Top 6 Kindle Paperwhite E-Reader Accessories

Now that you have a Kindle Paperwhite, you’ll want the must-have accessories to make the most of your e-reader experience. In this buyers guide we review screen protectors, cases/covers, stands, chargers, clip-on lights and more. Some accessories, like chargers, will work for all Kindle e-readers; Other accessories, especially cases, covers and screen protectors, are sized specifically for the device. Let’s start with the universal accessories.

USB Charger

Surprisingly, the Kindle Paperwhite doesn’t come with a charger. I guess that Amazon assumes that we already have a number of these for our smartphones, tablets and other devices that they don’t need to include on in the box. Which helps to keep the price of the e-Reader down, since the only accessory included is the charging cable.

But I find that I never have enough chargers around, or that I’m losing / leaving them behind at the hotel, airport or even on the plane! Here are our recommendations for another charger to keep you reading.

You can get the Official Kindle Amazon 5W USB Charger and Power Adapter (about $20) for Kindle eReaders.

This 5W charger provides a typical 1A charging current, and is compatible with most devices, including the Amazon e-Readers. While it’s a bit pricey, you get guaranteed quality assurance (along with a warranty) in an Amazon branded charger.

The charger is a solid piece of equipment, and performs well with Kindle Paperwhite. There wasn’t any noticeable heating on the charger, and it plugs in solidly. You can recharge from under 10% to a full battery in as little as 3 hours.

As a USB charger, you can use this for all your other devices like smartphones, tablets and cameras. However, it will be a little slow for the power hungry devices since it’s only a 1A charger. (Many iPhones and iPads use chargers with about twice the output – 10W / 2.1A).

Also, the cable is NOT included with the charger. See further down in this review for cables.

Our favorite alternative are these Dual USB Port Power Portable Adapters 10W / 2.1A (about $11 for a 3-pack).

With the higher output you get faster charging, about 2 hours for the Paperwhite to get back to 100%. It’s also useful for pretty much any of your other devices (e.g., iPhones, iPads, Samsung Galaxy / Note, Powerbanks, Cameras, etc.).

The charger has the standard over-charge protection circuits which also handle over-current protection. This keeps the charge from over-heating, as well as making sure your devices are properly charged.

It’s rate for universal input voltage (e.g., 100V – 240V,) so you can use it pretty much anywhere in the world with just a simple adapter / converter plug.

What makes this useful for the price is that you get 2 USB charging ports in one device, so you can double up on the number of devices charging at the same time.

Bonus is the lively colors (which are randomly selected at shipping) so you don’t leave these behind.

Another option similar to the Amazon branded charger is the  Universal USB Port Power Portable Adapter  5W / 1A (about $12 for a 5-pack)

This has the same output rating as the Amazon, 5W / 1A but you get 5 of them for about half the price. So these are great for the lower power requirement devices like Kindle Paperwhite and cameras; It’ll take a little longer to charge up your smartphone and tablet batteries.

These have the same safety features: auto shut off at full charge, protection against over-charging, over-current and over-heating.

Input voltage is Universal 100V – 240V.

Like the Dual USB above, these come in a variety of pastel colors (which are also selected randomly when shipped).

Charging Cable

You may not have a lot of “Micro-USB” (also called “Micro-B”) cables around unless you have some Android devices or powerbanks. And it’s always good to have some more cables to keep one in your purse, backpack, briefcase, luggage and on the desk at home and office. Yes, that’s a lot of cables.

The Amazon brand AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Micro B Cable (about $5 for 3-feet) is a solid cable.

This is rated as USB 2.0, which supports up to 480 Mb/s data transmission speed. This is slower that the 5 GB/s (640MB/s) for USB 3.0, but you don’t need super fast transfer rates for an e-Reader.

For the Paperwhite, the cable is used almost exclusively for charging. This cable is rated for up to 2.1 A, so it will work with either the standard 5W / 1A or 10W / 2A USB charges recommended earlier.

