The Edit — Gadgets
Kindle Paperwhite or Kobo Clara: Which E-Reader
Both rate 4.6. The Paperwhite has the bigger 7-inch screen and Kindle Unlimited; the Kobo Clara BW borrows library books on the reader itself, with no hand-off to a website.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick. How we choose
This page reads both makers’ published specifications and library help pages against what owners report, with ratings read on 3 October 2026, as How we choose describes. Nothing here was handled or tested.
Best for Books bought on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited
Watch for Library loans finish on a website
Best for Public library readers
Watch for Smaller 6-inch screen
Best for Colour highlights and covers
Watch for Grainy screen reports
Where your books come from decides it
The Kindle Paperwhite is built around Amazon’s Kindle store and a Kindle Unlimited subscription. The Kobo Clara BW is built around the Kobo store, Kobo Plus and a library card. Both rate 4.6, so the deciding question is not which is better made but which shop you already use.
| If you mostly… | Buy |
|---|---|
| Buy ebooks from Amazon | Kindle Paperwhite |
| Subscribe to Kindle Unlimited | Kindle Paperwhite |
| Borrow from a public library | Kobo Clara BW |
| Want colour covers and highlights | Kobo Clara Colour |
The Paperwhite has the bigger page and the longer battery
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 16GB (2024 model)
23,294 ratings at 4.6, with owners praising the weeks between charges, the light weight and faster page turns.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Screen | 7-inch glare-free |
|---|---|
| Battery | Up to 12 weeks, stated |
| Water | Waterproof |
23,294 ratings at 4.6. Owners lead with battery life, needing to charge it only now and then, and like the light weight in the hand over long sessions. Several say page turns are noticeably faster than on older Kindles. The listing states a 7-inch glare-free screen, up to 12 weeks of battery and waterproofing.
This is the 2024 model, with years of owner reports behind it.
Buy it if
- Kindle Unlimited and books bought from Amazon
Don't buy it if
- Readers who borrow most of their books
Amazon announced a redesigned Paperwhite on 1 October 2026, and the 2026 Kindle lineup sets out what changed. The new model has too few ratings to judge yet, so the 2024 Paperwhite is the one compared here.
The Kobo Clara BW borrows library books on the reader
Kobo Clara BW eReader, 6-inch, 16GB
646 ratings at 4.6, a compact reader owners like for library books, travel and a screen that reads like paper.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Screen | 6-inch E Ink Carta 1300 |
|---|---|
| Water | IPX8, 60 minutes in 2 m |
| Library | Libby built in |
646 ratings at 4.6. Owners describe a clean interface, a compact size that suits travel, battery that barely drains, and a screen that reads like paper. Several say it makes reading library books more enjoyable. The listing states a 6-inch E Ink Carta 1300 screen and IPX8 waterproofing for 60 minutes in 2 m of water.
Kobo’s help pages list Libby by OverDrive as built in on the Clara BW in the US and Canada, among 13 countries. You link a library card once, then browse, borrow and place holds on the reader itself.
Buy it if
- Public library readers and travellers
Don't buy it if
- Anyone who wants a 7-inch page
Kobo grew out of a Canadian bookshop
That bookshop root shows in the library-first design. The Kindle grew out of the store that sells the books, and the Kobo out of a shop that wanted to sell them anywhere.
The Clara Colour trades sharpness for colour
Kobo Clara Colour eReader, 6-inch, 16GB
2,289 ratings at 4.5, colour on a 6-inch screen with no lock-screen ads, and owners split on screen sharpness.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Screen | 6-inch colour E Ink |
|---|---|
| Water | IPX8 |
| Library | Libby built in |
2,289 ratings at 4.5. Owners praise battery life measured in weeks, colour highlighting in several shades and the absence of lock-screen ads. The complaint that recurs is the screen, which some find grainy beside a black-and-white reader. The listing states IPX8 waterproofing and Bluetooth for Kobo audiobooks.
For novels, the BW is the sharper read. For covers, comics and colour-coded notes, the Colour earns its place.
Buy it if
- Colour highlights, covers and comics
Don't buy it if
- Anyone fussy about a grainy screen
Both are waterproof; only the Kindle is 7 inches
Both readers are rated for water, and the Kobo listings give the figure: IPX8, 60 minutes in 2 m. The size gap is the physical difference that matters: 7 inches on the Paperwhite against 6 on both Claras, so more words per page on the Kindle and a smaller pocket on the Kobo. E-readers compared ranks all 8 Kindles and Kobos together, including the 7-inch Kobo Libra Colour.