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Best tablets for readers

If you want more than a simple e-reader, check out these bookworm-friendly slates.

Xiomara Blanco Associate Editor / Reviews - Tablets and monitors
Xiomara Blanco is an associate editor for CNET Reviews. She's a Bay Area native with a knack for tech that makes life easier and more enjoyable. So, don't expect her to review printers anytime soon.
Xiomara Blanco
2 min read

Watch this: Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX 7 is a smart evolution of its tablet brand

Bookworms, don't be ashamed of desiring an e-reader but secretly contemplating a tablet.

E-readers feature typically compact designs, lower prices, and grayscale, easy-on-the-eyes displays. However, if you like the idea of using your new gadget to also play games, stream video, or browse the Web, you have a worthy variety of reader-friendly tablets to choose from.

Since the best tablet for you depends on your unique wants and needs, the slates on this list aren't organized in any particular order. Some of them feature specific reader-centric software, while others are solidly specced slates that can become the ultimate mobile libraries with bookworm-geared apps like Scribd, Oyster , and Amazon Kindle Unlimited.

Are you choosing between an e-reader and a tablet? Let us know what you decided in the comments section.


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Superb screen quality makes reading text easy. CNET

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4

The small version of the Galaxy Tab S lands on this list thanks to its ultraportable design and its incredible screen quality. The Galaxy Tab S boasts a wide and rich range of colors for lifelike images in magazines, and if you're reading a book, your eyes will be comforted by the deep contrast ratio that makes reading text easy and comfortable.

Read more about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 here.


Kobo Arc 10 HD
Too big for traveling, but good for those who want a large screen. Josh Miller/CNET

Kobo Arc 10

The 10-inch Kobo Arc tablet is a better home companion than a travel buddy, but don't let its large size dissuade you -- it's the tablet equivalent to a hardback book. The Kobo Arc 10 HD is charming in its efforts to make reading the central activity to its user experience, with plenty of preloaded reading apps and menus designed to make accessing your current reads only a swipe away. If you can get past its sometime uncomfortable design, it's one of the best Android-based, reader-centric experiences.

Read the full review for the Kobo Arc 10 here.


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The Galaxy experience with Nook perks. Josh Miller/CNET

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook is a downgrade in specs -- in comparison to the Nook HD+ and the Galaxy Tab S (above) -- but the built-in Nook software makes it a simple entry level option for newcomers. The tablet also offers full access to the Google Play store, remote control capabilities, and an affordable $179 price tag.

Read the full review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook .


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The Kindle Fire HDX comes in a 7- and an 8.9-inch model. Josh Miller/CNET

Amazon Kindle Fire HDX

Amazon offers one of the best e-readers on the market, the Kindle Paperwhite , but its tablets are also among the best in their class. The 7- and 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HDX tablets rock high-resolution screens that sharply display text and HD video, zippy processors, and comfortable yet sleek design. They ship preloaded with the Kindle app and, if you're already an Amazon Prime member, you can borrow books for free.

Read the full review of the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX here.


In the mood to read more? Check out our top tablets here.