Review updated September 17, 2015
As a background, I am a retired Information Systems professional and I am writing this review from the perspective of being a long-time Kindle user. I have all the current e-readers and Fire devices from Amazon including the basic Kindle, the 2013, 2014 and new 2015 Paperwhite, the Fire HD6, Fire HD7, Fire HDX7 and Fire HDX8.9. This review is for the 2015 “All-New Kindle Paperwhite.” The attached picture shows the 2014 Kindle on the left and the new 2015 Kindle on the right. Here is the summary of my initial impressions of the 2015 model versus the 2014 model.
I am somewhat disappointed in the 2015 version as there is not a huge improvement over last year’s model. The Paperwhite made many improvements from its original first generation 2012 model to its second generation 2013 model, especially in the display and processor area. The 2013 model came with 2 GB storage, a wonderful display, a great battery and was the e-book “workhorse.” The second generation 2014 model changed by only increasing storage to 4 GB. The third generation 2015 model increased the display resolution but reduced the battery life slightly.
WHAT COMES IN THE BOX: A Paperwhite device, a quick-start guide and a short USB cord. Amazon still does not supply a power adapter.
SIZE: It’s the same identical size as the older Paperwhites. The weight has been reduced slightly from 7.3 to 7.2 ounces, a fraction of an ounce, most likely because of a smaller battery.
The good news is that all cases that fit the other Paperwhites will fit the 2015 version!!
DISPLAY: The resolution has been bumped up to 300 ppi, equivalent to the Voyage. However, in practical use, I can’t tell the difference unless I put an earlier version next to the new version for comparison. Unfortunately, when I place them side-by-side, I noticed that the new Paperwhite is not quite as bright as the older models when set at the same brightness level. This is more noticeable at lower settings. Also, my Kindle has a slight shadow area along the bottom that appears as a small gray smudge and isn’t quite as evenly lit as the rest of the display. It is very small but noticeable. The logo on the bottom of the screen is now shiny black against matte black on the plastic case instead of being displayed in silver lettering. It's difficult to see except when viewing the shiny "Kindle" reflection at an angle to light.
(September 2015 update: The Kindle logo is how I tell my new 2015 Paperwhite and older Paperwhites apart. They are that similar!)
BATTERY: The battery of the 2013 and 2014 Paperwhites are rated a third larger than the new model. And it is noticeable! When operating simultaneously, the new PW battery drains much faster. It is currently rated at 6 weeks of ½ hour average daily usage versus 8 weeks for the older models. That specification translates to 21 hours of use versus 28 hours of use for the older models.
(September 2015 update: I was on a week-long vacation trip but forgot my chargers. I had the 2014 Kindle with me, and as I was on vacation, I read a lot. The battery lasted--barely--the entire vacation. Given the shorter battery life, the 2015 model would have lost power before I came home. Normally, this shouldn't be an issue for most people as the 2015 battery does last a long time. But.... I am so spoilt by not having to carry a charger on trips, even long trips.)
STORAGE: Nothing has changed. It comes with the same 4 GB of storage. Mine netted 2990 MB free space from the factory. This number will vary slightly from device to device depending on the actual hard drive.
HARDWARE: Alas, there is still no audio with the Paperwhite. So you still can’t play songs in the background or listen to Audible books. If you need audio features, you may want to look at the Kindle Fire lineup as audio capabilities are not available on the PaperWhite, standard Kindle, or the Kindle Voyage. (September 2015 update: I still wish I could listen to Audible books like you could on the Kindle Keyboard.)
Wifi: Nothing has changed. I had hoped for an upgrade to 802.11ac or at least add the less crowded 5-Ghz range of wifi. If you are in a wifi crowded area, you will need to be closer to your router to download books. While the Paperwhite does not use a lot of bandwidth, it does need to be able to communicate with a router for WhisperSync to work and to download books.
It is possible that the new Kindle Paperwhite either has a slightly faster processor, or more likely, the memory has been upgraded from 512MB to 1024MB to match the Voyage. I have over a thousand books installed. To keep track of what I have, all books are added to collections, such as “Reading Queue” for those I have not read but want to read, and “Already Read” for those books I have already read. In addition, my books are also categorized by genre collections such as “Crime/Mystery/Thriller,” “SciFi/Fantasy,” "Historical Fiction," "Romance," etc. Categorizing my books helps me considerably when I wish to find a new book to read in my library which I have not read and what I want is a Mystery novel, but not a SciFi. When I download a new book and try to add it to the appropriate collections for later enjoyment, the process can be extremely slow, so slow that sometimes, I am not sure that I have even touched the check box in the add-to-collection screen because it takes forever to respond. The 2015 Kindle seems to be faster in that area.
(September 2015 update: I've noticed that the speed is directly related to the strength and quality of the WiFi signal. I am in a crowded WiFi area and although I can get a fairly good signal, the speed definitely degrades when I am not in the same room as the router. I still wish it had a 5Ghz antennae as that bandwidth is less crowded and faster.)
SOFTWARE: The user interface on the new Paperwhite is identical to the old Paperwhite except that the new Paperwhite comes with the Bookerly font installed. Those who own one of the new Fire tablets already have the Bookerly font for comparison. Personally, on the Paperwhite, I like the Caecilian and Palatino fonts as much as I do the Bookerly. It seems that the best font for reading changes depending on the book and the magnification of the font. (There are still eight size magnifications.) However, the firmware version installed with my 2015 Paperwhite was a version behind. The Firmware Version installed on the 2015 model is Kindle 5.6.1.1 (2634130033) versus Kindle 5.6.2.1 (263439002) installed on my 2014 model.
(September 2015 update: Amazon has updated the software on all their Kindles so the Bookerly font is available on all the devices.)
WITH SPECIAL OFFERS OR WITHOUT?? If you buy a case that automatically shuts the device off when closed and turns on when opened, I strongly recommend paying the extra $20 for removing the ads. If you have special offers, the Kindle still needs to be swiped from the lock screen to get to the page of the book where you left off. If you do NOT have special offers, when you open your case, you are immediately brought to the book and page where you stopped reading. No lock screen! Having a Kindle Paperwhite without special offers is wonderful. Open up the case, Kindle turns on and you pick up right where you left off. Close the case and it turns off. No extra finger swipes! This is true only for the Kindle e-readers. The Fire tablets continue to open up to the lock screen which must be swiped irrelevant of whether you have special offers or not.
NOTE: I received the advanced order of the 2015 Paperwhite on June 30. I was not able to order the device without special offers. Normally, you should be able to pay the upgrade difference online to remove special offers. Unfortunately, the device that I have received does not have an option to remove special offers for this device only! I do not know if this option will be available for all new orders or if they will correct the oversight in the future. So, order the device without special offers if you think you will ultimately want that because it is possible that you will not be able to remove them in the future.
(September 2015 update: Amazon fixed the option to remove special offers. And I still recommend that you buy it without special offers if you use a case that automatically turns it on and off.)
SUMMARY FOR THOSE LOOKING TO UPGRADE:
This is what has changed from the 2014 model.
PLUS: Higher resolution screen with Bookerly font. Possibly quicker when managing large numbers of books. (September 2015 update: Bookerly font is now available on all Kindle devices including older Paperwhites)
MINUS: A smaller battery and shorter time life between charges. No power adapter.
NEUTRAL: The "kindle" logo at the bottom of the 2015 model is now black on black instead of the silver color at the bottom front of the 2014 model.
(September 2015 update: The Kindle logo is how I tell my newer and older Paperwhites apart.)
THE VERDICT: The new Paperwhite is still the state-of-the-art e-ink e-book reader. The only things I can think of to improve the Paperwhite is to add a power adapter, a longer USB cord, bring back the longer battery life of the earlier model and perhaps make it waterproof.
(September 2015 update: the Paperwhite is still my favorite reader. I also like the Voyage but not enough to justify the huge price difference.)
Although the Paperwhite is only an e-reader and not a tablet, there are other considerations:
* No distraction from email
* No distractions from text messages
* No distractions from phone calls.
SHOULD YOU BUY? If you own last year's Paperwhite - I don't think it is worth the upgrade. If you do not own an e-reader or have a 2012 or earlier Kindle version, definitely get the Paperwhite. It has the best mix of features for the price compared to the other Kindle e-reader models. If you are considering upgrading from the current basic $79 Kindle, definitely get the Paperwhite. If you are considering whether to get the Voyage or the Paperwhite, ask yourself, "Is getting the Page Press area at the edge of the screen worth an additional $80?" If not, get the Paperwhite.
(September 2015 update: I really like both the Paperwhite and the Voyage. But I can't tell you which one to buy. If you are the type that will buy a Cadillac instead of a Chevy, buy the Voyage. It is definitely a very nice reader. Personally, I like the Paperwhite. Even though the Voyage is slightly smaller and lighter in the hand, there is something about the Paperwhite that makes me grab it instead.)
For reading, I prefer the Paperwhite over all the readers including the Fire tablets, the basic Kindle and even the Voyage. It’s optimized for readers and reasonably priced. You can throw it in your purse or pocket for traveling, even for reading in the doctor’s office waiting room. If you forget to charge it overnight, it will still have enough juice to get you through the next day or two. You can read it on the beach in BRIGHT, BRIGHT sunlight or at night under DARK, DARK moonlight. Whether you sit on the front porch or hide under the bed covers, you can enjoy reading books with the Paperwhite. In addition, there is a huge selection of case styles and colors to trick out your Kindle to match your personality and reading style.
If you want to save a little money, Amazon is currently selling the 2014 model for $109. Although it doesn’t have the Bookerly font, it does have a better battery. You can’t go wrong with the 2014 model either, especially when it is slightly cheaper.
(September 2015 update: My older Paperwhites have been updated with new software and now all have the Bookerly font. Unfortunately, the 2014 model is no longer available for sale through Amazon.)
FOR NEWBIES: You might want to explore the following features.
VOCABULARY BUILDER: The Amazon Kindles have a tool called Vocabulary Builder which is not available in the Fire tablets. Vocabulary Builder is supposed to help you learn new words while you read: words you look up in the Kindle's dictionary are stored in Vocabulary Builder. You can review those words, test yourself with flash cards, even see where in a book you highlighted the word and remove the word from your list when you’ve mastered it.
PAGE FLIP: When you're on a page, swipe up from the bottom, and a slightly smaller pop-up of the page appears. The pop-up has page turn arrows to go back or go forward in the book (you can also just swipe the pop-up page). When you're ready to return to your original page, press the "X" in the upper right corner of the pop-up, and the pop-up page goes away.
HIGHLIGHT: The highlight feature allows you to highlight (in black-and-white of course) a particular passage in a book and save it so you can go back to it at a later time. You also have the option of turning on an option that shows you other popular highlights from other readers of the book. This is a VERY useful feature, especially for non-fiction books as 99% of the time, the highlights other users have made point out very important sentences and paragraphs in the book. Note that this feature does not show EVERY reader's highlights, it only shows the most popular ones and even tells you how many readers have highlighted a particular section. This can be turned on or off if you find it distracting.
