Amazon’s most popular Kindle e-reader just got its first major upgrade in three years. The new Kindle Paperwhite, announced today, has a bigger 6.8-inch screen, a blue-to-yellow front light, and USB-C.
There’s also a new “Signature Edition” Paperwhite, which adds an auto-adjusting light sensor, 32GB of storage, and wireless charging. A Kids Edition comes with a cute case, 2-year warranty and a year’s worth of Amazon’s Kids+ subscription library.
The Kindle Paperwhite has long been our primary pick in Amazon’s lineup for several reasons. Its 300ppi screen is more restful than the lower-cost Kindles’ rougher displays, it has a flat front that doesn’t catch sand at the beach, and it’s waterproof.
The new model looks like a full refresh. A new processor offers 20% faster page turns, Amazon says. The screen is larger with a smaller bezel around it. And the front light, formerly white only, now can shift to amber for more restful reading. The Signature Edition works with any Qi wireless charger. All the new models will come with Amazon’s new “reimagined” Kindle UI.
With the new features comes a slight price bump. The base $129.99 Paperwhite is now $139.99. The previous 32GB model was $159.99; it now becomes the Signature model, which costs $189.99. The Kids edition costs $159.99. As usual, that’s a considerable discount over buying a Paperwhite, a case, and the Kids+ subscription.
The Paperwhite’s top competitor now is probably Kobo’s $169.99 Libra H20, which has a similar screen size and color-changing front light, and is also waterproof.
The Paperwhite Signature Edition closes the gap between the $129 Paperwhite and the $249 Kindle Oasis, which is looking like less of a value. The Oasis has a 7-inch screen, color-changing light, and automatic light sensors—features now found on the Signature Edition, too. What the Oasis still has are physical page-turn buttons and more front-light LEDs, but those may not be worth the added cost.
The products were leaked yesterday, and this is the official announcement. They are available for pre-order now but will arrive starting Oct. 27. We’ll have a full review closer to then.
