# Amazon Kindle

222 Hacker News commenters recommended Amazon Kindle and 255 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 12 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 12 years (37 owners).

**Verdict:** A light, distraction-free e-reader that's easy on the eyes and lasts for years, though Amazon's locked-down ecosystem and dropped support for older models draw heavy criticism.

## Why people recommend it

- Light and pocketable library (6 comments): "A Kindle lets you adjust brightness, change fonts—there are fonts that help dyslexic people, for example—and it's lighter than books." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47736180)) "I used to try and stuff a Kindle into my jeans pocket because reading on a large screen is so much more enjoyable for me" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49281078)) "iPads/Kindles are better because they're smaller and lighter so you can position them with far greater flexibility." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47253136))
- Comfortable on eyes, sunlight-readable (3 comments): "I read books on my Kindle outdoors in the blazing sun, and so do most of the millions of people who have Kindles or similar devices." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49576808)) "Kindle, or the text consoles on older CRT monitors looked good because they were not too bright against the surroundings" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46665573)) "a basic Kindle fits in a purse / fanny-pack just fine and is much more comfortable on the eyes" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49631238))
- Long support and durability (4 comments): "I've bought about 10 of the things dating back to 2012 either because I wanted to have the latest model or because I wanted to give one as a gift. They are all amazing devices." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48252051)) "14 years support window is so insanely good. But as it goes... You either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48246022)) "Its a Lithium battery so unless you let it drain to single digits every time, it'll last a LOONG time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47830278))
- Distraction-free reading (3 comments): "The stock software in Kobo and kindle can be used within minutes because they don't have a lot of features/options." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49098077)) "I bought and use a Kindle specifically because it has zero distractions. All you can do is read." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47682355)) "Always carry a Kindle, and when you're bored, read instead of reaching for other apps or games." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49036016))

## What people warn about

- Locked-down DRM, books not owned (5 comments): "Anyone still using Kindle after Amazon removed 1984, of all books, remotely from their devices only has themselves to blame." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47747809)) "people who write articles on tech-focused sites are still surprised that they never actually owned the books on their Kindle" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47842671)) "Amazon is really going above-and-beyond to cripple the last bastion of Kindle devices that carry a DRM scheme we can crack." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47678894))
- Older models losing store access (5 comments): "owners of older Kindles, including its earliest models such as the Kindle Touch and some Kindle Fire tablets, will be unable to download new e-books" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47837339)) "14 years support window is so insanely good. But as it goes... You either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48246022)) "If you hold onto your Kindle devices for too long instead of replacing them with a newer model, you can't access your old books" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48799381))
- Clunky software and ecosystem (4 comments): "What’s annoying is when you want to look back at something earlier in the book. Then you have to use the clunky search and hope you don’t lose your current place." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49777729)) "Amazon, to its small credit, does this, which is good, because the subset of html/css they support is limited and poorly documented." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48536035)) "The Kindle hardware is great, but the software and ecosystem are just crap, and Amazon is making it shittier every year." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47692059))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Xteink X4](https://hackerapproved.com/p/xteink-x4-e-ink-reader.md): 178 recommend
- [reMarkable 2](https://hackerapproved.com/p/remarkable-2.md): 93 recommend
- [Kobo Aura One](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kobo-aura-one.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Amazon+Kindle+e-reader&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Amazon Kindle", https://hackerapproved.com/p/amazon-kindle/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).