---
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Highest resolution e-reader display
With twice as many pixels as the previous generation, Kindle Paperwhite has an improved high-resolution 300 ppi display for crisp, laser quality text.
No glare in bright sunlight
Unlike reflective tablet and smartphone screens, Kindle Paperwhite reads like paper.
Read comfortably with one hand
Lighter than a paperback, comfortably hold Kindle Paperwhite in one hand for those times when you can’t put the book down.
Charge monthly, not daily
Kindle Paperwhite won't leave you tethered to an outlet. A single charge can last up to six weeks (based on a half hour of reading per day with wireless turned off and the light setting at ten).
Won't tire your eyes in the dark
Kindle Paperwhite guides light toward the surface of the display with its built-in front light—unlike back-lit tablets that shine in your eyes—so you can read comfortably for hours without eyestrain. Adjust your screen's brightness for great reading in any light.
Next-generation reading experience
Kindle Paperwhite offers Bookerly, an exclusive font crafted from the ground up for reading on digital screens. Warm and contemporary, Bookerly is inspired by the artistry of the best fonts in modern print books, but is hand-crafted for great readability at any font size.
Typesetting engine lays out words just as the author intended for beautiful rendering of pages. With improved character spacing and the addition of hyphenation, justification, kerning, ligatures, and drop cap support, our best-in-class typography helps you read faster with less eyestrain.
Enjoy reading with larger font sizes without compromising your reading experience. Page layout and margins automatically adapt to work well at even the largest font sizes. The typography and layout improvements are available on over half a million books, including many best sellers, with thousands more being added every week.
Lose yourself in a book
By design, Kindle Paperwhite is purpose-built for reading and creates a sanctuary so you can lose yourself in a book. Unlike tablets and phones, Kindle doesn’t distract you with social media, emails, and text messages.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2015
Review updated September 17, 2015
As a background, I am a retired Information Systems professional and I am writing this review from the perspective of being a long-time Kindle user. I have all the current e-readers and Fire devices from Amazon including the basic Kindle, the 2013, 2014 and new 2015 Paperwhite, the Fire HD6, Fire HD7, Fire HDX7 and Fire HDX8.9. This review is for the 2015 “All-New Kindle Paperwhite.” The attached picture shows the 2014 Kindle on the left and the new 2015 Kindle on the right. Here is the summary of my initial impressions of the 2015 model versus the 2014 model.
I am somewhat disappointed in the 2015 version as there is not a huge improvement over last year’s model. The Paperwhite made many improvements from its original first generation 2012 model to its second generation 2013 model, especially in the display and processor area. The 2013 model came with 2 GB storage, a wonderful display, a great battery and was the e-book “workhorse.” The second generation 2014 model changed by only increasing storage to 4 GB. The third generation 2015 model increased the display resolution but reduced the battery life slightly.
WHAT COMES IN THE BOX: A Paperwhite device, a quick-start guide and a short USB cord. Amazon still does not supply a power adapter.
SIZE: It’s the same identical size as the older Paperwhites. The weight has been reduced slightly from 7.3 to 7.2 ounces, a fraction of an ounce, most likely because of a smaller battery.
The good news is that all cases that fit the other Paperwhites will fit the 2015 version!!
DISPLAY: The resolution has been bumped up to 300 ppi, equivalent to the Voyage. However, in practical use, I can’t tell the difference unless I put an earlier version next to the new version for comparison. Unfortunately, when I place them side-by-side, I noticed that the new Paperwhite is not quite as bright as the older models when set at the same brightness level. This is more noticeable at lower settings. Also, my Kindle has a slight shadow area along the bottom that appears as a small gray smudge and isn’t quite as evenly lit as the rest of the display. It is very small but noticeable. The logo on the bottom of the screen is now shiny black against matte black on the plastic case instead of being displayed in silver lettering. It's difficult to see except when viewing the shiny "Kindle" reflection at an angle to light.
(September 2015 update: The Kindle logo is how I tell my new 2015 Paperwhite and older Paperwhites apart. They are that similar!)
BATTERY: The battery of the 2013 and 2014 Paperwhites are rated a third larger than the new model. And it is noticeable! When operating simultaneously, the new PW battery drains much faster. It is currently rated at 6 weeks of ½ hour average daily usage versus 8 weeks for the older models. That specification translates to 21 hours of use versus 28 hours of use for the older models.
(September 2015 update: I was on a week-long vacation trip but forgot my chargers. I had the 2014 Kindle with me, and as I was on vacation, I read a lot. The battery lasted--barely--the entire vacation. Given the shorter battery life, the 2015 model would have lost power before I came home. Normally, this shouldn't be an issue for most people as the 2015 battery does last a long time. But.... I am so spoilt by not having to carry a charger on trips, even long trips.)
STORAGE: Nothing has changed. It comes with the same 4 GB of storage. Mine netted 2990 MB free space from the factory. This number will vary slightly from device to device depending on the actual hard drive.
HARDWARE: Alas, there is still no audio with the Paperwhite. So you still can’t play songs in the background or listen to Audible books. If you need audio features, you may want to look at the Kindle Fire lineup as audio capabilities are not available on the PaperWhite, standard Kindle, or the Kindle Voyage. (September 2015 update: I still wish I could listen to Audible books like you could on the Kindle Keyboard.)
Wifi: Nothing has changed. I had hoped for an upgrade to 802.11ac or at least add the less crowded 5-Ghz range of wifi. If you are in a wifi crowded area, you will need to be closer to your router to download books. While the Paperwhite does not use a lot of bandwidth, it does need to be able to communicate with a router for WhisperSync to work and to download books.
It is possible that the new Kindle Paperwhite either has a slightly faster processor, or more likely, the memory has been upgraded from 512MB to 1024MB to match the Voyage. I have over a thousand books installed. To keep track of what I have, all books are added to collections, such as “Reading Queue” for those I have not read but want to read, and “Already Read” for those books I have already read. In addition, my books are also categorized by genre collections such as “Crime/Mystery/Thriller,” “SciFi/Fantasy,” "Historical Fiction," "Romance," etc. Categorizing my books helps me considerably when I wish to find a new book to read in my library which I have not read and what I want is a Mystery novel, but not a SciFi. When I download a new book and try to add it to the appropriate collections for later enjoyment, the process can be extremely slow, so slow that sometimes, I am not sure that I have even touched the check box in the add-to-collection screen because it takes forever to respond. The 2015 Kindle seems to be faster in that area.
(September 2015 update: I've noticed that the speed is directly related to the strength and quality of the WiFi signal. I am in a crowded WiFi area and although I can get a fairly good signal, the speed definitely degrades when I am not in the same room as the router. I still wish it had a 5Ghz antennae as that bandwidth is less crowded and faster.)
SOFTWARE: The user interface on the new Paperwhite is identical to the old Paperwhite except that the new Paperwhite comes with the Bookerly font installed. Those who own one of the new Fire tablets already have the Bookerly font for comparison. Personally, on the Paperwhite, I like the Caecilian and Palatino fonts as much as I do the Bookerly. It seems that the best font for reading changes depending on the book and the magnification of the font. (There are still eight size magnifications.) However, the firmware version installed with my 2015 Paperwhite was a version behind. The Firmware Version installed on the 2015 model is Kindle 5.6.1.1 (2634130033) versus Kindle 5.6.2.1 (263439002) installed on my 2014 model.
(September 2015 update: Amazon has updated the software on all their Kindles so the Bookerly font is available on all the devices.)
WITH SPECIAL OFFERS OR WITHOUT?? If you buy a case that automatically shuts the device off when closed and turns on when opened, I strongly recommend paying the extra $20 for removing the ads. If you have special offers, the Kindle still needs to be swiped from the lock screen to get to the page of the book where you left off. If you do NOT have special offers, when you open your case, you are immediately brought to the book and page where you stopped reading. No lock screen! Having a Kindle Paperwhite without special offers is wonderful. Open up the case, Kindle turns on and you pick up right where you left off. Close the case and it turns off. No extra finger swipes! This is true only for the Kindle e-readers. The Fire tablets continue to open up to the lock screen which must be swiped irrelevant of whether you have special offers or not.
NOTE: I received the advanced order of the 2015 Paperwhite on June 30. I was not able to order the device without special offers. Normally, you should be able to pay the upgrade difference online to remove special offers. Unfortunately, the device that I have received does not have an option to remove special offers for this device only! I do not know if this option will be available for all new orders or if they will correct the oversight in the future. So, order the device without special offers if you think you will ultimately want that because it is possible that you will not be able to remove them in the future.
(September 2015 update: Amazon fixed the option to remove special offers. And I still recommend that you buy it without special offers if you use a case that automatically turns it on and off.)
SUMMARY FOR THOSE LOOKING TO UPGRADE:
This is what has changed from the 2014 model.
PLUS: Higher resolution screen with Bookerly font. Possibly quicker when managing large numbers of books. (September 2015 update: Bookerly font is now available on all Kindle devices including older Paperwhites)
MINUS: A smaller battery and shorter time life between charges. No power adapter.
NEUTRAL: The "kindle" logo at the bottom of the 2015 model is now black on black instead of the silver color at the bottom front of the 2014 model.
(September 2015 update: The Kindle logo is how I tell my newer and older Paperwhites apart.)
THE VERDICT: The new Paperwhite is still the state-of-the-art e-ink e-book reader. The only things I can think of to improve the Paperwhite is to add a power adapter, a longer USB cord, bring back the longer battery life of the earlier model and perhaps make it waterproof.
(September 2015 update: the Paperwhite is still my favorite reader. I also like the Voyage but not enough to justify the huge price difference.)
Although the Paperwhite is only an e-reader and not a tablet, there are other considerations:
* No distraction from email
* No distractions from text messages
* No distractions from phone calls.
SHOULD YOU BUY? If you own last year's Paperwhite - I don't think it is worth the upgrade. If you do not own an e-reader or have a 2012 or earlier Kindle version, definitely get the Paperwhite. It has the best mix of features for the price compared to the other Kindle e-reader models. If you are considering upgrading from the current basic $79 Kindle, definitely get the Paperwhite. If you are considering whether to get the Voyage or the Paperwhite, ask yourself, "Is getting the Page Press area at the edge of the screen worth an additional $80?" If not, get the Paperwhite.
(September 2015 update: I really like both the Paperwhite and the Voyage. But I can't tell you which one to buy. If you are the type that will buy a Cadillac instead of a Chevy, buy the Voyage. It is definitely a very nice reader. Personally, I like the Paperwhite. Even though the Voyage is slightly smaller and lighter in the hand, there is something about the Paperwhite that makes me grab it instead.)
For reading, I prefer the Paperwhite over all the readers including the Fire tablets, the basic Kindle and even the Voyage. It’s optimized for readers and reasonably priced. You can throw it in your purse or pocket for traveling, even for reading in the doctor’s office waiting room. If you forget to charge it overnight, it will still have enough juice to get you through the next day or two. You can read it on the beach in BRIGHT, BRIGHT sunlight or at night under DARK, DARK moonlight. Whether you sit on the front porch or hide under the bed covers, you can enjoy reading books with the Paperwhite. In addition, there is a huge selection of case styles and colors to trick out your Kindle to match your personality and reading style.
