E-readers are great devices for readers of any age, but they include some features that make them especially convenient for older adults. Nearly all of them come with robust accessibility options that let you change the size or boldness of the font, so each page is comfortable to read. They also tend to be streamlined devices with interfaces that are easy to set up and navigate. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or for a book lover in your life, we’ve done the research to find the best e-readers for seniors. You can also check out our more general list of the best e-readers. The Forma is their largest model, offering a spacious eight-inch screen with 300ppi resolution. Like other high-end e-readers, the Kobo Forma’s display is grayscale and looks like paper, remaining glare-free even in direct sunlight. The front light gently illuminates the screen for comfortable low-light reading, and the light temperature is adjustable from warm to cool. Despite the large screen size, the Forma’s ultra-slim design makes it lightweight and very comfortable to hold, and it can support both landscape and portrait orientation depending on how you like to read. The Nia features excellent battery life, an adjustable ComfortLight display brightness setting, and enough storage for 6,000 e-books. It has a typical tablet shape and relatively small bezels, which makes it travel-friendly but not quite as ergonomic. Perhaps the most striking advantage is that it boasts a total of six buttons: two page-turning buttons on the left and right bezel, the power button up top, and the Home button on the bottom that can also activate the GlowLight feature. Gripping the device is comfortable and those who have issues interacting with touchscreen will find using this e-reader a breeze. Rebecaa Isaacs has been writing for Lifewire since 2019 and has reviewed a large chunk of the e-readers on this roundup. As an avid reader herself, she owns a variety of Kindle devices. Sandra Stafford is a writer who specializes in tech and writes about all sorts of gadgets, including tactical flashlights, blue light-blocking glasses, and e-readers. Yoona Wagener has a background in content and technical writing. She tested the Kobo Forma on our list, and appreciated how responsive the touchscreen page-turn prompts were.
What to Look For in an E-Reader for Seniors
Size and Weight
If you’re looking for an e-reader for a senior, size and weight are things to take into consideration. Someone having trouble with fine motor control should consider a larger device with a big screen. If that’s not a problem, look into getting a lighter device so it doesn’t become burdensome to hold.
Contrast and Backlight
Many seniors have eyesight trouble, so you want to make sure the e-reader you choose has great contrast. You should also consider a model with a backlight, which makes reading easier regardless of lighting conditions.
Text Size
One of the advantages of e-readers—as opposed to traditional books—is that you can make the text much larger. It’s worth playing around with different e-readers to ensure that the text size is big enough for you (or the senior in your life) to read.
