Technologies

Best E-Reader for 2023: Top Picks for Book Lovers

The best e-readers enhance your reading experience and cut down on clutter. What’s not to love?

If you’re an avid reader, you know how quickly physical books can pile up. That’s where e-readers come in.

E-readers are a convenient alternative, allowing you to store hundreds, or even thousands, of books and stories in a single lightweight tablet that you can take just about anywhere. There are other advantages to switching to ebook readers too, including the built-in lighting found on many models, which makes them easy to use in low-light conditions. And you can find tons of ebooks for free online, including from your local library, which can save you money too.

Sure, you could use just your phone to read, but that’s not an ideal experience. Another perk over phones: Dedicated e-readers don’t have email, the internet, social media or other distracting entertainment options to lure you away from reading. They also have great battery life. And unlike popular phones and tablets, which can get washed out in direct sunlight or boast a mighty and painful glare, many e-readers use E Ink, which produces something of a monochromatic text display.

I love E Ink displays because the suspended layer and nonglossy screen make e-readers resemble printed paper. That’s probably the best e-reader feature if you have sensitive vision, since it’s much kinder on the eyes. The glare-free touchscreens make reading on a device a pleasure. The best e-reader models are now water-resistant, so they’re great for reading at the beach or by the pool.

Many people are still attached to their physical book collections, and I can’t blame them. But with an e-reader, not only do you have the freedom to take as many books with you as you like, you can also search for and highlight passages of text and easily change the font size. A few also come with an accompanying stylus for note-taking, and you’ll never be out of luck if you don’t have a reading light. All of the best e-readers on the market have self-illuminated screens.

The list below (which I periodically update) is mostly populated by Amazon Kindle e-reader devices, including the classic Amazon Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Oasis, because I believe that it’s still the best digital «ecosystem» for your best e-reader experience. Amazon offers plenty of low budget and subscription options, as well. And while Barnes & Noble still makes its Nook e-reader, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to recommend it. If you want to steer clear of Amazon products, I’d suggest opting for a Kobo model.

So, are you ready to start reading? Whether you’re big on biographies, freak out for fantasy, get stirred up over sci-fi or go for the grit of a graphic novel, you’ll find the best e-reader for your digital book needs on this list.

More e-reader and tablet recommendations

Technologies

Sora Video Limits Got You Down? Pay Up for More, Says OpenAI

Sora has opened to everyone in the US, and OpenAI is now charging for extra AI video generations.

Soon after Sora dropped its invite-only requirement, OpenAI is already moving to monetize the popular AI video social media app. The company has introduced paid «video generation packs,» allowing you to purchase additional AI-generated videos after reaching the daily free limit.

Until now, you could generate around 30 videos a day for free or up to 100 for Pro accounts. Now, anyone who hits that cap will see a prompt to purchase extra «gens» through the App Store.

A small bundle of 10 extra generations costs roughly $4, according to Sora’s listing on Apple App Store, but OpenAI’s support page states that the exact credits used per video range based on factors like the video length and resolution.

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OpenAI’s Bill Peebles confirmed the change in a post on X, citing increased demand and «unsustainable» economics as reasons behind the change. He also confirms the free quota options are likely temporary.

«Eventually, we will need to bring the free gens down to accommodate growth (we won’t have enough GPUs to do it otherwise!), but we’ll be transparent as it happens,» he wrote. «[i]n the meantime, enjoy the crazy usage limits.»

Technologies

You Can Nab the Apple Watch SE 3 for a Record-Low $200 if You Act Fast

Amazon just knocked $49 off this budget-friendly wearable for the first time since its release.

Released alongside the Series 11 and Ultra 3, the Apple Watch SE 3 is the latest budget-friendly model in Apple’s lineup. Starting at $249, it already saves you $150 compared to the Series 11, and right now you can pick it up for even less.

Amazon is offering the biggest (and practically only) discount we’ve seen since this smartwatch hit shelves, knocking it down to a record-low $200. That’s a $49 discount, but it only applies to the starlight color. We also don’t expect this deal to last long, so be sure to get your order in soon.

Even at full price, CNET smartwatch expert Vanessa Hand Orellana called the third-gen SE a «$250 steal that delivers nearly everything you’d want from a wearable, with surprisingly few compromises.» It’s equipped with the same S10 processor as the Series 11 and Ultra 3, and offers many of the same features, like fast charging, 5G connectivity and new wellness tools. Plus, the vibrant 40mm display is always on, so you can check the time with a glance. Other helpful features include onboard Siri, fall detection and a durable design that’s water-resistant up to 50 meters.

SMARTWATCH DEALS OF THE WEEK

Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 46mm, Black, M/L Sports Band):

$329 (save $100)
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (Bluetooth, 40mm, Cream):

$200 (save $100)
Amazfit Active 42mm Smartwatch With 14 Day Battery Life (Black):

$85 (save $25)
Garmin Vivoactive 5 GPS Smartwatch With AMOLED Display:

$200 (save $100)
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (Wi-Fi, LTE, 47mm, Titanium Silver):

$500 (save $150)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Deals on the latest Apple tech are far and few between, which makes this Apple Watch SE 3 discount a welcome surprise. You can pick it up for a record-low $200 right now at Amazon, which is just half the price of the flagship Series 11. If you prefer a larger display, the 44mm model is also $49 off, dropping the price to $230.

You can also find plenty of other bargains on the latest and previous-gen models in our full roundup of all the best Apple Watch deals.

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Technologies

Surprise Twist: Apple’s Next iPhones Might Come in These 3 Unlikely Colors

Apple seems to be choosing a deep, earthy path for its upcoming phone colors.

From cosmic orange to coffee brown? Brown, purple and burgundy will be the available colors for the iPhone 18 Pro next September, if a leak out of China proves true.

Depending on your language translator, brown could mean simply «brown» or «coffee brown,» but you get the general idea. The tidbit comes from regular leaker Digital Chat Station’s post on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo. The post also says that black will not be an available color for the iPhone 18 Pro.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The iPhone 17 Pro comes in cosmic orange, deep blue and silver.

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The Apple release schedule for the iPhone 18 series has been shifting, but the latest intel reports that the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Fold will launch in September 2026. The iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e will follow in the spring of 2027.

If Digital Chat Station’s leak is accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro would be the first Pro edition in years without a color resembling black, white or silver.

Here are the colors for the iPhone Pro dating back to its introduction in 2019:

2019: iPhone 11 Pro/Pro Max: Midnight Green, Space Gray, Silver, Gold
2020: iPhone 12 Pro/Pro Max: Graphite, Silver, Gold, Pacific Blue
2021: iPhone 13 Pro/13 Pro Max: Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue, Alpine Green (March 2022)
2022: iPhone 14 Pro/14 Pro Max: Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple
2023: iPhone 15 Pro/15 Pro Max: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, Natural Titanium
2024: iPhone 16 Pro/16 Pro Max: Black Titanium, Natural Titanium, White Titanium, Desert Titanium
2025: iPhone 17 Pro/17 Pro Max: Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue, Silver

Not offering any version of black for Pro models might seem counterintuitive, since the iPhone 16 Pro Max black titanium version has been a big seller, and black has also been popular with iPhone 17 shoppers. But a lack of black has not hurt iPhone 17 Pro sales.