If you want to save a little money, Amazon is currently selling the 2014 model for $109. Although it doesn’t have the Bookerly font, it does have a better battery. You can’t go wrong with the 2014 model either, especially when it is slightly cheaper.
(September 2015 update: My older Paperwhites have been updated with new software and now all have the Bookerly font. Unfortunately, the 2014 model is no longer available for sale through Amazon.)
FOR NEWBIES: You might want to explore the following features.
VOCABULARY BUILDER: The Amazon Kindles have a tool called Vocabulary Builder which is not available in the Fire tablets. Vocabulary Builder is supposed to help you learn new words while you read: words you look up in the Kindle's dictionary are stored in Vocabulary Builder. You can review those words, test yourself with flash cards, even see where in a book you highlighted the word and remove the word from your list when you’ve mastered it.
PAGE FLIP: When you're on a page, swipe up from the bottom, and a slightly smaller pop-up of the page appears. The pop-up has page turn arrows to go back or go forward in the book (you can also just swipe the pop-up page). When you're ready to return to your original page, press the "X" in the upper right corner of the pop-up, and the pop-up page goes away.
HIGHLIGHT: The highlight feature allows you to highlight (in black-and-white of course) a particular passage in a book and save it so you can go back to it at a later time. You also have the option of turning on an option that shows you other popular highlights from other readers of the book. This is a VERY useful feature, especially for non-fiction books as 99% of the time, the highlights other users have made point out very important sentences and paragraphs in the book. Note that this feature does not show EVERY reader's highlights, it only shows the most popular ones and even tells you how many readers have highlighted a particular section. This can be turned on or off if you find it distracting.
---
As a background, I am a retired Information Systems professional and I am writing this review from the perspective of being a long-time Kindle user. I have all the current e-readers and Fire devices from Amazon including the basic Kindle, the 2013, 2014 and new 2015 Paperwhite, the Fire HD6, Fire HD7, Fire HDX7 and Fire HDX8.9. This review is for the 2015 “All-New Kindle Paperwhite.” The attached picture shows the 2014 Kindle on the left and the new 2015 Kindle on the right. Here is the summary of my initial impressions of the 2015 model versus the 2014 model.
I am somewhat disappointed in the 2015 version as there is not a huge improvement over last year’s model. The Paperwhite made many improvements from its original first generation 2012 model to its second generation 2013 model, especially in the display and processor area. The 2013 model came with 2 GB storage, a wonderful display, a great battery and was the e-book “workhorse.” The second generation 2014 model changed by only increasing storage to 4 GB. The third generation 2015 model increased the display resolution but reduced the battery life slightly.
WHAT COMES IN THE BOX: A Paperwhite device, a quick-start guide and a short USB cord. Amazon still does not supply a power adapter.
SIZE: It’s the same identical size as the older Paperwhites. The weight has been reduced slightly from 7.3 to 7.2 ounces, a fraction of an ounce, most likely because of a smaller battery.
The good news is that all cases that fit the other Paperwhites will fit the 2015 version!!
DISPLAY: The resolution has been bumped up to 300 ppi, equivalent to the Voyage. However, in practical use, I can’t tell the difference unless I put an earlier version next to the new version for comparison. Unfortunately, when I place them side-by-side, I noticed that the new Paperwhite is not quite as bright as the older models when set at the same brightness level. This is more noticeable at lower settings. Also, my Kindle has a slight shadow area along the bottom that appears as a small gray smudge and isn’t quite as evenly lit as the rest of the display. It is very small but noticeable. The logo on the bottom of the screen is now shiny black against matte black on the plastic case instead of being displayed in silver lettering. It's difficult to see except when viewing the shiny "Kindle" reflection at an angle to light.
(September 2015 update: The Kindle logo is how I tell my new 2015 Paperwhite and older Paperwhites apart. They are that similar!)
BATTERY: The battery of the 2013 and 2014 Paperwhites are rated a third larger than the new model. And it is noticeable! When operating simultaneously, the new PW battery drains much faster. It is currently rated at 6 weeks of ½ hour average daily usage versus 8 weeks for the older models. That specification translates to 21 hours of use versus 28 hours of use for the older models.
(September 2015 update: I was on a week-long vacation trip but forgot my chargers. I had the 2014 Kindle with me, and as I was on vacation, I read a lot. The battery lasted--barely--the entire vacation. Given the shorter battery life, the 2015 model would have lost power before I came home. Normally, this shouldn't be an issue for most people as the 2015 battery does last a long time. But.... I am so spoilt by not having to carry a charger on trips, even long trips.)
STORAGE: Nothing has changed. It comes with the same 4 GB of storage. Mine netted 2990 MB free space from the factory. This number will vary slightly from device to device depending on the actual hard drive.
HARDWARE: Alas, there is still no audio with the Paperwhite. So you still can’t play songs in the background or listen to Audible books. If you need audio features, you may want to look at the Kindle Fire lineup as audio capabilities are not available on the PaperWhite, standard Kindle, or the Kindle Voyage. (September 2015 update: I still wish I could listen to Audible books like you could on the Kindle Keyboard.)
Wifi: Nothing has changed. I had hoped for an upgrade to 802.11ac or at least add the less crowded 5-Ghz range of wifi. If you are in a wifi crowded area, you will need to be closer to your router to download books. While the Paperwhite does not use a lot of bandwidth, it does need to be able to communicate with a router for WhisperSync to work and to download books.
It is possible that the new Kindle Paperwhite either has a slightly faster processor, or more likely, the memory has been upgraded from 512MB to 1024MB to match the Voyage. I have over a thousand books installed. To keep track of what I have, all books are added to collections, such as “Reading Queue” for those I have not read but want to read, and “Already Read” for those books I have already read. In addition, my books are also categorized by genre collections such as “Crime/Mystery/Thriller,” “SciFi/Fantasy,” "Historical Fiction," "Romance," etc. Categorizing my books helps me considerably when I wish to find a new book to read in my library which I have not read and what I want is a Mystery novel, but not a SciFi. When I download a new book and try to add it to the appropriate collections for later enjoyment, the process can be extremely slow, so slow that sometimes, I am not sure that I have even touched the check box in the add-to-collection screen because it takes forever to respond. The 2015 Kindle seems to be faster in that area.
(September 2015 update: I've noticed that the speed is directly related to the strength and quality of the WiFi signal. I am in a crowded WiFi area and although I can get a fairly good signal, the speed definitely degrades when I am not in the same room as the router. I still wish it had a 5Ghz antennae as that bandwidth is less crowded and faster.)
SOFTWARE: The user interface on the new Paperwhite is identical to the old Paperwhite except that the new Paperwhite comes with the Bookerly font installed. Those who own one of the new Fire tablets already have the Bookerly font for comparison. Personally, on the Paperwhite, I like the Caecilian and Palatino fonts as much as I do the Bookerly. It seems that the best font for reading changes depending on the book and the magnification of the font. (There are still eight size magnifications.) However, the firmware version installed with my 2015 Paperwhite was a version behind. The Firmware Version installed on the 2015 model is Kindle 5.6.1.1 (2634130033) versus Kindle 5.6.2.1 (263439002) installed on my 2014 model.
(September 2015 update: Amazon has updated the software on all their Kindles so the Bookerly font is available on all the devices.)
WITH SPECIAL OFFERS OR WITHOUT?? If you buy a case that automatically shuts the device off when closed and turns on when opened, I strongly recommend paying the extra $20 for removing the ads. If you have special offers, the Kindle still needs to be swiped from the lock screen to get to the page of the book where you left off. If you do NOT have special offers, when you open your case, you are immediately brought to the book and page where you stopped reading. No lock screen! Having a Kindle Paperwhite without special offers is wonderful. Open up the case, Kindle turns on and you pick up right where you left off. Close the case and it turns off. No extra finger swipes! This is true only for the Kindle e-readers. The Fire tablets continue to open up to the lock screen which must be swiped irrelevant of whether you have special offers or not.
NOTE: I received the advanced order of the 2015 Paperwhite on June 30. I was not able to order the device without special offers. Normally, you should be able to pay the upgrade difference online to remove special offers. Unfortunately, the device that I have received does not have an option to remove special offers for this device only! I do not know if this option will be available for all new orders or if they will correct the oversight in the future. So, order the device without special offers if you think you will ultimately want that because it is possible that you will not be able to remove them in the future.
(September 2015 update: Amazon fixed the option to remove special offers. And I still recommend that you buy it without special offers if you use a case that automatically turns it on and off.)
SUMMARY FOR THOSE LOOKING TO UPGRADE:
This is what has changed from the 2014 model.
PLUS: Higher resolution screen with Bookerly font. Possibly quicker when managing large numbers of books. (September 2015 update: Bookerly font is now available on all Kindle devices including older Paperwhites)
MINUS: A smaller battery and shorter time life between charges. No power adapter.
NEUTRAL: The "kindle" logo at the bottom of the 2015 model is now black on black instead of the silver color at the bottom front of the 2014 model.
(September 2015 update: The Kindle logo is how I tell my newer and older Paperwhites apart.)
THE VERDICT: The new Paperwhite is still the state-of-the-art e-ink e-book reader. The only things I can think of to improve the Paperwhite is to add a power adapter, a longer USB cord, bring back the longer battery life of the earlier model and perhaps make it waterproof.
(September 2015 update: the Paperwhite is still my favorite reader. I also like the Voyage but not enough to justify the huge price difference.)
Although the Paperwhite is only an e-reader and not a tablet, there are other considerations:
* No distraction from email
* No distractions from text messages
* No distractions from phone calls.
SHOULD YOU BUY? If you own last year's Paperwhite - I don't think it is worth the upgrade. If you do not own an e-reader or have a 2012 or earlier Kindle version, definitely get the Paperwhite. It has the best mix of features for the price compared to the other Kindle e-reader models. If you are considering upgrading from the current basic $79 Kindle, definitely get the Paperwhite. If you are considering whether to get the Voyage or the Paperwhite, ask yourself, "Is getting the Page Press area at the edge of the screen worth an additional $80?" If not, get the Paperwhite.
(September 2015 update: I really like both the Paperwhite and the Voyage. But I can't tell you which one to buy. If you are the type that will buy a Cadillac instead of a Chevy, buy the Voyage. It is definitely a very nice reader. Personally, I like the Paperwhite. Even though the Voyage is slightly smaller and lighter in the hand, there is something about the Paperwhite that makes me grab it instead.)
For reading, I prefer the Paperwhite over all the readers including the Fire tablets, the basic Kindle and even the Voyage. It’s optimized for readers and reasonably priced. You can throw it in your purse or pocket for traveling, even for reading in the doctor’s office waiting room. If you forget to charge it overnight, it will still have enough juice to get you through the next day or two. You can read it on the beach in BRIGHT, BRIGHT sunlight or at night under DARK, DARK moonlight. Whether you sit on the front porch or hide under the bed covers, you can enjoy reading books with the Paperwhite. In addition, there is a huge selection of case styles and colors to trick out your Kindle to match your personality and reading style.
