Read in luxury — these are the 3 best e-readers for the bath

Splish splash, we're reading in the bath. By Samantha Mangino Samantha Mangino Lead Shopping Reporter Samantha Mangino, is an e-reader expert. She's tested all the Kindle and Kobo e-readers, diving into the buzziest models. Her love of reading extends beyond the e-reader beat, covering books and authors, too. In the tech space, she covers tablets, smart rings, and headphones. Read Full Bio on November 12, 2026 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Flipboard All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. What better way to unwind than to close the door and dip into a warm bath, shutting all other distractions out. If the bath has become your dedicated reading time, then it's about time to get an e-reader. A physical book is great, until wet fingers cause ink to bleed or it slips into the water and gets totally waterlogged. But an e-reader — a waterproof one, specifically — can save the day. Overview These are the tech, tools, and products — from laptops to e-readers, from earbuds to robovacs, and more — that Mashable ranks best in class. Table of Contents I remember the days when if you dropped your phone in a puddle, you put it in a bag of rice and prayed for the best. Luckily, tech has been waterproofed in recent years, so now your phone and tablet are safe if they get a little wet. E-readers have also been waterproofed, with many holding an IPX8 rating. The best tech deal this week The Apple iPhone 18 Pro is free right now with T-Mobile But not all e-readers are waterproof, and it's important to know which ones are before you take one to the bath. So if you're buying an e-reader and plan to be a bath time reader, these are the e-readers to look at.And if you want the most luxurious experience, we recommend checking out e-reader accessories, too. Our Pick The Good & The Bad The perfect size for being portable without being too small Buttons are excellent for turning the pages Generally well-designed Color (especially highlights) shows up clearly OverDrive integration is seamless and beats Kindle's options Instapaper integration is great for folks who love to read articles Palm rejection could use some work Kobo’s online store isn’t as expansive (or affordable) as Amazon’s Some ghosting issues occasionally Notebook mode could use some work Battery life could be better Our review Read our review of the Kobo Libra Colour. Who it's for Someone who wants the ultimate waterproof e-reader: Among all of the waterproof e-readers we've tested, the best one for reading in the bath is the Kobo Libra Colour. It has an IPX8 waterproof rating, which means it can be submerged in two meters of water for up to 60 minutes — but so do all of the e-readers on this list.The reason it's our favorite is that it has page-turn buttons, meaning you don't have to tap the screen with wet hands. With an extended edge, it has a great grip for a secure hold to make sure that it doesn't slip into the tub. Why we picked this If you were to ask me which e-reader to buy, it's a real toss-up between the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kobo Libra Colour. While the Kobo Libra Colour is expensive at $259.99, it's worth its price tag for all its included features. Above all, the Kobo Libra Colour has the best ergonomic design. It's more square than a Kindle, as one side offers extra space for page-turning buttons. This makes it easier to hold, especially while lying down and reading one-handed. It's one of the few e-readers to have an internal gyroscope, so when you rotate the device, the display rotates with it. While reading in bed, if I flipped over, I could rotate the device to still be able to hold it on the side with page-turning buttons.The Overdrive (aka Libby) integration is great, as you can log in with your library card, and your borrowed e-books instantly populate on the Overdrive tab. While this is a more seamless integration than Kindle, I do have some minor beef with it. On a Kobo, you can only log in to one library card at a time, so if you borrow using multiple cards, you might be signing in and out of different accounts often. Plus, while using the Kobo Libra Colour, one of the library books I borrowed wasn't available on it, and I had to switch to the Paperwhite to be able to access the book.While the color display on the Kobo is nice, it is still rather muted. While reading Heartstopper, the colors were quite toned down in comparison to how they appeared on the iPad mini. The Libra Colour's battery life isn't as strong as a Kindle Paperwhite's. While testing the Kobo Libra Colour over 10 weeks, my colleague Bethany Allard had to charge the device twice. Plus, it's a bit slower than a Kindle, with the occasional stall while switching between books.While the Kindle may have the Kobo beat on processing and battery life, I still think the Libra Colour is a worthy upgrade, as it offers the best design of an e-reader with the perk of color. Amazon's first color e-reader, the Colorsoft, costs $289.99, so at $259.99, the Libra is a little cheaper. Details The Good & The Bad Sleek and sturdy aluminum casing Excellent battery life Quick processing No screen ghosting Page-turn cover sold separately Our review Read our review of the 2026 Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition. Who it's for Dedicated Kindle users who need a waterproof e-reader: Amazon users have a few options for waterproof Kindles. The Paperwhite, Paperwhite Signature Edition, Colorsoft, and Colorsoft Signature Edition all have IPX8 ratings, so which should you go for?The Paperwhite Signature Edition is your best bet for reading in the bath. It's compatible with the new page-turn cover, so you can turn the page without tapping the screen. Or better yet, pair it with the Kindle Click and a stand so you don't have to hold it at all. Why we picked this The 2026 Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition dethrones the 2024 Kindle Paperwhite as the best overall e-reader. Historically, I've preferred the Paperwhite, finding that the Signature Edition doesn't have enough features to justify its price, but the 2026 Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition finally fixes that. With a new aluminum case, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition feels like a high-end piece of tech. With