The best kindle for college textbooks
Textbooks for college are useless.
The only thing worse than having to pay for textbooks is carrying them around every day in your backpack.
You can now choose from a variety of tablets and ereaders. don’t have to carry around heavy books anymore.
In this article, we’ll go through the best kindle for college textbooks and what you should be considering when you purchase.
Summary of the best college textbooks kindle
Here you’ll find a quick summary of all the products listed in this review. Personally, I believe the iPad Pro The best, however it might not suit your requirements.
Scroll down to read more details about each e-reader.
Before you buy
These are some things that you need to know before you buy your new kindle.
You can use Kindle to read college textbooks
The Most important to consider before you make any purchase is the type of textbook that you’re looking to buy. Generally, there are two types of textbook that you’ll need in class.
- Book front-to-back: A book intended to be read in a single, sequential order. For example, a play or novel that you’re studying.
- This is an instructional book: These are the things most people think about when they picture a book. Instructions, graphs, data, images and graphs.
Knowing what type of textbook you’re after will dictate what e-reader you buy.
When is it a good idea to buy a Kindle?
As a Kindle is to be used as a slimline, lightweight alternative to regular books, Kindles are great if you’re planning on reading the front-to-back style textbooks.
If your textbooks are literature-based and don’t have many images or graphs, then a Kindle should be a fine choice.
What you shouldn’t do with a Kindle?
Kindles have their e-ink technology, which means that they’re great for reading words and pretty useless at almost everything else.
So, if you’re looking at textbooks that include images or graphs throughout, then you should look at purchasing a tablet.
Is it possible to buy textbooks via Kindle?
You should also be aware that you can purchase electronic copies of textbooks.
You’ll have to look around, but depending on what textbook you need, you should find a soft copy.
E-reader for textbook reviews
Apple iPad Pro – Best choice
It is probable that most college students have heard of the iPad.
The iPad Pro, a premium tablet with high performance features is perfect for college textbooks.
Even better, with a range of memory size options, it shouldn’t matter how large your textbooks files are.
Examine
The iPad Pro is easily the best tablet or e-reader that you’ll see on this page.
The edge-to-edge display is perfect for those large graphs and images that you’ll find in a lot of textbooks.
They even have a ‘true-tone’ display which makes the iPad easy on the eyes, which is perfect when you’re using it in your classes all day.
However, what is probably the best part of the iPad Pro, is that the device has enough memory, power, and features that you’ll be able to use it for day-to-day use, and not just for your college textbooks.
The iPad Pro: What We Love About It
- Battery life of up to 10 hours should be enough for most days
- For a tablet, they’re quite easy on the eyes
- Large display is ideal for graphs or tables
- Amazingly fast working tablet
- Fantastic sound and camera, if required for school.
- You can use your tablet for personal purposes, and not only at school.
What we don’t love
- If you’re only looking for something to read books on, you’ll need a lesser device
- Even though there’s up to ten hours of battery life, there is always the chance that it goes flat if you don’t look after the battery as suggested
- Price may be expensive if you’re not looking to use all features
See the latest price and reviews on Amazon
Apple iPad Mini – Best value for money
The iPad Pro may be a bit too expensive for you. iPad Mini Give it a shot.
While budget in price, the Mini definitely doesn’t skim on benefits for college students.
Examine
When it comes to finding a tablet or e-reader for college textbooks, you’re looking for a tablet with decent battery life and one that is easy to read.
This is why the iPad Mini Two out of two.
The ‘True Tone display’ adjusts the display to the lighting conditions of the room your in.
This makes it much easier on your eyes when you’re using the iPad Mini and its effects are, in my opinion, most notable when reading.
Our favorite things about the iPad Mini
- Battery life of ten hours
- True Tone display
- Tablets that are small in size can be easier to transport if they appeal to you.
- It is well worth it
- Both types of textbooks will find this great.
- A great choice if you’ve got an older iPad and want to upgrade
What we don’t love
- It can be difficult to see some textbooks on a smaller screen.
- The largest available memory option is 256GB
- There are many complaints about tablets freezing all the time.
See the latest price and reviews on Amazon
Amazon Fire Tablet 7 – The best cheap option
You can always buy the iPads if they are beyond your budget. Amazon’s Fire Tablet This could be your best option.
Amazon’s entry to the tablet space is targetting smaller budgets and offering some no-bells-and-whistles products.
There are many things you could do, if all you really want is to just read textbooks. Fire 7.
Examine
A Fire is the best tablet for you if all that’s on your mind is to read books and browse the internet.
Amazon Fire 7 Tablet is an affordable tablet. But, it’s important to have a charging source.
Amazon Fire 7: The things we love
- Both types of textbooks can be read with this book.
- This is a great option for a low price
- All the basic tasks are possible
- If you have only a small number of books to cover, this is an excellent choice.
What we don’t love
- Batteries can last only seven hours, so be aware of low and unpredicted battery life.
- Customers complained that the OS was causing them problems such as closing their apps.
- Overheating complaints from customers
- Cameras, sound and microphones are all average.
- Although the memory is extremely small, there are options to add micro-SD storage for additional storage
See the latest price and reviews on Amazon

Kindle Oasis – Best e-reader
You can certainly get by with a Kindle if your only books and novels are textbooks.
The Oasis The High-end products from Amazon’s Kindle range and is the best e-reader on the market.
Examine
The Kindle Oasis When it comes to electronic reading, was trained to chew bubblegum and kick ans.
Unlike Amazon Fire or iPads, the Kindle Oasis has been designed so that reading is as simple as possible.
The Oasis will suit college students who enjoy literature and journals.
The Oasis, however, is an e-reader and not a good option for a front-to-back textbook. You may want to consider other options if your textbooks include many images, graphs and tables.
We love the Oasis
- Great for reading
- Waterproof (I still recall what college life was like)
- The text is easy to understand thanks to light sensors
- To protect your eyes, you can use adjustable backing lights
- Page rotation automatically
- Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi + Cellular Connectivity
- Super-fast e-ink display
- Upload MOBI, PDF and TXT files
What we don’t love
- Textbooks with images and graphs are not suitable
- Some customers have stated that they must take their time in getting used to the brightening levels.
- No USB-C connector exists
- It’s small, but it is too large to be carried in your pocket.
See the latest price and reviews on Amazon
Final thoughts – What is the best kindle for college textbooks?
As you can see, a lot will depend on the type of textbook you’re looking for.
If you need to view graphs and images, then you don’t actually want a Kindle at all. You should instead look into buying a tablet.
A Kindle would be a good choice if you are studying literature and novels.