The world’s best-selling e-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite, receives its biggest update in years; ditches micro USB for Type C and gets bigger, better display
Amazon has announced a new Kindle Paperwhite that boasts of some major changes. This is arguably the biggest update to Amazon’s best-selling Kindle in several years. The updates, it can be said, have made the Paperwhite a better buy than even the far more expensive Oasis. And this time, Amazon has launched three different variations of the Paperwhite – regular ($140/Rs. 13,999), ‘Signature’ ($190/Rs. 17,999) and Kids ($160).
The Kindle Paperwhite now gets a larger, better display
Most important among the changes to the 11th gen Kindle Paperwhite is a switch from a 6-inch screen to a 6.8-inch one (300dpi remains). The smaller bezels on the new Paperwhite mean that the footprint of the device stays the same. Notably, the screen now has a warm lighting option otherwise found on the Oasis and other similarly priced e-readers. This with the lack of harsh blue light should make for a far more pleasurable reading experience especially in indoor lightning. The brightness and screen refresh rate have improved as well, albeit incrementally – 10 percent in brightness, and 20 percent when it comes to the refresh rate.
Switch to Type C and wireless charging for Signature variant
The Paperwhite also ditches the micro-USB in favour of the modern USB Type C. The Paperwhite’s weeks-long battery life has also improved to 10 weeks. The option to use the widely used USB Type C means that you’d be able to get hold of a charger far more easily when you do need to charge it. The new Kindle can get fully charged in 2.5 hours even with a 9W charger. There is no fast charging, but very frankly you don’t need one. The Signature variant gets 32GB of storage instead of 8GB on the regular Kindle and also gets wireless charging – something that is not even available on the Oasis. Amazon has also introduced a redesigned interface for these new Kindles that is claimed to make it easier to navigate.
The updates to the Kindle, a device that has amassed a reputation of being indestructible (Kindle users often don’t find the need to upgrade even half a decade after their purchase), are more than welcome and should help grow Amazon’s lead in the e-reader space even further. Pre-orders are now live and you can get your hands on a new Paperwhite in October.