If you want to save a little money, Amazon is currently selling the 2014 model for $109. Although it doesn’t have the Bookerly font, it does have a better battery. You can’t go wrong with the 2014 model either, especially when it is slightly cheaper.
(September 2015 update: My older Paperwhites have been updated with new software and now all have the Bookerly font. Unfortunately, the 2014 model is no longer available for sale through Amazon.)
FOR NEWBIES: You might want to explore the following features.
VOCABULARY BUILDER: The Amazon Kindles have a tool called Vocabulary Builder which is not available in the Fire tablets. Vocabulary Builder is supposed to help you learn new words while you read: words you look up in the Kindle's dictionary are stored in Vocabulary Builder. You can review those words, test yourself with flash cards, even see where in a book you highlighted the word and remove the word from your list when you’ve mastered it.
PAGE FLIP: When you're on a page, swipe up from the bottom, and a slightly smaller pop-up of the page appears. The pop-up has page turn arrows to go back or go forward in the book (you can also just swipe the pop-up page). When you're ready to return to your original page, press the "X" in the upper right corner of the pop-up, and the pop-up page goes away.
HIGHLIGHT: The highlight feature allows you to highlight (in black-and-white of course) a particular passage in a book and save it so you can go back to it at a later time. You also have the option of turning on an option that shows you other popular highlights from other readers of the book. This is a VERY useful feature, especially for non-fiction books as 99% of the time, the highlights other users have made point out very important sentences and paragraphs in the book. Note that this feature does not show EVERY reader's highlights, it only shows the most popular ones and even tells you how many readers have highlighted a particular section. This can be turned on or off if you find it distracting.
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Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2015
First and foremost, the Paperwhite in itself is a great product. it changesdthe way i read. i have been a long time proclaimer that i would never need an e-reader. I love real books. my iPad and iPhone would work in a pinch when I want to read things on the go, but i preferred (and still prefer) real books. Yet, i happily borrowed a friends Paperwhite (PW1) a year and a half ago for a long business trip, and that planted a seed in spite of what I admit was a ho-hum review (noting that it didn’t really have a longer battery life than a Ipad Mini and could do a lot less). Yet, finally, after reading about the blue light issue with backlit tablets keeping people awake due halting melatonin production, coupled with wanting to read and not disturb my wife's sleep while i illuminated a real book using a night light, i took the plunge and ordered a Kindle Paperwhite for myself, the first of what would be four. I describe below my long saga and experiences with the
[ Aside: for all the discussion of backlighting below, i should note that i typically operate the Paperwhite at a setting of 5-7 in a dark bedroom...on all units where i encountered uneven lighting, it was not an issue at higher brightness levels. but that was of no help to me because of the way I use my Paperwhite. I don’t change the backlight when the room is well lit. I like the appearance of the modest backlighting in sunlight or in a well lit indoor room.]
#1 Refurbished model (PW2, 2gb of RAM) : for all the worries about uneven lighting I read about going into this purchase, this one was very good. but what bothered me was 1. realizing it didn't have 4GB of RAM (which in hindsight is probably not an issue) since some people have gotten the 4GB model when purchasing the refurbished units, 2. having to clean off some weird sticky goop off the back of it, and 3. then realizing that the brand new ones has gone on sale for the same $99. customer service enthusiastically persuaded me to return it for a new one at the same price.
#2 PW2, 2014, 4gb RAM: this one i kept for a couple of months and it served me well. nice even backlighting, and i read several books with great enjoyment, yet i had a weird, intermittent, yet recurring bug: sometimes, the backlight would fail to come on when i woke it with my cover/case. (it would show the slide to activate/open…but even then, it would have zero backlight…this was of course obvious lying in bed in the dark). usually and one sequence of closing it and then opening it again would fix the problem. but each time i encountered it (once very few days), the more annoying it became. customer service again came to the rescue and said: return it, and sorry for the hassle, we'll send you a new one.
#3 PW2, 2014, 4gb RAM: the first night i used this, i knew this had to go back. it had a horribly uneven backlight with huge shadows on the bottom on the screen that encroached into the bottom 2-3 lines of text. the only thing going for this unit was it actually had a more warm yellow-ish, softer white background compared to the prior units. This aspect i really liked. it gave the text a more "real book" look. but the shadows were horrible and very distracting. again, a long customer service chat ensued. unfortunately, this time, they no longer had any PW2's in stock with no restocking date known or predicted. i didn't want a refurb (give my past experience (#1) and one I bought for my wife (cosmetic blemishes) as well as that of a couple of other friends). after much discussion, they sent me a 2015 Paperwhite at the same price. i wasn't sure what to expect, and i can't say i was terribly excited given the mixed reviews i had read here about lower contrast in spite of higher pixel density, uneven backlighting comparable to the PW1, and most notably, the 1/4 reduction in battery life (21 vs 28 hrs). yet, i was willing to forgo the latter, if i could get myself an even backlight and not have to stick with these horrible shadows which were very distracting.
#4 PW3, 2015 edition. Compared head to head with #3 (which I finally was smart enough to keep around long enough to compare directly: for the previous units, I always boxed up the old Paperwhites for return while simultaneously setting up the new ones), there are some distinct differences:
- the backlight on the PW3 is definitely cooler (bluer) than the PW2 (#3) and reminds me of the first two PW2’s I had. I guess it once again shows the variations in the LEDs that has been mentioned before in several reviews. It really is too bad there is so much variation. It would probably be too hard on inventory to sell two models, but I’m sure some people would prefer one or the other. I actually preferred the more yellowish tone, but the bluer is not that offensive or strongly blue tinted. It’s just a cooler white balance. It’s just that that side by side, it’s very clear that the white balance is very different for the two Paperwhites.
- This backlight is the most even I’ve had in all my units. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough for this perfectionist. Beyond the large fingerprint sized shadows for unit #3, all three of the PW2’s I had exhibited a distinct shadow band of about 1/8” height on the lowest portion of the screen where the percentage remaining and other information is shown when the brightness was set to modest levels (1-10). I knew the existence of this going in based on the reviews I had seen, but it’s essentially absent on the PW3.
- The only backlighting defect on the PW3 is a very faint shadow (a child’s sized pinky fingerprint) in the lower right portion of the screen that is evident on a backlighting of 5-6. It’s barely noticeable, and I am being picky here. I don’t readily notice it unless I am examining really carefully.
- I now know what people are referring to when they say there is less contrast on the PW3 in spite of the higher resolution.
I’m not sure I agree with precisely with that conclusion, however. What I can discern is that the 212 ppi PW2 has a font (for all the common fonts on the PW2 and PW3) that appears bolder in weight than the 300 ppi version on the PW3. I don’t think the PW3 text is any “less black,” but rather the font is not as “thick.” I can only guess this is due to the resolution. Nevertheless, it is surprising and very easily noticeable. It is as if the PW2 is upsampled in such a way that the dithering results in a thicker font face. That being said, I was perfectly content with the font on the PW2, and am also content with the PW3 font. I don’t think I would care or notice the change in font thickness without the head to head comparison, and would only notice the slightly cleaner font on the PW3 because I had heard it was higher resolution. In fact the PW3 font looks similar in thickness to what I see on a newer ipad.
- What is also noticeable between the two screens (image attached) is that the main text is shifted between the two. I don’t know if this is a hardware or software difference. The status lines are at the same location at the bottom of the screen, but everything is shifted up slightly on the PW3. Not a problem, but a very noticeable difference when comparing the two units side by side.
The verdict:
- I like the Paperwhite. It’s easy on the eyes, I fall asleep more readily after reading in bed with it than I would using my ipad and I don’t keep my wife awake with a nightstand lamp trying to read a paper book. I was tempted to try out the Voyage, but at about twice the price, I was able to buy two Paperwhites (I bought my wife a refurbished PW2 with 2gb of RAM which has been excellent except for some cosmetic blemishes). If my enjoyment of the Paperwhite continues for the next year or two, I’ll then consider upgrading to whatever is the latest and greatest is at that time.
- As has been noted above and elsewhere, it is a bit surprising to see the color variation for the backlight LEDs, as well as the huge variation and quality control issues I’ve experienced in the five Paperwhites I’ve experienced (not including the one borrowed from my friend) Maybe that’s just the nature of the technology, but it's a bit concerning that people would end up with very different experiences (at least if they are modestly picky like me).
- I’m going to happily live with this PW3 with its lower battery life (21 hours should be more than enough between charges for me) and its blue-ish cast screen because I’m tired of swapping out units (I’m sure Amazon is getting tired of me too in spite of my excellent patronage over the years)
One oddity I encountered with the PW3 was it froze when asking whether I wanted to sign up for KindleUnlimited. I had to hard reboot the device to get it going again. And thus far, it hasn’t had any issues. Hopefully, it was an isolated glitch.
In summary, I’m giving the Paperwhite 3 a 5 star rating (with some small reservation due to potential variations between units), but I have to give the PW2 a 4 star given the huge range of variability and problems I encountered with three units I temporarily owned.
I do caution potential buyers to carefully inspect their units upon receipt and know about the potential LED variability that may exist that may fit their preference (warm versus cool lighting), and to carefully consider what backlighting settings they may typically operate at to check for backlighting unevenness issues.
I also give Amazon Customer Service a big 5 Star rating for how they handled all my complaints and concerns. They treated my concerns with respect and wanted to make me happy with my purchase.
PW3 (2015) vs Three PW2s: a long saga of product variations but great customer support
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2015
There have been so many helpful reviews here, but given my long saga of four different Paperwhites, I thought I should follow up with my own reflections and experiences.Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2015
First and foremost, the Paperwhite in itself is a great product. it changesdthe way i read. i have been a long time proclaimer that i would never need an e-reader. I love real books. my iPad and iPhone would work in a pinch when I want to read things on the go, but i preferred (and still prefer) real books. Yet, i happily borrowed a friends Paperwhite (PW1) a year and a half ago for a long business trip, and that planted a seed in spite of what I admit was a ho-hum review (noting that it didn’t really have a longer battery life than a Ipad Mini and could do a lot less). Yet, finally, after reading about the blue light issue with backlit tablets keeping people awake due halting melatonin production, coupled with wanting to read and not disturb my wife's sleep while i illuminated a real book using a night light, i took the plunge and ordered a Kindle Paperwhite for myself, the first of what would be four. I describe below my long saga and experiences with the
[ Aside: for all the discussion of backlighting below, i should note that i typically operate the Paperwhite at a setting of 5-7 in a dark bedroom...on all units where i encountered uneven lighting, it was not an issue at higher brightness levels. but that was of no help to me because of the way I use my Paperwhite. I don’t change the backlight when the room is well lit. I like the appearance of the modest backlighting in sunlight or in a well lit indoor room.]
#1 Refurbished model (PW2, 2gb of RAM) : for all the worries about uneven lighting I read about going into this purchase, this one was very good. but what bothered me was 1. realizing it didn't have 4GB of RAM (which in hindsight is probably not an issue) since some people have gotten the 4GB model when purchasing the refurbished units, 2. having to clean off some weird sticky goop off the back of it, and 3. then realizing that the brand new ones has gone on sale for the same $99. customer service enthusiastically persuaded me to return it for a new one at the same price.
