Someone sent an email asking about waterproof ereaders and I thought it was a good topic for a blog post so here’s a list of waterproof ebook readers.
Over the past couple of years a few more waterproof ebook readers have started becoming available. Amazon finally released a waterproof Kindle last fall with the Kindle Oasis 2, and Kobo continues to offer multiple waterproof models.
B&N’s previous Nook was waterproof but the new one is not.
The Pocketbook Aqua was one of the first waterproof ebook readers to get released, and now there’s a second gen model, but it’s only available in limited markets.
Tolino offers some waterproof ereaders too, but they’re only available in certain countries as well.
Some models have better waterproofing than others but either way you look at it they aren’t meant to be used underwater and shouldn’t be exposed to water for more than 30-60 minutes, but for using them at the beach or in the bath you don’t have to worry about getting them wet.
Waterproof eBook Readers List
Kindle Oasis 2 – The second gen Oasis is Amazon’s first waterproof Kindle, and it’s also the first Kindle to have a 7-inch screen. It has an IPX8 rating, meaning it can withstand being submerged in up to 2 meters of water for up to 60 minutes. See my Kindle Oasis 2 review for more info about the device.
Waterfi Kindle Paperwhite – Waterfi has been selling Kindle Paperwhites for the past 5 years that they waterproof themselves aftermarket. They aren’t officially endorsed by Amazon, and Waterfi isn’t even aloud to call it a Kindle on the product page, but they come with a 1 year warranty and have an IPX8 rating. The problem is they’re pretty expensive; you can get a nicer Kindle Oasis 2 for only $20 more. See my Waterfi Kindle Paperwhite review for more details about the device.
Kobo Aura One – The 7.8-inch Kobo Aura One has HZO Protection with an IPX8 rating, making it waterproof for up to 60 minutes in up to 2 meters of water. The Limited Edition 32GB model is also waterproof. See my Kobo Aura One review for a closer look.
Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2 – The second generation Kobo Aura H2O is the latest waterproof reader from Kobo. It has an IPX8 rating like the Aura One and it has a smaller 6.8-inch screen. See my Kobo Aura H2O 2 review for more details.
Kobo Aura H2O – The first gen Kobo Aura H2O was one of the first waterproof ereaders available. It’s IP67 certified so it’s not quite as waterproof as the other models, but it can withstand being submerged in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. See my Kobo Aura H2O review for a closer look.
Nook Glowlight Plus – B&N’s previous Nook model was waterproof, with a IP67 rating. It’s still available new on Amazon and B&N sells them refurbished for $79, making it the cheapest waterproof ereader available to purchase by far. See my Nook Glowlight Plus review for more info.
Pocketbook Aqua 2 – Pocketbook’s ereaders aren’t widely available but the Pocketbook Aqua 2 is another option for a waterproof ebook reader. It has an IP57 rating so it’s not quite as waterproof as some other models but it can handle being dropped into 1 meter of water.
Tolino Vision 4 HD – Tolino is a brand that’s not sold in North America but they’re readily available in parts of Europe. The Tolino Vision 4 HD is a 6-inch model with Water Protection by HZO, making it waterproof for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.
Tolino Epos – The Tolino Epos is a 7.8-inch model. It has the same waterproofing as the Vision 4 HD, so it’s waterproof for up to 30 minutes in 1 meter of water.
Thanks for this list. Do you know of any current or upcoming waterproof e-ink devices running Android?
Nothing other than the Nook. Onyx has some waterproof models but I’ve never seen them available to purchase anywhere.
The (Russian model) Onyx Boox Robinson Crusoe is waterproof. https://onyxboox.com/boox_robinson-crusoe
Indeed, but it’s not available to purchase anywhere I’ve seen so it wasn’t included on the list.
Thank you. Good review. Boyue I don’t know.
Good list, but your terms “limited markets” and “certain countries” betray a bias. United States and Canada are also “certain countries” and this means for example that whatever Kobo offers on their website is for limited markets only and not available in most of the world.
Producers of ereaders have clearly divided up the world among themselves in order to reduce competition. Most competition occurs in Asia (Onyx, Boyue, Sony, and more) and Europe (Pocketbook, Tolino, Bookeen, and more). With Kindle and Kobo also available in many countries on those continents, that makes for a reasonable competition and America ends up being a “limited market” with comparatively negligible competition.
Given this situation, it would be better to mention where the specific manufacturer is located and what their target market is. With Tolino you mention Europe, but actually Pocketbook is at least as commonly available all over Europe, even outside EU. It’s of course hard to observe things like this when posting, but this is the situation with ereaders.
The vast majority of visitors to this blog are from North America so the stipulation is valid. Tolino and Pocketbook ereaders aren’t sold on this entire continent at all. I don’t usually cover their products because there’s no point when they aren’t sold over here, but I decided to add them to this list as a courtesy to folks in Europe that might want to know what’s available over there. But most people reading this list won’t be able to buy them even if they really wanted to so they need to know they can’t buy them over here.
Both the Tolinos are also running Android.
There are instructions how to root some of the Tolinos, but they are only for Windows (8 and above?), and might work nearly the same on all Tolinos, but I have no Windows and was not able to confirm it.
As I understood the procedure it could not be easily adapted to Mac or Linux. It voids your guarantee / warranty and can brick your device, ok, both is as expected.
The instructions I just found again are in German, if they are not also available in English, Google can translate them (I used a Russian guide to root one of my other readers, yes the translation was good enough).