The Amazon Kindle originally came out in 2007 and it changed the way people read digital books. Instead of a backpack or a purse with one or two books, the Kindle houses hundreds. One of the benefits of the Kindle is the eye-friendly e-paper display, making it a pure joy to read on. The technology is called E INK, and it powers the e-readers of not only the Kindle, but also Kobo and Nook branded e-readers.
Over the years, as the technology has improved, the Kindle is the most popular e-reader on the planet. The digital ecosystem has gone beyond books and now includes comics, graphic novels, magazines and newspapers.
Interested in getting a Kindle or upgrading to a new model–but not sure which one is right for you? Below is a brief overview of each e-reader to help you make that decision.
Kindle
First up is the base-model Kindle. The lightest and most compact Kindle to date, with all of the great features you can expect from Kindle e-reader.
The display on the latest base-model Kindle has been upgraded, and it looks great. Kindle offers a display resolution of 300 pixels per inch, meaning that text is crisp and sharp, and ensures that even small text looks great. The display is six inches, making it the smallest Kindle display, but that also means that the device itself is smaller and more portable. And, in case you’re reading in the dark, Kindle features a built-in adjustable front light for the display.
Under the hood, the Kindle offers 16GB of storage, capable of storing thousands of books.
The base Kindle is perfect for those who want premium features at an affordable price. The base Kindle starts at $99.99 and is available in Black and Denim. You can also get a Kindle Kids model, which comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ with thousands of award-winning kids books, parental controls, and a kid-friendly cover for $119.99.
Kindle Paperwhite
The Kindle Paperwhite, is the most popular Kindle, and is worth considering for its range of extra features.
The Kindle Paperwhite has the same high-resolution display tech offered by the base Kindle, so you’ll still get crisp and detailed text. But the display is slightly larger, at 6.8 inches, and the display is flush with the bezel around it, which helps give it a slightly more premium feel. And, this Kindle offers 17 LED front lights and adjustable front light, for even better lighting across the screen
One other feature that the Paperwhite offers is IPX8 water resistance, which means that it should survive the odd accidental splash or drop in shallow water. This Kindle comes in two storage options: 8GB or 16GB.
The Kindle Paperwhite is perfect for those who want a slightly more versatile e-reader experience, and don’t mind spending a little more to get it. You can get the Paperwhite starting at $139.99. There’s also a Kindle Paperwhite Kids, which comes with one year of Amazon Kids+ and a cover for $159.99.
Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition
The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition takes the great form-factor and display technology of the Paperwhite, but adds a few extras that might make it a worthy upgrade for some. Notably, you’ll get 32GB of storage, so it will easily house you entire catalog of content. Along with an automatically adjusting front light that can adapt to your environment, up to 10 weeks of battery life, plus fast USB-C charging or wireless charging.
The Paperwhite Signature Edition is a great option for those with a larger e-book library, or who want even more premium features, such as wireless charging. The Paperwhite Signature Edition starts at $189.99.
Kindle Oasis
The Kindle Oasis is next in the Kindle lineup, and it is the oldest one still in production. It adds even more features to the Kindle experience. You’ll still get a display with a 300 PPI, but that display is seven inches, and has 25 LEDs for even smoother and more uniform lighting. Those LEDs can automatically adjust, too. Like the Paperwhite, the Oasis also has IPX8 water resistance.
Perhaps the headline feature on offer by the Kindle Oasis is the fact that it not only has WiFi connectivity, but it also offers a free cellular 4G connection. That means that you can download and find new books on the go–not just when you’re connected to a WiFi network. You’ll get options for 8GB and 32GB of storage, so you can choose the amount that’s perfect for your needs.
The Kindle Oasis also has a slightly different design, with an ergonomic grip that shifts the center of gravity to the palm of your hand, creating the perfect balance so you can read comfortably for hours with one hand and physical page turn buttons.
The Kindle Oasis is great for those who constantly read on the go and want access to the massive Kindle library without having to connect to a WiFi network. It starts at $249.99.
Kindle Scribe
The Kindle Scribe is the latest addition to the Kindle lineup, and it brings a host of new features never found on a Kindle before.
Let’s start with the basics. You’ve got the world’s first 10.2-inch 300 PPI display, with 35 LED front lights that automatically adjust. There are options for 16, 32, or 64GB of storage
But that large display and extra storage serves another purpose–it allows you to get the most out of the included Pen, which is a stylus that lets you highlight and add Sticky Notes to millions of books, stay organized and inspired with to-do lists, planners, and journal entries, and review and annotate documents imported from your phone or computer And, you can upgrade to a Premium Pen which adds a dedicated eraser on top and customizable shortcut button.
The Kindle Scribe is the best Kindle makes a very good large screen e-reader, which is perfect for comics, graphic novels or comics. The PDF software is topnotch, however the note taking aspects needs some work. The Kindle Scribe starts at $339.99.
Wrap Up
There are multiple Kindles that have all been refreshed in the past 12 months. So everything but the Kindle Oasis is really new and worth considering for your very first e-reader or upgrading from an old model, to the latest and greatest. Amazon not only has e-readers, but lots of software enhancements that give it an advantage over the competition. In supported markets, you can buy and listen to audiobooks. System wide dark mode, Goodreads, Wordwise and X-Ray are on most Kindles.
If you want to read a ton of content, you can get thousands of free books by just being a Prime Member via Prime Reading. Or, you can elect to subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, which has millions of titles, including comics and graphic novels.
There is more to the Kindle than just hardware specs, they have the most expensive bookstore in the world. Buying a Kindle is a smart move for people who really like to read books.
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.