#2 PW2, 2014, 4gb RAM: this one i kept for a couple of months and it served me well. nice even backlighting, and i read several books with great enjoyment, yet i had a weird, intermittent, yet recurring bug: sometimes, the backlight would fail to come on when i woke it with my cover/case. (it would show the slide to activate/open…but even then, it would have zero backlight…this was of course obvious lying in bed in the dark). usually and one sequence of closing it and then opening it again would fix the problem. but each time i encountered it (once very few days), the more annoying it became. customer service again came to the rescue and said: return it, and sorry for the hassle, we'll send you a new one.
#3 PW2, 2014, 4gb RAM: the first night i used this, i knew this had to go back. it had a horribly uneven backlight with huge shadows on the bottom on the screen that encroached into the bottom 2-3 lines of text. the only thing going for this unit was it actually had a more warm yellow-ish, softer white background compared to the prior units. This aspect i really liked. it gave the text a more "real book" look. but the shadows were horrible and very distracting. again, a long customer service chat ensued. unfortunately, this time, they no longer had any PW2's in stock with no restocking date known or predicted. i didn't want a refurb (give my past experience (#1) and one I bought for my wife (cosmetic blemishes) as well as that of a couple of other friends). after much discussion, they sent me a 2015 Paperwhite at the same price. i wasn't sure what to expect, and i can't say i was terribly excited given the mixed reviews i had read here about lower contrast in spite of higher pixel density, uneven backlighting comparable to the PW1, and most notably, the 1/4 reduction in battery life (21 vs 28 hrs). yet, i was willing to forgo the latter, if i could get myself an even backlight and not have to stick with these horrible shadows which were very distracting.
#4 PW3, 2015 edition. Compared head to head with #3 (which I finally was smart enough to keep around long enough to compare directly: for the previous units, I always boxed up the old Paperwhites for return while simultaneously setting up the new ones), there are some distinct differences:
- the backlight on the PW3 is definitely cooler (bluer) than the PW2 (#3) and reminds me of the first two PW2’s I had. I guess it once again shows the variations in the LEDs that has been mentioned before in several reviews. It really is too bad there is so much variation. It would probably be too hard on inventory to sell two models, but I’m sure some people would prefer one or the other. I actually preferred the more yellowish tone, but the bluer is not that offensive or strongly blue tinted. It’s just a cooler white balance. It’s just that that side by side, it’s very clear that the white balance is very different for the two Paperwhites.
- This backlight is the most even I’ve had in all my units. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough for this perfectionist. Beyond the large fingerprint sized shadows for unit #3, all three of the PW2’s I had exhibited a distinct shadow band of about 1/8” height on the lowest portion of the screen where the percentage remaining and other information is shown when the brightness was set to modest levels (1-10). I knew the existence of this going in based on the reviews I had seen, but it’s essentially absent on the PW3.
- The only backlighting defect on the PW3 is a very faint shadow (a child’s sized pinky fingerprint) in the lower right portion of the screen that is evident on a backlighting of 5-6. It’s barely noticeable, and I am being picky here. I don’t readily notice it unless I am examining really carefully.
- I now know what people are referring to when they say there is less contrast on the PW3 in spite of the higher resolution.
I’m not sure I agree with precisely with that conclusion, however. What I can discern is that the 212 ppi PW2 has a font (for all the common fonts on the PW2 and PW3) that appears bolder in weight than the 300 ppi version on the PW3. I don’t think the PW3 text is any “less black,” but rather the font is not as “thick.” I can only guess this is due to the resolution. Nevertheless, it is surprising and very easily noticeable. It is as if the PW2 is upsampled in such a way that the dithering results in a thicker font face. That being said, I was perfectly content with the font on the PW2, and am also content with the PW3 font. I don’t think I would care or notice the change in font thickness without the head to head comparison, and would only notice the slightly cleaner font on the PW3 because I had heard it was higher resolution. In fact the PW3 font looks similar in thickness to what I see on a newer ipad.
- What is also noticeable between the two screens (image attached) is that the main text is shifted between the two. I don’t know if this is a hardware or software difference. The status lines are at the same location at the bottom of the screen, but everything is shifted up slightly on the PW3. Not a problem, but a very noticeable difference when comparing the two units side by side.
The verdict:
- I like the Paperwhite. It’s easy on the eyes, I fall asleep more readily after reading in bed with it than I would using my ipad and I don’t keep my wife awake with a nightstand lamp trying to read a paper book. I was tempted to try out the Voyage, but at about twice the price, I was able to buy two Paperwhites (I bought my wife a refurbished PW2 with 2gb of RAM which has been excellent except for some cosmetic blemishes). If my enjoyment of the Paperwhite continues for the next year or two, I’ll then consider upgrading to whatever is the latest and greatest is at that time.
- As has been noted above and elsewhere, it is a bit surprising to see the color variation for the backlight LEDs, as well as the huge variation and quality control issues I’ve experienced in the five Paperwhites I’ve experienced (not including the one borrowed from my friend) Maybe that’s just the nature of the technology, but it's a bit concerning that people would end up with very different experiences (at least if they are modestly picky like me).
- I’m going to happily live with this PW3 with its lower battery life (21 hours should be more than enough between charges for me) and its blue-ish cast screen because I’m tired of swapping out units (I’m sure Amazon is getting tired of me too in spite of my excellent patronage over the years)
One oddity I encountered with the PW3 was it froze when asking whether I wanted to sign up for KindleUnlimited. I had to hard reboot the device to get it going again. And thus far, it hasn’t had any issues. Hopefully, it was an isolated glitch.
In summary, I’m giving the Paperwhite 3 a 5 star rating (with some small reservation due to potential variations between units), but I have to give the PW2 a 4 star given the huge range of variability and problems I encountered with three units I temporarily owned.
I do caution potential buyers to carefully inspect their units upon receipt and know about the potential LED variability that may exist that may fit their preference (warm versus cool lighting), and to carefully consider what backlighting settings they may typically operate at to check for backlighting unevenness issues.
I also give Amazon Customer Service a big 5 Star rating for how they handled all my complaints and concerns. They treated my concerns with respect and wanted to make me happy with my purchase.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2016
Recently retired my well-used Kindle Keyboard for the Paperwhite, as I was looking forward to getting one with a backlit screen. Overall, this is easily the best e-reader I've had the pleasure of using. It's just the right size (and feels less bulky than my Keyboard), the interface is faster, the text more vibrant, and the adjustable backlight is exceptionally convenient for all lighting conditions. Here are a few thoughts for those that prefer lists:
LIGHTING:
The Good: the adjustable backlight on the Paperwhite is great. Some reviewers have mentioned it being yellowish, but the unit purchased is a nice, blueish-white. While reading in bed, it can be dimmed enough to where it doesn't strain your eyes, though it does wash out the text slightly. I didn't think the backlight would be useful in the daytime, but it actually makes it much easier to read at max setting, which I was pleasantly surprised with.
The Bad: There is a little bit of light bleeding from the bottom of my Kindle. It's not terribly noticeable, but if you look closely enough you can see a little blotchy unevenness near the bottom. Not nearly enough of an issue at this price point worth complaining about.
THE UNIT:
The Good: Love the design - more compact and sleek than the Kindle Keyboard it replaced. It fits easily in either hand without being too big or small. Perfect screen size.
The Bad: I am mourning the loss of the page turning buttons from my Keyboard. Anyone who owns a newer Kindle would be lying if they said they've never accidentally turned the page by touching the screen. It can be a maddening experience. Plan on getting a case for your Kindle, as the plastic on the front and rubbery texture on the back are oil magnets and will suck any grease off the cleanest of hands, and it's obnoxiously hard to clean. I never had this issue with my Keyboard. Minor complaint about having the "Kindle" namesake on the front of the unit not embossed in white...looks a bit cheaper than the last gen in that regard. Power on/off button is obscenely tiny and very hard to activate - buy a cover that turns it on/off automatically.
BATTERY/CHARGE:
The battery doesn't last as long as my Keyboard's did, but it is still exceptionally strong even with heavy backlight usage. I have well over 3/4 of the battery reading for a few hours each day over the course of a week. It seems to charge for about the same duration as my Keyboard and I assume the backlighting eats up the battery a bit, but not enough to where it has been problematic yet. I find it frustrating that they only include a short USB charger. I don't appreciate upselling of charger plug ins.
INTERFACE:
The Good: Love the bookshelf view showing the covers (if you don't, you can put it back into List view like older models). Touch interface and changes from the Keyboard model took me a little white to get used to, but it is all fairly intuitive and much quicker than the model it is replacing. I absolutely refuse to tie my Twitter/Facebook account to my Kindle, but love the option of doing it for my Good Reads account - good call on that, Amazon. Newer features that let you learn more about people, places, and events in books has been great (I'm looking at you Game of Thrones). LOVE the feature that tells you how much additional time you have in a chapter...makes it easier to know if can squeeze one more in before bed. Same goes for Word Wise, which will put brief descriptions/similes of complex words above the word in question. You can set the threshold - awesome.
The Bad: Collections show a generic book image, rather than a collage of the books within like I expected. Minor complaint. I bought a Kindle Touch for my mom awhile back and have had to work with her quite a bit, as its her first e-reader. She struggled with the interface and is still learning how to get the most out of it. I know it's a cost-saving measure, but I really resent a Kindle copy of the user guide instead of the traditional paper insert. Minimalism has its place, but not here. The filter 'buttons' on the screen are annoyingly hard to press (maybe I have fat fingers?), but feedback is exceptional everywhere else.
AD VS NO AD:
Ultimately, it's going to come down to your preference. Many people have found good discounts on things they'd buy on Amazon or other eBooks (it uses your recommendations). If they were only on the "off" screen when not in use, I wouldn't have ponied up the extra $20 to remove them because my cover hides it when not in use, but the ad banner at the bottom of the home screen put me over the edge. I want to point out - I've read Amazon doesn't allow you to use Gift Cards to pay for the ad removal (it requires '1-touch payment'), so if you don't think you want the ads and you have a gift card - buy the version without ads. I believe it applied $20 of a promotional credit I had on my account, however.
PRIME HOUSEHOLD SHARING:
The Good: If you're an Amazon Prime member and have added a second adult to your 'household', you can share select (or all) of your Kindle libraries with one another for free. I didn't see this advertised much, but it was an awesome way for my mom and I to share our books with each other.
The Bad: It's horrific to set up. Once you've activated your Household, you need to go to Manage Your Content, flip "Books" to on (for both parties, and manually select which titles you want to share. Then you need to go to "Manage Your Device" and ensure the little box for "Share My Content" is selected. I believe both people need to do this, but once you do, you'll be able to access your family member's books in the Cloud after dropping down the filter to "Shared". It will take quite awhile for it to process if you have a large library, but once you get it set up, you can click and download any of your family member's books. I just wish it wasn't such a royal pain to set up.
For most people, I'd suggest buying the one with no ads and saving $20 for books (or a library subscription...I borrow 90% of my books, it's awesome). If you hate the ads, pay to remove them - no sense in paying more if you can live with it in the first place.