We like the smaller connector, which is  designed to fit smaller spaces. No problems with any of the cases we tested to plug the cable into the Paperwhite charging port. And the gold-plated connectors resist corrosion and slide nicely / smoothly in and out.

Comes with a 1-year limited warranty, although you’re more likely to loose the cable before you’ll ever wear it out.

If you are okay with a non-name-brand, to save some money look at the Puridea USB 2.0 Micro USB Cables (about $9 for 5 cables: 1@ 7-Inch, 2@ 3-Feet, 2@ 6-Feet)

For users that are rough on their cables, these have an added spring casing at each connector end. This helps with durability and bend-fatigue. Lab tests showed 90,000+ bend events before the wires / cables exhibited any failures. More than enough for even the harshest users!

Like the Amazon cable, these are USB 2.0 (rated for 480Mb/s) and will support up to 2.4A of charging current.

What we like best about these, is that for the low price you get a variety pack of lengths. The 3-foot are best for our everyday travel-around uses, while the 6-foot works great at the office. The shorter 7-inch has been great for attaching to a laptop for a quick charge-up.

Cover / Case / Stand
There are thousands to choose from, with prices starting at $6 for a very basic plastic sleeve to more than a $100. We like a simple leather cover with a good fit and a magnetic clasp. Not surprising, the cases by Amazon are typically the best fit at the best price.

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Leather Case (about $40) fits all Paperwhite generation devices, including the recent 300 dpi e-Reader.

You get a variety of color choices, including Fuschia, Blue, Persimmon, Purple and Black.

Designed by Amazon to be the lightest and thinnest protective cover for Kindle Paperwhite, you can wake or put your device to sleep by opening or closing the cover.

There is a simple, but strong magnetic clasp which ensures cover is securely closed; this also eliminates external straps or bindings on the cover.

We like that it’s crafted from premium natural leather on the outside. The inner screen-facing side is soft, and won’t scratch the screen.

It’s an attractive, functional, light-weight cover.

For a stand-up case, the MoKo Case for Kindle Paperwhite, has a vertical flip cover.

Select from more than a dozen different colors and patterns, with prices starting around $17 for basic black and rising to around $20 for a “Starry Night”.

It’s crafted from premium, textured synthetic leather with soft, microfiber interior; It provides durability and a stylish appearance while keeping your Paperwhite safe from scratches.

It also has a simple magnetic closure to keep the flip over lid secure. This controls the sleep / wake function on the e-Reader, so it’s automatically in sleep mode when you close the cover.

There is a cut-out on the base so that you have access to all features and controls.

What we like is the feature for multi-angle adjustment. With the built-in straps, you can easily turn it into a stand and to free your hands for more comfortable reading experience. It allows three angle adjustment and ensures you could always find a best viewing stance to relax yourself for enjoyable reading.

This cover is the most fun of all we’ve tried (and have had great experience with on iPads as well), the Fintie Origami Case for Kindle Paperwhite is a unique approach to covers.

We like the variety of cover designs (Galaxy, Map, Illusions, Tree, Marble, etc.) and color selections (black, blue, purple, gold) all for about $17

What makes it fun is the way the origami covers folds into a tri-angle type configuration. This allows for a stable base, with a good viewing angle.

The cover is surprisingly thin and lightweight (2.8 ounces). For added scratch-protection, the cover also has an inner plexiglass layer.

Similar to the other covers, this has a magnetic clasp to keep the cover secure; It also activates the sleep / wake functions.

Screen Protector

Worried about getting scratches, nicks or just a lot of dust on your new Kindle? A cost effective insurance is to get a screen protector that is applied with an adhesive directly to the screen. Not to worry, these aren’t permanent and if you decide to remove it (or replace after the screen takes some scratches) there isn’t a glue residue.

The amFilm Kindle Anti-Glare/Anti-Fingerprint Screen Protector is a 3-layer plastic with matte finish (about $9 for 2-Pack)

The size is laser-cut to fit and specifically designed for Kindle Paperwhite (it’s helpful that Amazon has a standard screen size for their devices, so you can use this on other Kindle as well).

