The next iteration of Amazon’s entry-level e-reader, Kindle comes with a couple of new features, including a backlight for the first time in this price range costing only $90.
It’s the best Amazon has ever introduced at a sub-$100 price. It only costs $90 compared with the mid-range $130 Kindle Paperwhite. But there are a few reasons why bookworms may want to spend that extra $40 for Amazon’s more feature-rich Paperwhite.
The latest Kindle looks very similar in design to its three-year-old predecessor; at first glance, you would be hard pushed to tell the difference between the two. The new Kindle is fractionally slimmer and narrower, but what it loses off its waistline it gains in weight (at 15g heavier than before).
E Ink display with illumination:
The 2019 Kindle might look similar to its predecessor on the surface but it offers one key difference: an illuminated display. It’s this feature that makes the new Kindle so much more exciting than the last model.
There are four LEDs lighting up the Kindle’s display, which is one less than the Kindle Paperwhite and a third of the amount in the Kindle Oasis – the theory being the higher-end models will deliver a more precise and uniform illumination.
However, the four LEDs in the Kindle offer an even distribution across the display, while the manual adjustment is nice and simple to use – it’s only the Kindle Oasis that has automatic lighting adjustment to adapt for various ambient lighting conditions. You won’t need the LED illumination during the day, unless in very bright sunshine, so it’s best to turn it off to conserve battery life.
A few new features, familiar experience:
- First of the new features is that completed books are automatically marked as read. When you finish a book, it will be marked as read in your library, which will be synced across your reading devices, from your Kindle to the Kindle app on your iOS or Android device.
- The second feature is for better recommendations.
- There’s also Bluetooth on board and compatibility with Audible, allowing you to connect Bluetooth headphones to listen to an Audible book and switch seamlessly between listening and reading.
Pros:
- Finally a front light screen on the lower-end Kindle
- Improved contrast display
- Smaller and sleeker design
Cons:
- Only one storage option
- A recessed display will catch dust and dirt
- Not waterproof