All in all, this is an exceptional machine for the price and any negatives I can find are easily forgivable given how many great things there are. Amazon Prime members can also download one book from a very large selection per month for free, with no return dates, as well as download one free new release with Amazon First - something I found out through a lot of digging on Amazon's website. These features should be a little clearer. My mom loves her Kindle Touch, but after buying myself the Paperwhite, I wish I'd coughed up a little extra and got her the Paperwhite. The backlit screen and increased clarity of the e-ink is exceptional for all reading conditions. Should you upgrade? If you own a Kindle without a backlight or a a Keyboard/older model - 110%. The interface is faster and the screen clarity significantly better. The biggest complaint I have is for Kindle Keyboard users who are used to the manual page turner buttons are out of luck (unless they opt for the Voyage, I believe) - I sincerely wish they'd bring that feature back.
TL;DR? If you love reading, treat yourself or a loved one and buy a Kindle Paperwhite. It's worth every penny.
LIGHTING:
The Good: the adjustable backlight on the Paperwhite is great. Some reviewers have mentioned it being yellowish, but the unit purchased is a nice, blueish-white. While reading in bed, it can be dimmed enough to where it doesn't strain your eyes, though it does wash out the text slightly. I didn't think the backlight would be useful in the daytime, but it actually makes it much easier to read at max setting, which I was pleasantly surprised with.
The Bad: There is a little bit of light bleeding from the bottom of my Kindle. It's not terribly noticeable, but if you look closely enough you can see a little blotchy unevenness near the bottom. Not nearly enough of an issue at this price point worth complaining about.
THE UNIT:
The Good: Love the design - more compact and sleek than the Kindle Keyboard it replaced. It fits easily in either hand without being too big or small. Perfect screen size.
The Bad: I am mourning the loss of the page turning buttons from my Keyboard. Anyone who owns a newer Kindle would be lying if they said they've never accidentally turned the page by touching the screen. It can be a maddening experience. Plan on getting a case for your Kindle, as the plastic on the front and rubbery texture on the back are oil magnets and will suck any grease off the cleanest of hands, and it's obnoxiously hard to clean. I never had this issue with my Keyboard. Minor complaint about having the "Kindle" namesake on the front of the unit not embossed in white...looks a bit cheaper than the last gen in that regard. Power on/off button is obscenely tiny and very hard to activate - buy a cover that turns it on/off automatically.
BATTERY/CHARGE:
The battery doesn't last as long as my Keyboard's did, but it is still exceptionally strong even with heavy backlight usage. I have well over 3/4 of the battery reading for a few hours each day over the course of a week. It seems to charge for about the same duration as my Keyboard and I assume the backlighting eats up the battery a bit, but not enough to where it has been problematic yet. I find it frustrating that they only include a short USB charger. I don't appreciate upselling of charger plug ins.
INTERFACE:
The Good: Love the bookshelf view showing the covers (if you don't, you can put it back into List view like older models). Touch interface and changes from the Keyboard model took me a little white to get used to, but it is all fairly intuitive and much quicker than the model it is replacing. I absolutely refuse to tie my Twitter/Facebook account to my Kindle, but love the option of doing it for my Good Reads account - good call on that, Amazon. Newer features that let you learn more about people, places, and events in books has been great (I'm looking at you Game of Thrones). LOVE the feature that tells you how much additional time you have in a chapter...makes it easier to know if can squeeze one more in before bed. Same goes for Word Wise, which will put brief descriptions/similes of complex words above the word in question. You can set the threshold - awesome.
The Bad: Collections show a generic book image, rather than a collage of the books within like I expected. Minor complaint. I bought a Kindle Touch for my mom awhile back and have had to work with her quite a bit, as its her first e-reader. She struggled with the interface and is still learning how to get the most out of it. I know it's a cost-saving measure, but I really resent a Kindle copy of the user guide instead of the traditional paper insert. Minimalism has its place, but not here. The filter 'buttons' on the screen are annoyingly hard to press (maybe I have fat fingers?), but feedback is exceptional everywhere else.
AD VS NO AD:
Ultimately, it's going to come down to your preference. Many people have found good discounts on things they'd buy on Amazon or other eBooks (it uses your recommendations). If they were only on the "off" screen when not in use, I wouldn't have ponied up the extra $20 to remove them because my cover hides it when not in use, but the ad banner at the bottom of the home screen put me over the edge. I want to point out - I've read Amazon doesn't allow you to use Gift Cards to pay for the ad removal (it requires '1-touch payment'), so if you don't think you want the ads and you have a gift card - buy the version without ads. I believe it applied $20 of a promotional credit I had on my account, however.
PRIME HOUSEHOLD SHARING:
The Good: If you're an Amazon Prime member and have added a second adult to your 'household', you can share select (or all) of your Kindle libraries with one another for free. I didn't see this advertised much, but it was an awesome way for my mom and I to share our books with each other.
The Bad: It's horrific to set up. Once you've activated your Household, you need to go to Manage Your Content, flip "Books" to on (for both parties, and manually select which titles you want to share. Then you need to go to "Manage Your Device" and ensure the little box for "Share My Content" is selected. I believe both people need to do this, but once you do, you'll be able to access your family member's books in the Cloud after dropping down the filter to "Shared". It will take quite awhile for it to process if you have a large library, but once you get it set up, you can click and download any of your family member's books. I just wish it wasn't such a royal pain to set up.
For most people, I'd suggest buying the one with no ads and saving $20 for books (or a library subscription...I borrow 90% of my books, it's awesome). If you hate the ads, pay to remove them - no sense in paying more if you can live with it in the first place.
All in all, this is an exceptional machine for the price and any negatives I can find are easily forgivable given how many great things there are. Amazon Prime members can also download one book from a very large selection per month for free, with no return dates, as well as download one free new release with Amazon First - something I found out through a lot of digging on Amazon's website. These features should be a little clearer. My mom loves her Kindle Touch, but after buying myself the Paperwhite, I wish I'd coughed up a little extra and got her the Paperwhite. The backlit screen and increased clarity of the e-ink is exceptional for all reading conditions. Should you upgrade? If you own a Kindle without a backlight or a a Keyboard/older model - 110%. The interface is faster and the screen clarity significantly better. The biggest complaint I have is for Kindle Keyboard users who are used to the manual page turner buttons are out of luck (unless they opt for the Voyage, I believe) - I sincerely wish they'd bring that feature back.
TL;DR? If you love reading, treat yourself or a loved one and buy a Kindle Paperwhite. It's worth every penny.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2015
After reading many conflicting reviews about the Paperwhite lighting, I've decided to contribute my own review. I've waited years to try the Paperwhite, hoping that during that time, Amazon would improve on the lighting issues that the first Paperwhite had (shadowing at the bottom of the screen). This is my second Kindle, my first being the 5th Gen Kindle with the navigation buttons.
When I received the Paperwhite, I was initially quite impressed with it, until I noticed that the lighting was uneven. The bottom right corner of the screen had a light that was "outperforming" the other three, causing that quadrant to be brighter than the rest of the screen. I kept telling myself it was a small issue, but in the end I couldn't overlook it and had to request for an exchange. Mind you, Amazon does not make this process easy for Kindles. I first had an chat with the Customer Service online, got transferred twice and had to explain the problems repeatedly and go through the steps they wanted me to try. Finally, they approved the replacement and assured me the order was put in for me and I would receive an email about it in 24 hours. 24 hours passed and I did not get an update, so I phoned in this time and the representative checked and saw that the replacement order was never put in, and that he would do so for me on the spot. I usually have great experiences with Amazon's Customer Service, so this was a bit surprising for me.
The second Paperwhite arrived, and I eagerly tested it out. This one seemed to have even lighting but looked rather different for some reason, so I put it next to the first Paperwhite and was rather shocked to see that the lighting was really different. The first Paperwhite was "whiter" and the second had a warmer tone (see photos). They were both equally bright, and while I was initially disappointed, I realized that the "whiter" light was actually blue light, which is actually more strenuous on the eyes. The warm tone of the second Paperwhite made the light feel less noticeable and more natural. Not wanting to go through the hassle of another replacement, I returned the first Paperwhite and stuck with the warm tone Paperwhite, which I'm really satisfied with! You will not notice how white (or not white) it is, unless you have something to compare it to.
Backlight review:
They still haven't fully fixed the evenness of the lighting at the bottom of the screen - you can still see little shadows cast by the lights, but it is not too noticeable unless you want to be really picky about it - but you don't really read anything that low on the screen at night, do you? If this is an issue for you, I'd recommend the Voyage, which seems to have rectified that but for a much higher price. Other than that, I've found the lighting to be a great feature and I love being able to read in the dark or dim light. It has 24 levels of light, but to be honest, I never go above 12. Also I've noticed that if you dim the settings below 1 (supposedly to turn the light off at 0), the screen is still very faintly lit - this is actually pretty helpful in the dark because it is lit just enough for me to find the navigation tool to turn the lighting up. Not sure how much battery drain this causes, but it can't be much at this low level. Just thought I'd point it out that there is no actual way to turn off the back light without putting your Kindle in standby mode.
Navigation review:
I've found the navigation to be easy, although I understand not everyone feels this way. The touch screen is of course a great convenience over the 5th Gen Kindle navigation buttons. Downloading my books off the cloud storage was easy enough. The only annoyance I have is that the menu now shows all items regardless of whether they are in a collection or not. In the older Kindles, books placed in a collection are taken off the list and show up when you enter their collection folder... Similar to how you sort files into folders on your computer. This new sorting feature just made things more cluttered to me, even though you can sort it to show only collections, but it won't show books that aren't in a collection. I hope they release an update that restores the older organization methods.
Usability review:
The touch screen is matte, so finger prints are not a problem, and I guess it makes it feel more like a book page if you swipe it instead of tapping it. It is quite sensitive most of the time, and I've not had an issue with this aspect. The only gripe I have is that I miss the page turning buttons of my old Kindle, and I wish they included them with the newer generation Kindles. Touch navigation is great, but the page turning buttons allow you to hold the Kindle with one hand and flip the pages with much more ease than having to touch the screen. The Voyage has page turning sensors that function like buttons, but it's honestly not the same. For this reason, I found it very hard to give up my older Kindle - I just love having it as a backup for when I get frustrated with having to use the touch screen all the time. Another issue I have is that sometimes trying to sync up my Kindles can be rather annoying. It takes a few tries of syncing before they finally update the "latest page read" location to cloud.
Screen resolution:
Some people say they notice the improvement in screen resolution. I honestly cannot say that I notice compared with my Kindle 5th Gen. It's a bit hard to make a fair comparison, because the Paperwhite comes with much more customizable fonts and sizes. I found that on my Kindle 5th gen, the fonts were either a little too big, or a little too small. I don't have this issue with the Paperwhite.
