Amazon rules the roost when it comes to e-readers, with Kindle being a popular choice for those who want convenience, especially when travelling. Amazon in 2024, introducing a new entry-level Kindle, the new Paperwhite, the and an updated Kindle Scribe.

The is the most popular model and the best seller for Amazon, but if you're after the most affordable model, then that's the entry-level Kindle. Choosing between these two devices can be tricky, because at first glance, they seem to be closely matched.

I've used both new devices, so what's the difference between them and which should you choose?

The is the most affordable way to get access to the world of Kindle ebooks, offering illumination and long battery life, in a compact form. It's great value for money.

But does everything a little better: it has a larger display with better illumination and faster page turning, it has a slightly more premium design with a seamless front, it's waterproof and it has double the battery life. While the version with adverts is the cheapest .

The Paperwhite costs more - but it's Amazon's best-selling Kindle for a reason. For me, it's the larger display that really sells it, as it makes for a better reading experience. But if you can't afford it, you can buy the basic Kindle and know you're not missing out on too much.

If the Kindle isn't for you and you don't want to be tied to Amazon's bookstore,

The and one of the attractive deals on this device is that you can get it with 3 months of Kindle Unlimited at no cost. That gives you access to millions of books, but after 3 months, you'll have to pay the £9.49 monthly cost. Of course, you don't have to take Kindle Unlimited, you can just buy the Kindle, but it's the same price. This is with adverts - opt for no adverts and it's £10 more.

The . It's a little more expensive, but if you read on, you'll see exactly why it costs more. Amazon regularly discounts its Kindle models, but at the time of writing, both are unfortunately selling at full price.

The Kindle and the Kindle Paperwhite have a similar design, with the screen sitting in a plastic-bodied device. The Kindle is more compact, measuring 157.8 x 108.6 x 8.0mm so much smaller than the Paperwhite which is 176.7 x 127.5 x 7.8mm.

There's also a difference in how the display sits in the frame. On the Paperwhite this is seamless, so there's no raised bezel, with the surface of the display reaching right to the edges of the device. On the entry-level Kindle there's still a plastic bezel around the visible area of the display.

The result is that the Paperwhite is nice to swipe through pages because you don't hit that raised bezel around the screen. The Paperwhite is heavier, which you'd expect, so if you're after a light and compact device, the normal Kindle is definitely best.

The Paperwhite has another significant advantage over the regular Kindle - it's waterproof, so if you drop it in the bath or pool it will survive, or if you get soaked while out hiking, the Paperwhite will be just fine.

The normal Kindle comes in Black and Matcha colours, the Paperwhite comes in Black, Raspberry and Jade.

The difference in size mostly comes down to the size of the display: the entry-level Kindle has a 6-inch display, while the Kindle Paperwhite now has a 7-inch display. This is the largest display that has ever been in a Paperwhite and the size is one of the most attractive things about it.

Both devices offer illumination, with a run of LEDs at the side of the display that cast light across the front so that it's visible in all conditions. But these differ in number, with the new basic Kindle only getting 4 white LEDs, while the Paperwhite has 10 white LEDs and 9 amber LEDs.

This means that the Paperwhite's illumination can be brighter, it's more even and you can adjust the colour temperature to make reading at night less harsh on your eyes.

The actual resolution of the displays is the same at 300ppi and they both use the same sort of E Ink technology, but the Paperwhite is faster in page turns, so offers a smoother experience overall. There's no question about it - the Kindle Paperwhite has a better display.

The differences don't end there either. As the Kindle Paperwhite is physically larger, it has a bigger battery too, offering up to 12 weeks of reading. This is based on 30 minutes of reading per day with the screen at brightness setting 13.

The entry-level Kindle has 6 weeks of battery life under the same conditions, so the Paperwhite has double the battery performance of the Kindle. Both charge via USB-C on the bottom of the device.

There's also another version of the Paperwhite - this also includes wireless charging, but it does cost more.

For all the differences in the hardware, the experience on the devices themselves are pretty much the same. Both the Kindle and the Paperwhite access the same Kindle Store, both can read the same books, both need you to tap or swipe to turn pages and both have the same operating system.

Both support Audible so you can listen to audiobooks via Bluetooth headphones and both offer the same parental controls. So while there's a lot that's different about these devices, there's a lot that's the same too.