with visual problems.

If you buy it, you can also choose between the 8GB and the 32GB version. This e-reader is lightweight, and the bezel is wide enough, making it easy to hold even for older adults with weak hands.

Pros

• Waterproof, allowing you to use it on the beach and even bath safely without worry.
• It has an adjustable light that makes sure you will never strain your eyes.
• The Kindle comes with an ergonomic design that is extremely comfortable and makes it easy to hold.
• The battery life is excellent, lasting for weeks.

Cons

• Pricey.
• The cheaper version comes with ads.

3. Kobo Forma—Best Large Screen E-Reader

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If you’re looking for an alternative to a large screen Kindle, the Kobo Forma comes with a huge screen measuring 8 inches. This feature makes it an excellent e-reader for the visually impaired and seniors who find reading challenging.

The front light allows you to read comfortably even in low light, as you can change it from warm to cool depending on your preference. Like other high-end e-readers, it comes with a grayscale display that looks like paper and has a 300 PPI resolution. Therefore, even in the sunlight, it remains glare-free. 

While the large screen might make you think it’s uncomfortable to hold, the ultraslim design of the reader makes it very lightweight and comfortable in your hands. This e-reader also comes with physical paper turn buttons.

Pros

• The 8-inch display makes it extremely comfortable and doesn’t strain your eyes.
• The ultra-slim design makes it lightweight and easy to hold.
• Waterproof.

Cons

• Slightly pricier than other e-readers.
• Doesn’t have audiobook support.

4. Kobo Clara HD—Best Affordable E-Reader for Seniors

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If you are a library reader, then you gonna like this e-reader. Kobo’s Clara HD e-reader gives you a public library experience that you won’t regret. By integrating with Overdrive, you could borrow books from most US-based libraries.

The same as Paperwhite, this e-reader has a 6″ e-ink 300 PPI screen. The adjustable front light ensures you can read comfortably even at night. What makes it stand out is that it has a very long battery life which is even better than Kindle.

Kobo is huge in other countries outside the US, especially Canada. It supports most formats and owns a large e-book store. You could get almost every book you want to read in it. But it doesn’t support audiobooks which could be a problem for some elderly.

This e-reader is not waterproof, but it is still a very pocket-friendly option for the elderly, considering so many features it has.

Pros

• Comes with a public library that will save you money, allowing you to read more books.
• Unique native file support system.
• Small and sleek, making it easy and comfortable to read from.
• Good battery life.

Cons

• Not waterproof, so you’ll have to be careful with it.

5. Kobo Libra H2O—Best E-Reader With Fast Screen

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If you think Oasis is too expensive and want to find a similar e-reader at a lower price, we recommend you get this one.

Sharing the same screen resolution of 300 PPI, Libra comes with a 7″ sharp and easy-to-read display. It supports different file formats, and the interface is senior-friendly. The best part? The screen is super responsive, which is as fast as Oasis.

Libra H2O comes with a wide bezel with physical buttons for paper turning it on. Add to that the lightweight design, and it is easy to hold even for the elderly with weak muscle strength or fine motion control.

This e-reader is waterproof, and it can automatically change the color temperature according to the time zone.

While it looks a bit bulkier than Oasis, you can save some bucks and get a great e-reader for seniors with lots of advanced technologies.

Pros

• Fast-responding screen.
• Small size makes it easy to hold and comfortable even with one hand.
• New user interface that looks good.
• 7-inch display that’s comfortable to read from.

Cons

• Stocky plastic design.
• No audiobook support.
• Doesn’t have a library subscription system.

6. BOOX Note Air—Best E-Reader for Reading Heavy Assignments

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This is something that between e-reader and tablet. It supports apps from the Google Play store but has an e-ink screen as other e-readers do.

We think it would be a helpful gadget for seniors who are professors or keen on reading large-scale PDF files. It has a 10.3-inch screen with 226 PPI resolution, larger than other models on our list. If you have to spend a lot of time reading, then a larger and comfortable screen becomes essential.

It also has a wider bezel which is great for connecting with an external keyboard. Drawing pictures is also possible with its included pen. While it has a larger scale, it is still lightweight and easy to hold.

Even though it supports most reading apps, it may not respond as fast as some high-end tablets such as iPad. But like most tablets, it is not waterproof.

Pros

• The Note Air supports apps from the Google Play Store.
• Useful split-screen functionality.
• Comes with an easy-to-use annotating stylus.
• You can connect it with an external keyboard and paint on it.

Cons

• Short battery life with only 8 hours of continuous use.
• Not waterproof.
• Costly.

The Benefits of Using an E-Reader For Seniors

Although hardcopy books are wonderful to have, numerous disadvantages come with them. They include physical damage, getting lost, forgetting the last read page, etc. Thankfully, e-readers are here to save us from these old practices.

Below are some of the benefits of using an e-reader, especially for the elderly.

Portability

An e-book reader is small and light, meaning it fits easily into your regular bag. That said, you can carry it with you and read a book wherever you want. This is a must-have for seniors who are frequent travelers.

Automatic Bookmarks

As we age, memory issues begin to arise, and it is hard to remember which is the last page we were reading. Thankfully, this will soon become a thing of the past. The e-book reader saves the last page you were reading until the next time you need to continue.

Better Reading

One of the first steps experts advise for better reading is underlining and taking notes. Fortunately, this is possible by using an e-reader. Once you’re done reading, you can export your notes, import them to your computer, and work on them later as you please.

Save Money

If you love reading books, you know that there are plenty of free e-books on the Internet. Even for the paid-version, e-books are still cheaper than paperback to a large extent.

However, to fully enjoy them, it’s best to use an e-book reader. This way, you won’t need to waste more time and resources going to a bookstore or the library. While you have to invest in an e-reader upfront, it will save you more money in the end.

Protect Privacy

Do you enjoy reading sensual books like the Fifty Shades of Grey series? Or maybe you prefer murder mysteries or autobiographies. Whatever the case, no one needs to know the content or subject matter you’re reading. E-readers give you more than enough privacy to read in peace while seated in public.

Big Storage Space

You can store thousands of books in a small e-reader, but it will take a huge place at home if you want to store a thousand paperbacks. Investing in an e-book reader is a fantastic way of ensuring you still enjoy fresh releases as well as the old books from your favorite authors.

For an older adult who is a bookworm but lives in a small space, an e-reader is a god-send. Most e-readers have huge storage space for your massive book collection. Besides, e-readers guarantee you’ll never lose another book again!

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

E-book readers allow you to carry thousands of books at a time and access a library of books at the click of a button. Most e-reader batteries last for weeks on a single charge, and they offer a way more satisfying reading experience than phones and tablets.

An e-reader is valuable to anyone who loves to read and gives a lot of benefits to readers. They make wonderful gifts for seniors who are not entirely active but prefer to read books in their free time. 

On matters of convenience, seniors can also quickly learn to handle them independently after just a few lessons. Check our reviews of the best e-readers for seniors to find a suitable one for you or your loved ones.