Summary
Pros:
Great lighting
Easy navigation
No fingerprints
Sensitive touch screen
Battery life is good
Many fonts and font sizes
Cons:
Lighting issues - obviously, not all Kindles are made with the same tone of lights
Books in the Menu are organized differently than before
No page turning buttons
Syncing can be slow
I meant to write this review to address the mainly the lighting issues, but decided to make it more substantial. Still, if you've received a "yellow" Kindle, I'd recommend not to just give up on it because it doesn't look "white". Warm light is actually better for your eyes. I may not have the paper white (which no paperback is 100% white) Kindle as advertised, but I do love the warm tone of my Paperwhite.
When I received the Paperwhite, I was initially quite impressed with it, until I noticed that the lighting was uneven. The bottom right corner of the screen had a light that was "outperforming" the other three, causing that quadrant to be brighter than the rest of the screen. I kept telling myself it was a small issue, but in the end I couldn't overlook it and had to request for an exchange. Mind you, Amazon does not make this process easy for Kindles. I first had an chat with the Customer Service online, got transferred twice and had to explain the problems repeatedly and go through the steps they wanted me to try. Finally, they approved the replacement and assured me the order was put in for me and I would receive an email about it in 24 hours. 24 hours passed and I did not get an update, so I phoned in this time and the representative checked and saw that the replacement order was never put in, and that he would do so for me on the spot. I usually have great experiences with Amazon's Customer Service, so this was a bit surprising for me.
The second Paperwhite arrived, and I eagerly tested it out. This one seemed to have even lighting but looked rather different for some reason, so I put it next to the first Paperwhite and was rather shocked to see that the lighting was really different. The first Paperwhite was "whiter" and the second had a warmer tone (see photos). They were both equally bright, and while I was initially disappointed, I realized that the "whiter" light was actually blue light, which is actually more strenuous on the eyes. The warm tone of the second Paperwhite made the light feel less noticeable and more natural. Not wanting to go through the hassle of another replacement, I returned the first Paperwhite and stuck with the warm tone Paperwhite, which I'm really satisfied with! You will not notice how white (or not white) it is, unless you have something to compare it to.
Backlight review:
They still haven't fully fixed the evenness of the lighting at the bottom of the screen - you can still see little shadows cast by the lights, but it is not too noticeable unless you want to be really picky about it - but you don't really read anything that low on the screen at night, do you? If this is an issue for you, I'd recommend the Voyage, which seems to have rectified that but for a much higher price. Other than that, I've found the lighting to be a great feature and I love being able to read in the dark or dim light. It has 24 levels of light, but to be honest, I never go above 12. Also I've noticed that if you dim the settings below 1 (supposedly to turn the light off at 0), the screen is still very faintly lit - this is actually pretty helpful in the dark because it is lit just enough for me to find the navigation tool to turn the lighting up. Not sure how much battery drain this causes, but it can't be much at this low level. Just thought I'd point it out that there is no actual way to turn off the back light without putting your Kindle in standby mode.
Navigation review:
I've found the navigation to be easy, although I understand not everyone feels this way. The touch screen is of course a great convenience over the 5th Gen Kindle navigation buttons. Downloading my books off the cloud storage was easy enough. The only annoyance I have is that the menu now shows all items regardless of whether they are in a collection or not. In the older Kindles, books placed in a collection are taken off the list and show up when you enter their collection folder... Similar to how you sort files into folders on your computer. This new sorting feature just made things more cluttered to me, even though you can sort it to show only collections, but it won't show books that aren't in a collection. I hope they release an update that restores the older organization methods.
Usability review:
The touch screen is matte, so finger prints are not a problem, and I guess it makes it feel more like a book page if you swipe it instead of tapping it. It is quite sensitive most of the time, and I've not had an issue with this aspect. The only gripe I have is that I miss the page turning buttons of my old Kindle, and I wish they included them with the newer generation Kindles. Touch navigation is great, but the page turning buttons allow you to hold the Kindle with one hand and flip the pages with much more ease than having to touch the screen. The Voyage has page turning sensors that function like buttons, but it's honestly not the same. For this reason, I found it very hard to give up my older Kindle - I just love having it as a backup for when I get frustrated with having to use the touch screen all the time. Another issue I have is that sometimes trying to sync up my Kindles can be rather annoying. It takes a few tries of syncing before they finally update the "latest page read" location to cloud.
Screen resolution:
Some people say they notice the improvement in screen resolution. I honestly cannot say that I notice compared with my Kindle 5th Gen. It's a bit hard to make a fair comparison, because the Paperwhite comes with much more customizable fonts and sizes. I found that on my Kindle 5th gen, the fonts were either a little too big, or a little too small. I don't have this issue with the Paperwhite.
Summary
Pros:
Great lighting
Easy navigation
No fingerprints
Sensitive touch screen
Battery life is good
Many fonts and font sizes
Cons:
Lighting issues - obviously, not all Kindles are made with the same tone of lights
Books in the Menu are organized differently than before
No page turning buttons
Syncing can be slow
I meant to write this review to address the mainly the lighting issues, but decided to make it more substantial. Still, if you've received a "yellow" Kindle, I'd recommend not to just give up on it because it doesn't look "white". Warm light is actually better for your eyes. I may not have the paper white (which no paperback is 100% white) Kindle as advertised, but I do love the warm tone of my Paperwhite.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2015
UPDATE! Just figured something out that many people probably know already. Was travelling in Brazil, and learning Portuguese, and stopped in a store to get a book. They are 3x the price in the states, so I thought, "I wonder if that is on Kindle?" Well, I am happy to say that all the Portuguese books I could ever want are on Kindle Unlimited. But the best thing is it also automatically downloads a dictionary, so when you hold down on one of the unfamiliar words, BOOM! there is the definition, what an ideal tool to round out language study! Loving it! Chapter 5 of Harry Potter, here we go!
DON'T HAVE A KINDLE PAPERWHITE? If you don't have an e-reader, have a different brand e-reader, or have a Kindle that is not a paperwhite, then this version is a valuable upgrade to you. It is light, easy to hold, simple to operate, and is the closest thing to a book 'experience' as you can get. It is incredibly easy to read at a beach with no glare, or at night. I use my Kindle everywhere in many conditions, and have never looked back. The price gap, at least for the moment, is only $10 between the new Kindle PW and the previous version, so it makes sense to buy the new one. However, keep an eye on it, and if the price drops further for the previous gen, it is not really compelling enough to spend the extra $$$ for this brand new one.
ALREADY HAVE AN OLDER PAPERWHITE? So, if you already have a paperwhite, is this 2015 upgrade worth it?
Consider COST first – it is $119 w/ special offers, no 3G. Then you add $20 if you want no special offers, and another 70 (plus about 5% extra weight) for 3G. That extra $90 buys a lot of books!
*Buy 3G? I find internet access pervasive nearly everywhere, and have not used my 3G at all. I buy the books ahead of time, and if I actually ran out of books on a trip, it would not be unanticipated, and I would certainly have some internet access at some point. I simply don't find the 3G to be something I need, even for a small price.
*Likewise for SPECIAL OFFERS...they do not interfere with reading at all, they are pretty unobtrusive, and I have even found a couple to be of interest and have made a purchase decision from that.
Then COMPARE. I love this compared to my original paper white. There really is no comparison, and if you have, and love, your original, this is a great upgrade. It is lighter, crisper, has great adjustable lighting, more memory and features, it is well worth $119 to upgrade, and give the other to a family member or friend.
BATTERY life. I started with this new Kindle PW and my old Kindle PW charged up fully. After using each for a couple hours, I noticed no difference in the battery degradation. Obviously this is not a scientific test, and the chance for variance is high, but Amazon says you can still get several weeks of life from this new Kindle, and I see no reason to doubt that. Mathematically, the battery spec provided by Amazon shows a slight decrease, but I still charge my Kindle once every week or two just to make sure I don't run out, and that has always worked out just fine for me.
CLARITY: If you have the 2nd generation paperwhite (late 2013): it is a more difficult choice. Personally, I think it is worth it, but definitely not compelling if you are short on funds. The increase in PPI from 212 to 300 is noticeable, as is the pleasant new font Bookerly. The main thing for me, however, is actually this new Bookerly font. It is much easier to read. I started wearing reading glasses about 6 years ago, and in comparisons with my other PW, I can read effectively at one size smaller font due to font clarity and gentle contrast on a better screen. That may not seem like much, but I appreciate less page turning and interruptions. YMMV.
Big IF - If your eyesight depends on HIGHER CONTRAST, the new Kindle PaperWhite is actually not as bright as the last gen PW. I have included side by side pictures to demonstrate this. The new PW seems more like a book to me, with its nice gentle light. In the pictures, I have used the same font, same brightness, etc., so that you can see the detail for yourself. The new Kindle is on the right.
OVERALL, this is a worthwhile upgrade for anyone who does not already have a 2nd generation PW. If you have a 2nd generation already, it might be something you do only if the specific need is there, or if you want to give your old one away.
Finally, what about the WARRANTY? When these devices were $399 plus, maybe getting an extended warranty was worthwhile. But with the prices continually falling, and the likelihood that one will actually fail extremely slim (I have had only one instance, and Amazon replaced it immediately), I would personally recommend against the purchase. Seems silly to insure a $100 device that has a low failure rate, spending an extra $19 for year, or up to $39 for 3 years of extended coverage.
TIPS:
Do yourself a huge favor and get a case.
Password protect your screen. If someone gets your Kindle, they can spend your money and make lots of problems.
SMALL UPDATE: I have been using this to send documents to for reading, mostly PDFs. It is functional, but if you require good reading of PDFs, then you probably won't like it that much, and you would be better off with a traditional tablet. The issue is that the font is exceedingly small, and there is no way to expand or enlarge that I have found. You can make the font slightly larger by entering landscape mode, but then the flow is off. I also end up with an occasional crash of the browser.
World's Best e-reader - gains minor upgrades for 2015
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2015
There is no argument that this is the world's best e-reader already, so the discussion is really around what version to buy, since having one should be a given. It is far beyond any competition. And although I LOVE the feel of a book, I have learned to love this even more, with easy word lookups, marking passages, finding relevant information and incredible lighting and reading experience for my aging eyes. And several thousand books in a 7.2oz package is awful nice.Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2015
UPDATE! Just figured something out that many people probably know already. Was travelling in Brazil, and learning Portuguese, and stopped in a store to get a book. They are 3x the price in the states, so I thought, "I wonder if that is on Kindle?" Well, I am happy to say that all the Portuguese books I could ever want are on Kindle Unlimited. But the best thing is it also automatically downloads a dictionary, so when you hold down on one of the unfamiliar words, BOOM! there is the definition, what an ideal tool to round out language study! Loving it! Chapter 5 of Harry Potter, here we go!
DON'T HAVE A KINDLE PAPERWHITE? If you don't have an e-reader, have a different brand e-reader, or have a Kindle that is not a paperwhite, then this version is a valuable upgrade to you. It is light, easy to hold, simple to operate, and is the closest thing to a book 'experience' as you can get. It is incredibly easy to read at a beach with no glare, or at night. I use my Kindle everywhere in many conditions, and have never looked back. The price gap, at least for the moment, is only $10 between the new Kindle PW and the previous version, so it makes sense to buy the new one. However, keep an eye on it, and if the price drops further for the previous gen, it is not really compelling enough to spend the extra $$$ for this brand new one.
