The paperwhite has just had a big upgrade for only a modest price increase. The lowest-priced Kobo still looks sharp with its 212ppi screen. Many, though not all, have a screen resolution of 300 pixels per inch (ppi) which is very sharp and easy to read.

Most ebook readers have 6in displays, but some are bigger. Two brands dominate the market: Amazon with its Kindle range, and Kobo. Once you’re on the page you want to read, there’s no power draw. There’s the simplicity of buying a book in seconds, and battery life is measured in weeks, not hours, because e-ink only consumes electricity when changing from one page to the next. Some even have lights that can change colour from a cool blue to a warmer orange to make them more comfortable to read at different times of the day. And because it’s light directed at the screen, rather than the backlighting from a tablet that shines at you, ebook readers don’t tire your eyes. You can read in a darkened bedroom without disturbing your significant other, thanks to the lights that can now even be found on entry-level models. But for convenience, ebook readers can’t be outdone. Sure, you can’t match the feel of paper, or the way you can know how far you are through your latest book just by how it feels in your two hands, instead of relying on a percentage indicator. Now, with better displays, clever navigation and lots of extra features, they almost come close to the brilliance of, you know, real books. The first ebook readers were clunky and simplistic, but even so, they changed everything.

Best ereader