Amazon has just released the second generation Kindle Oasis that can play audiobooks from Audible via Bluetooth and is waterproof. Many users who have the first generation model from 2016 want to know if it’s worth it to pay the premium price and upgrade.
The overall design of both of these e-readers are fairly similar, although the new model has a slimmer bezel. The new Oasis clocks in at 194 grams, because it has a bigger battery, whereas the last model was an astoundingly light 131 grams.
The new Kindle Oasis has a dual core processor, whereas the original only had a single core. The new model also has a significantly larger screen, the first Kindle to buck the six inch trend since the Kindle DX in 2009. The second gen also has a number of new software features; such as inverting black and white, a slider bar in the e-reader app that can apply new bold settings to all fonts and accessibility options for vision impaired readers. Anywhere you touch on the screen is narrated, this includes menus and it will even read e-books aloud.
Obviously the biggest selling features on the new model is that it is completely waterproof and is compatible with Bluetooth headphones and wireless speakers. On the downside you cannot pair the Oasis with your smartphone or tablet.
Good e-Reader conducted an extensive comparison video that puts both of the Oasis e-readers side by side to give you a sense on what they both bring to the table and if it is worth it to upgrade.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
