Do I need a Kindle?

My phone has enough jobs

I appreciate how much my phone can do. I also occasionally wish it would shut up.

It's where people reach me, where work can follow me, and where a ridiculous number of companies would like a moment of my attention. Opening a book there means sitting down to read somewhere everyone knows how to find me.

I'm deliberate about the apps I allow on it. Still, I like being able to put the whole thing away.

My Kindle stays in airplane mode with my books downloaded. When I pick it up, I've already decided what I'm doing. I don't have to keep making that decision every time something else looks interesting.

You might get enough of that peace by silencing your phone. Great. Try that before spending money to solve a problem a setting could handle.

The boring features are the ones I care about

While reading The Witcher, I run into words I don't know. I press and hold one, get its dictionary definition, and carry on. No separate search on my phone. No need to leave the book to understand the book.

I also like having several books with me. I don't particularly enjoy having lots of physical things to look after, even when I care about what's in them. Carrying a library in one small device suits me.

And the Paperwhite is useful in bed. The 11th-generation model I've used has an adjustable warm front light, so I don't need a separate book light. With enough light around me, I can turn the device's light off altogether. Check the model before buying; warmth adjustment isn't something every Kindle has.

It does need charging. I count that against it because apparently enough objects in my life haven't already requested a cable. But in my experience, battery life on that Paperwhite hasn't been a problem.

You're allowed to like paper

Some people love holding a book, turning its pages, and putting it back on a shelf afterward.

That's part of what they're buying. A Kindle doesn't have to win an argument against it.

If you're unsure whether you'd miss paper, try a few reading sessions on your phone with notifications silenced. The screen and the distractions won't give you the full Kindle experience, but you can start to work out whether reading digitally appeals to you. Borrow an e-reader if you can.

You can also keep buying physical books and use a Kindle when it's convenient. Nobody is collecting your paperbacks at the checkout.

Give it a job before you buy it

I wouldn't set a minimum number of books you have to read to deserve a Kindle. Twenty minutes of reading a week might be something you really look forward to. Making those minutes nicer could be worth the money to you.

But if you barely read, something else needs the money more, and your main reason is that the device looks good, I'd wait.

Be specific about what you want from it. “Everyone seems to love theirs” tells you very little about whether you'll use yours.

I like my Kindle because it makes reading easier in ways I care about. Work out what those ways would be for you. If nothing comes to mind yet, there's no rush to own another thing.