7 Best Reading Lights (2025): Clip-on, Rechargeable, Portable

Other read lights we tested and liked

Photo: Simon Hill

Philips Hue goes to smart portable table lamps for $101: My previous bedside lamp offers many of the same features as the picks above, but you can also pick it up and carry it around. Sit on the charging base and can be fully adjusted and automated for color, temperature and brightness. Twilight offers more customizable controls and allows angles to be angled for easier reading, but this lamp is much cheaper.

Powerful Bright Rechargeable Clip-on Book Light for $33: With slim clips and designs that work with most books, I enjoyed using this flexible reading light and appreciated the soft touch finish. You can press and hold the power button to dim the dual LED head from 10 to 2 lumens. The battery life ranges from 10-60 hours and has a MicroUSB port for charging (cable included). That’s good, but I don’t know why it’s so expensive.

Gritin 16 led read writes for $15: I enjoyed using this reading light from Gritin. It resembles a top pick with clamp design, gooseneck, three bright colors and various brightness levels. It’s not so versatile as it only has a single head that includes all the LEDs. It also boasts up to 80 hours at its lowest brightness, but mine didn’t last that long. Thanks to the non-slip coating on the bottom, it’s even more stable than the Vekkia sitting on a nightstand. However, it took me a while to figure out how to turn down the power button to change the brightness. This light is still a solid choice and is worth a look when discounted.

Reading lights we don’t recommend

These are reading lights that we are not that enthusiastic about.

Energy to read light:This little read light from energy is as easy as they come. The power switch is on or off (no color or brightness controls). I like the little clamps for reading paperbacks, and the adjustable neck works well, but the light is very bright. It also features two disposable energy CR2032 batteries suitable for 25 hours of use, and prefers rechargeable read lights.

withit quad clip-on book light:This reading light provides plenty of bright light as four LEDs are placed on the square head and an adjustable gooseneck. The problem is that the clamp has a huge, heavy battery compartment to accommodate the three AAA batteries that hang on this light. It should last a long time, but when it’s gone, you need a screwdriver to get in.

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