It’s quality made with a 3-layer film, which resists fingerprints/smudges and reduces glare. It’s primarily there to protects your screen from scratches, dust, scrapes, and normal signs of wear. The film has a good feel and is touch responsive, just like the bare screen.

We like that it’s a simple application process. It attaches smoothly with self-adhering surface. It you decide to take it off, it leaves no residue when removed.

The Screen Protector Kit Includes: (2) Anti-Glare Screen Protectors (5) Dust Removal/Hinge Stickers (1) Micro-Fiber Cleaning Cloth (1) Installation Guide (1) Squeegee Card

If you want more protection, or are just rough with your devices, you may want to go up a step from the multi-layer film to a Tempered Glass Screen Protector  (about $9 for 3-Pack)

This is an ultra thin (0.3mm thickness) glass that has been laser cut for the Paperwhite screen. It’s very reliable and resilient, providing a durable, scratch resistant surface.

Even though it’s thicker than the films, it has excellent touchscreen sensitivity. Some people prefer the feel of glass to the film, but both are great for my uses and I can’t recommend one over the other.

Also, there is no viewing distortion and the glass allows for a 99.9% transparency so there is virtually no light or text crispness loss.

The package includes: 3 pieces of tempered glass screen protector, 3 pieces of wet and dry Screen Cleaning Paper, and 3 pieces Sticker.

Reading Light

Even though the Paperwhite has built in LED lights, sometimes you may want just a little bit more.

The Belkin Clip-On Reading Light for Kindle (White) (about $14) is our favorite.

This clip-on light has an adjustable clip, so it works on a bare Kindle or fits over the cover. It can also be used as a stand-alone light, since the base will support it.

We like the warm-color light for reading. The Belkin has 3 LEDs, and a selection switch for 2 brightness settings.

The adjustable arm lets you position light in many angles, so you can get the perfect illumination for your reading.

Another nice feature is that the lamp head tucks into the clip for easy storage and transportation. And you get a a Belkin 1-Year Limited Warranty.

The MoKo Flexible Neck LED Clip-On Reading Light Lamp (about $17) is our runner-up.

It’s similar in shape and size to the Belkin.

You get the same type of features: 3 LEDs that can be adjusted to two brightness settings. The color is a little more towards the white when compared with the Belkin, but is not a harsh color.

The clip will fit the Kindle with or without a cover.

And the arm is fully adjustable so that you can easily position the light to the angle you want.

It runs off 3 AAA Batteries.

Related Article: The Best Alkaline AA, AAA Batteries

Stylus

Finger swipes can get tiresome after a while, and can leave smudges on the screen. It’s a particular annoyance if you want to read while having a sandwich, and don’t want to touch the Paperwhite. The solution is a stylus!

The BoxWave EverTouch Capacitive Stylus (about $8) is our favorite for the Kindle.

It comes in 8 different, vibrant colors so it’s not boring.

The “FiberMesh Tip” is an improvement over some of the rubber tips we’ve used. It is a tightly woven conductive material that is highly durable and resistant to tearing and breaking. We like that it’s accurate and responsive, working at any screen angle with less pressure required for each movement.

The barrel is a good length, and made with sturdy aluminum construction.

The package includes 3 clip-on lanyard attachments: 3.5mm headphone jack attachment, 3.5mm headphone jack with an elastic coil for screen use while attached, Charm clip for attachment to key chains, charms, or bracelets

If you want more stylus options, here is a more comprehensive review of a dozen more: Best Stylus Pen For Drawing, Writing and Navigation

Kindle Unlimited
One final recommendation: If you enjoy reading, consider signing up for a Kindle Unlimited Membership plan for under $10 / month.

It really is “Unlimited” – Unlimited Reading. Unlimited Listening.

Explore over 1 million titles, thousands of audiobooks, and current magazines.

You can use it on any device, across all of your devices. When you stop reading on your smartphone, you can pick up on your Kindle.

Never stop reading!