a thinner body and square edges, this new Kindle feels more like a smartphone or tablet than it does an e-reader.But inside the more advanced chassis is still the same e-reader you love. It's fast with a high-contrast 300 ppi resolution. The matte display is glare-free and easy on the eyes. With adjustable warmth and brightness, you can read with it in bright summer sun at the beach and then turn it down and warm it up when you're in a dim bedroom. And speaking of the beach, its IPX8 rating makes it safe to use in the bath or at the pool.It is a more expensive e-reader at $249.99, especially compared to the Paperwhite's $199.99, but here's what you get for an extra $50. The upgraded aluminum casing makes that $50 nearly worth it compared to the plastic exterior of the Paperwhite, but the Signature Edition also has an ad-free lockscreen, 32GB of storage compared to the Paperwhite's 16GB, wireless charging, auto-adjusting brightness, and best of all, compatibility with the new Kindle Page Turn Cover.Plus, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition comes in more exciting color options. While the Paperwhite just comes in graphite, the Signature Edition also comes in a stunning seaglass green.Don't get us wrong, though; we still love the Kindle Paperwhite. If you want to save $50, the next best e-reader you can buy is the basic Kindle Paperwhite. It's still a quick, well-rounded e-reader but doesn't come in fun colors and has lockscreen ads. Details The Good & The Bad Matte, glare-free display Perfect screen size Adjusts page count based on font Color display Waterproof Ad-free No page-turning buttons Can't log in to multiple library accounts at once Our review Read our review of the Kobo Clara Colour. Who it's for You want a cheap, waterproof e-reader: The cheapest waterproof e-reader is the Kobo Clara. The black and white version is $159.99, while the color model is $179.99. It has an IPX8 rating, so you don't need to fear if it slips into the bath. I wish it had page-turn buttons, but you could also use it with the Kobo Remote if you want to avoid touching the screen. Why we picked this Having tried my hand at more than a dozen e-readers in all shapes, sizes, and brands, I wasn't expecting to be so deeply impressed by the Kobo Clara Colour, but it is a wonderful e-reader. With a 6-inch screen, it's slightly smaller than the Kindle Paperwhite, but its size allows you to hold it comfortably for multiple hours at a time without any wrist or arm fatigue.In my previous testing with Kobo devices, I've really liked them, but one sticking point is that they're slower than Kindles. Initially, I found that the Kobo Clara kept up with the Paperwhite, but after several months of use, it had a tendency to lag. Compared to Kindles, I had to manually sync the Kobo Clara to get my library books to show up.Its processing system is otherwise really smart and fixes one of my biggest e-reader pet peeves. When you adjust the font size on a Kindle, the device doesn't recalculate how many pages are in the book, making it inaccurate, so you don't know exactly how many pages you have left in a chapter. The Kobo Clara does recalculate page count accurately for a more exact reading experience. Though, one thing to note: Kobo counts the number of digital pages, whereas Kindle page numbers typically match up with physical book copies.For a lower price than the Kindle Paperwhite, the Kobo Clara offers color displays, something you can't get in the Kindle lineup unless you're willing to spend $290. The colors aren't as bright as you'd experience in a physical book, but they're still vivid enough to enjoy a graphic novel.Its Libby (aka Overdrive) integration is seamless, and e-books you borrow on your library card will automatically populate on your account. You can browse and borrow library books directly from the e-reader, instead of having to whip out your phone app. However, for users who use Libby to the max with multiple library cards, be warned: you can only log in to one account at a time.The Kobo Clara's biggest downfall is its battery life. It's supposed to last up to 42 days, although many online users say it averages out at about two weeks. That's quite pathetic in the face of the Kindle's 12-week battery life; however, I'd trade in a better reading experience over a couple weeks of battery life any day. Details Frequently Asked Questions No, not all e-readers are waterproof. All of the e-readers in this guide are waterproof, with an IPX8 rating. That means the device can be fully submerged in two meters of water without harm to the device.But if you're looking at e-readers like the basic Kindle or e-readers from Boox, be cautious before using them near water, as none of these e-readers have waterproof ratings. Yes, with their IPX8 rating, these e-readers can be fully submerged in water. However, there's a limit to the water exposure. The devices can only be submerged up to two meters for up to 60 minutes.So if your e-reader falls into the bath, pick it up as soon as possible, dry it off, and shake off as much water as possible. All of these e-readers are tested using the same criteria as every e-reader we test. In addition to analyzing the devices' performance and value, we prioritized waterproof rating and special features. In this guide, we only included e-readers with waterproof ratings, knowing that if you're reading in the bath, it will definitely be exposed to water. The devices had to have an IPX8 rating, which makes them safe to be submerged in water. We prioritized e-readers with page-turn buttons, a rare feature on e-readers. This allows you to turn the page without touching the screen with wet fingers. Since so few devices have page-turn buttons, we also chose e-readers that could be used with page-turn covers or remotes. Tech is expensive these days, so we also considered value. If a device was over $200, it had to have special features that made us prioritize it over a more affordable device. We included devices at a variety of price points so no matter your budget, you can find a waterproof e-reader. Samantha Mangino, is an e-reader expert. She's tested all the Kindle and Kobo e-readers, diving into the buzziest models. Her love of reading extends beyond the e-reader beat, covering books and authors, too. In the tech space, she covers tablets, smart rings, and headphones.