This is especially handy if you want to buy a new title when you’re away from wi-fi, such as on the beach.

Free really means 4G included for the lifetime of the product, to download books you buy. It’s the only reader to have a version with what’s called free mobile connectivity. It is pricey, and for many the paperwhite will be easily good enough. It has the subtlest frontlight which adjusts to the ambient light automatically (though the new paperwhite now also boasts this) and can be adjusted from pure white to a warm, gentle amber shade. The oasis is remarkably thin: 3.4mm at its thinnest, but 8.4mm where the battery sits. This ebook reader is stunning, not least thanks to its aluminium design which comes in two colours: gold and graphite. Some even have lights that can change colour from a cool blue to a warmer orange to make them more comfortable to read at different times of the day. And because it’s light directed at the screen, rather than the backlighting from a tablet that shines at you, ebook readers don’t tire your eyes.

You can read in a darkened bedroom without disturbing your significant other, thanks to the lights that can now even be found on entry-level models. But for convenience, ebook readers can’t be outdone. Sure, you can’t match the feel of paper, or the way you can know how far you are through your latest book just by how it feels in your two hands, instead of relying on a percentage indicator. Now, with better displays, clever navigation and lots of extra features, they almost come close to the brilliance of, you know, real books. The first ebook readers were clunky and simplistic, but even so, they changed everything.

Best tablet reader