ALREADY HAVE AN OLDER PAPERWHITE? So, if you already have a paperwhite, is this 2015 upgrade worth it?
Consider COST first – it is $119 w/ special offers, no 3G. Then you add $20 if you want no special offers, and another 70 (plus about 5% extra weight) for 3G. That extra $90 buys a lot of books!
*Buy 3G? I find internet access pervasive nearly everywhere, and have not used my 3G at all. I buy the books ahead of time, and if I actually ran out of books on a trip, it would not be unanticipated, and I would certainly have some internet access at some point. I simply don't find the 3G to be something I need, even for a small price.
*Likewise for SPECIAL OFFERS...they do not interfere with reading at all, they are pretty unobtrusive, and I have even found a couple to be of interest and have made a purchase decision from that.
Then COMPARE. I love this compared to my original paper white. There really is no comparison, and if you have, and love, your original, this is a great upgrade. It is lighter, crisper, has great adjustable lighting, more memory and features, it is well worth $119 to upgrade, and give the other to a family member or friend.
BATTERY life. I started with this new Kindle PW and my old Kindle PW charged up fully. After using each for a couple hours, I noticed no difference in the battery degradation. Obviously this is not a scientific test, and the chance for variance is high, but Amazon says you can still get several weeks of life from this new Kindle, and I see no reason to doubt that. Mathematically, the battery spec provided by Amazon shows a slight decrease, but I still charge my Kindle once every week or two just to make sure I don't run out, and that has always worked out just fine for me.
CLARITY: If you have the 2nd generation paperwhite (late 2013): it is a more difficult choice. Personally, I think it is worth it, but definitely not compelling if you are short on funds. The increase in PPI from 212 to 300 is noticeable, as is the pleasant new font Bookerly. The main thing for me, however, is actually this new Bookerly font. It is much easier to read. I started wearing reading glasses about 6 years ago, and in comparisons with my other PW, I can read effectively at one size smaller font due to font clarity and gentle contrast on a better screen. That may not seem like much, but I appreciate less page turning and interruptions. YMMV.
Big IF - If your eyesight depends on HIGHER CONTRAST, the new Kindle PaperWhite is actually not as bright as the last gen PW. I have included side by side pictures to demonstrate this. The new PW seems more like a book to me, with its nice gentle light. In the pictures, I have used the same font, same brightness, etc., so that you can see the detail for yourself. The new Kindle is on the right.
OVERALL, this is a worthwhile upgrade for anyone who does not already have a 2nd generation PW. If you have a 2nd generation already, it might be something you do only if the specific need is there, or if you want to give your old one away.
Finally, what about the WARRANTY? When these devices were $399 plus, maybe getting an extended warranty was worthwhile. But with the prices continually falling, and the likelihood that one will actually fail extremely slim (I have had only one instance, and Amazon replaced it immediately), I would personally recommend against the purchase. Seems silly to insure a $100 device that has a low failure rate, spending an extra $19 for year, or up to $39 for 3 years of extended coverage.
TIPS:
Do yourself a huge favor and get a case.
Password protect your screen. If someone gets your Kindle, they can spend your money and make lots of problems.
SMALL UPDATE: I have been using this to send documents to for reading, mostly PDFs. It is functional, but if you require good reading of PDFs, then you probably won't like it that much, and you would be better off with a traditional tablet. The issue is that the font is exceedingly small, and there is no way to expand or enlarge that I have found. You can make the font slightly larger by entering landscape mode, but then the flow is off. I also end up with an occasional crash of the browser.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2018
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2015
Positives:
The Paperwhite is easy and intuitive to use. It has a great display with multiple options (font type, font size, font spacing, margins) to make reading easier and quicker. The built-in dictionary is a fantastic feature which adds a more complete understanding of the text being read. It also includes the bookmark feature, location in chapter displayed at bottom, and the ability to highlight and share passages with friends. There is an option to select a device which is WI-FI or 3g enabled. Wi-Fi works quickly in my experience. The Paperwhite in the Amazon case is very light. It is lighter than some large paperbacks, and much lighter than pretty much all hard-cover books. The battery life if amazing, I have read two books so far over a few weeks and have only needed to charge it once.
Slight Negative:
The price displayed for all of the Kindles includes a "discount" received by allowing Ads on the device. I was hesitant to leave the ads enabled at first, but they really are not bad at all. The ads are only on the unlock screen, so you only see it for as long as it takes to swipe the screen. Furthermore the ads are for book deals from Amazon, so I actually like to see them sometimes.
Things to keep in mind:
These aren't so much negatives, but things to keep in mind. The Paperwhite display is black and white. This means it is great on battery life and the lack of bright blue lighting makes it easier on the eyes. However if you are a frequent reader of magazines you may be missing the color in pictures. For me this is not a big deal as I read mostly books. The Paperwhite seems sturdy around the edges, but it is a rather large screen so I would highly recommend getting a case to prevent any scratching or impact damage. The Amazon cases are bit expensive in comparison to the Kindle cost, so you could easily spend 50% of the device price for the case. I purchased the Kindle Paperwhight blue leather case (non-premium). The case fits very well, looks and feels pretty nice, and it will automatically put the device asleep or awaken it upon opening/closing.
Display:
The display screen on the Kindle Paperwhite is very clear and easy to read. It has high contrast with deep black text on the Paperwhite background. The background has a very slight blue tint to the overall white, but it is easy on the eyes unlike a phone or computer screen. The Paperwhite display looks better than both the standard kindle and the more expensive Voyage in my opinion. I have also read the Voyage model has a screen refresh/flash while turning the pages about every 10th page. I have not noticed that on the Paperwhite.
Features:
First the part I love about this e-reader is the ability to change the font style, font size, line spacing, and even margins. This will allow pretty much anybody to read with ease. Secondly, a built in dictionary is fantastic especially if you are reading authors from a different country. I am currently reading 1984 by George Orwell and it is incredibly useful for some of the British colloquialisms, or just generally tricky words. Thirdly, the bookmark feature is quite useful, I just wish the bookmark stayed displayed on the page rather than disappearing when the menu goes away. Fourth, at the bottom of the screen it will display the percentage of completion of the current chapter being read, and your "location" in the book, which is very helpful. Finally, the backlight is easy to change and can go from very dark to very bright, and anything in between. Some of the other features I do not use, but look cool. One can highlight a favorite passage in the book and share with friends. Also the Kindles are hooked up to "Good Reads" if you choose to use that service.
Battery and Storage:
The battery life is exceptional. I have read two books over the course of a few weeks and have only needed to charge it once, while using a medium level backlight. The built-in storage of 3 Gbs is massive for books, this will hold thousands of novels. However magazines with pictures will fill up the storage very quickly. It would be nice to have expandable storage as an option.
Content:
When starting the Kindle for the first time, there will be nothing on it except for a dictionary. Books can be purchased from Amazon, or can be "rented" from Amazon Good Reads. The Kindle readers will only work with books or text in the .mobi format. The format .epub is the other commonly used format for e-books. There are good free programs online which can convert from one format to the other (also .pdf, .txt, etc.), in case you already have purchased books in a different format.
Overall I am very happy with this purchase, and would recommend to others.
Haven't read a book in 13 years, but love this!
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2015
Let me preface this review by saying I have not owned any other e-reader before, and I also have not read a book for about 13 years! After getting this device I realized why it had been so long since I have read a book, and why this works so well for me.Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2015
Positives:
The Paperwhite is easy and intuitive to use. It has a great display with multiple options (font type, font size, font spacing, margins) to make reading easier and quicker. The built-in dictionary is a fantastic feature which adds a more complete understanding of the text being read. It also includes the bookmark feature, location in chapter displayed at bottom, and the ability to highlight and share passages with friends. There is an option to select a device which is WI-FI or 3g enabled. Wi-Fi works quickly in my experience. The Paperwhite in the Amazon case is very light. It is lighter than some large paperbacks, and much lighter than pretty much all hard-cover books. The battery life if amazing, I have read two books so far over a few weeks and have only needed to charge it once.
Slight Negative:
The price displayed for all of the Kindles includes a "discount" received by allowing Ads on the device. I was hesitant to leave the ads enabled at first, but they really are not bad at all. The ads are only on the unlock screen, so you only see it for as long as it takes to swipe the screen. Furthermore the ads are for book deals from Amazon, so I actually like to see them sometimes.
Things to keep in mind:
These aren't so much negatives, but things to keep in mind. The Paperwhite display is black and white. This means it is great on battery life and the lack of bright blue lighting makes it easier on the eyes. However if you are a frequent reader of magazines you may be missing the color in pictures. For me this is not a big deal as I read mostly books. The Paperwhite seems sturdy around the edges, but it is a rather large screen so I would highly recommend getting a case to prevent any scratching or impact damage. The Amazon cases are bit expensive in comparison to the Kindle cost, so you could easily spend 50% of the device price for the case. I purchased the Kindle Paperwhight blue leather case (non-premium). The case fits very well, looks and feels pretty nice, and it will automatically put the device asleep or awaken it upon opening/closing.
Display:
The display screen on the Kindle Paperwhite is very clear and easy to read. It has high contrast with deep black text on the Paperwhite background. The background has a very slight blue tint to the overall white, but it is easy on the eyes unlike a phone or computer screen. The Paperwhite display looks better than both the standard kindle and the more expensive Voyage in my opinion. I have also read the Voyage model has a screen refresh/flash while turning the pages about every 10th page. I have not noticed that on the Paperwhite.
Features:
First the part I love about this e-reader is the ability to change the font style, font size, line spacing, and even margins. This will allow pretty much anybody to read with ease. Secondly, a built in dictionary is fantastic especially if you are reading authors from a different country. I am currently reading 1984 by George Orwell and it is incredibly useful for some of the British colloquialisms, or just generally tricky words. Thirdly, the bookmark feature is quite useful, I just wish the bookmark stayed displayed on the page rather than disappearing when the menu goes away. Fourth, at the bottom of the screen it will display the percentage of completion of the current chapter being read, and your "location" in the book, which is very helpful. Finally, the backlight is easy to change and can go from very dark to very bright, and anything in between. Some of the other features I do not use, but look cool. One can highlight a favorite passage in the book and share with friends. Also the Kindles are hooked up to "Good Reads" if you choose to use that service.
Battery and Storage:
The battery life is exceptional. I have read two books over the course of a few weeks and have only needed to charge it once, while using a medium level backlight. The built-in storage of 3 Gbs is massive for books, this will hold thousands of novels. However magazines with pictures will fill up the storage very quickly. It would be nice to have expandable storage as an option.
Content:
When starting the Kindle for the first time, there will be nothing on it except for a dictionary. Books can be purchased from Amazon, or can be "rented" from Amazon Good Reads. The Kindle readers will only work with books or text in the .mobi format. The format .epub is the other commonly used format for e-books. There are good free programs online which can convert from one format to the other (also .pdf, .txt, etc.), in case you already have purchased books in a different format.
Overall I am very happy with this purchase, and would recommend to others.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2017
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2016
