3 Things Kindle Owners Say They Love Most

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The evolution of the Amazon Kindle began with the launch of its first e-reader device in late 2007. It had an e-ink display and gave avid readers enough onboard storage to carry around a few hundred digital books. Fast forward to today, and the Kindle lineup includes models like the Paperwhite, Colorsoft, and Scribe. Amazon offers various models, such as the Kindle Aluminum for greater durability, while the Paperwhite and Colorsoft come in screen sizes up to 7 inches. You can also find options that feature 32GB of storage across the Kindle lineup. 

However, Amazon isn't the only company out there making e-readers, with competitors like Kobo and Boox challenging the tech giant. In fact, decisions by Amazon like sunsetting certain legacy Kindle devices and its preference for a closed ecosystem some consider too restrictive have created mixed reactions within the reading community. Still, there are some reasons many continue to rely on their Kindle devices over other options. Kindle Unlimited (Kindle+), superior battery life, and the largest digital bookstore available are just a few of the reasons people love Amazon's e-readers. 

For those who only read occasionally, purchasing a digital book here and there isn't expensive. However, if you're reading two or more books a month, purchasing each title can quickly add up. In an article for Adultist, writer Melissa Pallotti said she'd read 52 books a year for three years in a row. The current Kindle bestsellers (as of this writing) have a list price of anywhere from around $1 up to $17. Kindle Unlimited (now Kindle+) is a subscription service for $11.99 monthly that provides users access to millions of e-books, among other content, allowing them to borrow up to 20 titles at once with no due dates. While it's a convenient service to use alongside Amazon's e-reader devices, you actually don't need a Kindle to use Kindle Unlimited.

As one Kindle owner on Reddit put it, "I can read so many books without spending [a] huge amount of money by subscribing to Kindle Unlimited..." Other Kindle Unlimited users echoed the sentiment, expressing their love for the service, with some saying the vast majority of content they read comes from the platform. Another advantage of Kindle Unlimited is that readers aren't as shy about trying an unknown author or title. One Redditor in the same thread explained, "...Kindle Unlimited helps me discover a lot of books." This is because readers aren't required to shell out money for each book, which normally carries some risk if it turns out to be a dud. Other Kindle Unlimited subscribers said the service has proven useful in discovering new authors, opening the door to previously unknown content.

The 16GB Kindle lets you take thousands of books with you wherever you go. But all those digital titles won't be of much use if the e-reader's battery life is subpar. Fortunately, many Kindle owners are very happy with the longevity of their device between charges. And for those wondering, you can employ several tips to maximize your Kindle's battery life for the best experience. One outlet, Good EReader, performed a test on a fully charged Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Scribe, using each device for around 10 minutes per day. After 50 days, the Paperwhite had no charge left, and the Scribe still had around 41%.

In terms of real-world experience, a Redditor said one thing they loved about their Kindle was its battery life: "[The device] lasts for weeks before I need to recharge and I read for a few hours every day." Among the many positive Amazon reviews about the 16GB Kindle Paperwhite (2024 model) battery, one owner explained, "...its battery is so decently long — I charge it once, put it on airplane mode, and could read for hours over multiple days and only get down to about 30% at most."

While Amazon has seen a steady rise in competition, with alternative digital bookstores popping up, in terms of the sheer number of e-books, it's not even close. For instance, Rakuten Kobo has amassed a sizeable catalogue of more than 5 million digital books for use with its devices. The Kindle Store is much larger, but just how much larger is no longer an easy question to answer. 

In 2018, Amazon opted to provide only estimates of the number of its e-books in any given category, with limits to the number displayed. This has made determining exactly how many total titles are in the Kindle Store difficult. Back in 2021, Ebook Friendly used an advanced Google web search focused on the Amazon.com domain along with defining keywords and returned 10.9 million entries. To be clear, the number of available e-books in the Kindle store is likely influenced by Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform, which allows independent authors to self-publish.

In terms of the Kindle Store experience, some Kindle owners have quite strong feelings about it when comparing it to alternatives. One Kindle owner on Reddit exclaimed, "Kobo's store sucks compared [to] the Amazon Kindle store. It's the sole reason I stick with a Kindle." Outlets like the New York Times recommend the 16GB Amazon Kindle (2024) as its top choice for most readers, noting the product's biggest market advantage is the robust Kindle Store.