It gives you the experience of reading an actual book instead of reading from a screen like a tablet or a computer. Update, March 14, 2019: Notes that Amazon has frequently discounted the price since the product debuted.The most distinct feature of the Kindle Paperwhite compared to other eReaders is, as the name suggests, its paper-like display.
For a limited time, Amazon is including six months of its subscription reading service, Kindle Unlimited, for free (it normally costs $10 a month). You can add $20 at checkout, or any time in the future, to remove the "special offer" ads on the lockscreen and home screen (but they never impinge into an actual reading experience). And if you want a non-Amazon alternative, Walmart is ramping up its Kobo readers, and the Barnes & Noble Nook still lives, though with only a reported 2.1 percent market share.Īs noted, the new Paperwhite starts at $130 for the Wi-Fi-only version and jumps to $160 for the 32GB version and $250 for the 32GB version with cellular. Note that the entry-level Kindle, which doesn't have an illuminated screen, is still available for $80, £60 or AU$109.
Additionally, there's a new home screen that adds additional layers of Amazon recommendations based on your reading habits, as well as tips for new features to try.Īmazon says the updated home experience, as well as the ability to quickly save and access reading settings, will be delivered as a free, over-the-air update to the all-new Kindle Paperwhite, the sixth-gen (released in 2013) and seventh-gen (2015) Paperwhites and other newer Kindle devices "in the coming weeks." The "gym" setting, for instance, is a quick way to jump to a bigger, bolder font, and there's a new home screen that adds additional layers of Amazon recommendations based on your reading habits, as well as tips for new features. On top of that, there are some preset options to pick from. What's new is the ability to save custom settings for yourself or various members of your family who like to read with different font sizes on the same Kindle. David Carnoy/CNETĪs before, you can choose from 10 different reading fonts, 16 font sizes (all the way to ones for visually impaired folks) and five boldness settings. There's a new lighting scheme and home screen. If you're a hardcore Audible listener, check out the the step-up models that feature 32GB of storage. While Amazon doesn't appear to have upgraded the Paperwhite's processor or RAM, it has upgraded the built-in storage, doubling it from 4GB to 8GB - that's enough for "thousands of e-books," according to Amazon, but the extra space is more to account for audiobooks, which have beefier file sizes. You can easily switch between e-book and audiobook, as they sync to the point in the book where you left off, but don't expect to use the Kindle as a music or podcast player. The Oasis already added wireless Bluetooth for listening to Audible audiobooks over Bluetooth headphones or speakers, and now the Paperwhite has the same. You might notice a teeny tonal difference. When you compare new version to the old with both lights set to "max," there doesn't seem to be a big difference, but the new model's screen looks slightly whiter. The new Kindle Paperwhite has five LEDs at the top of the device for lighting the screen, which is supposed to add a little brightness over the previous version's four lights.