Amia DalveyMar 11, 2023 13:05:57 IST
price: 9999 rupees
It’s been nearly 15 years since the first Kindle was released. The device is currently in its eleventh generation. But ever since Amazon launched the first Kindle Paperwhite, it has become a favorite for those who can afford it. It was a no-brainer as the Paperwhite had much better features and readability compared to the base Kindle model.
With the launch of the latest Kindle (non-Paperwhite), the choice between the two may not be as straightforward as it borrows much of the goodness from its more elite cousin. We’ve been trying our hand at the all-new Kindle (as Amazon likes to call it) over the past few weeks, and here’s what’s good and not so good about it.
What we liked about the all-new Kindle:
Very light and feels great in hand
The company claims the all-new 11th-generation Kindle is its most compact and lightest device yet, and we’re not going to disagree. The device feels very light in the hand and weighs only 158 grams. To put things in perspective, this is lighter than most smartphones these days. Holding it in one hand for a long time does not cause fatigue. Its small size also makes it easy to put in a bag. It may fit in some pants pockets too but I wouldn’t recommend it.
The top and side bezels are slimmer than before and about the same size as the latest Paperwhite. However, unlike the Paperwhite, it doesn’t blend seamlessly into the screen and is noticeably raised. There is a single physical button along the bottom edge to turn the device on or put it into standby mode. There are no speakers here but one can connect Bluetooth headphones or speakers to consume content from Audible.
Much better display than its predecessors
This is by far the biggest improvement over the new Kindle. Older basic Kindle screens used a pixel density of 167 PPI which made text jagged around the edges. Amazon has increased the pixel density on the One to 300 dpi which is the same as the Paperwhite. The screen is still 6 inches (versus 6.8 inches on the Paperwhite), but it’s sharper than before, whether it’s text or book covers.
Even text in smaller fonts looks crisp on this Kindle, and feel free to drop the font size to fit more text on each page without worrying about readability being negatively affected. Things are great under direct sunlight as well, and you also get an adjustable front light that lets you use your Kindle even in a dark room. Speaking of dark, there’s more which brings me to my next point.
The dark mode is a great addition
While the new Kindle can be used in complete darkness, it’s not the most comfortable experience for others in the room. Say you like to read in bed, the screen glow can be a distraction for the person next to you. This is where the dark mode comes in, which turns the screen black and the text white, providing a very comfortable reading experience even for people with this Kindle. This is a great addition and can be activated simply by pulling down the top menu.
16 GB internal storage
It’s not just pixel density that Amazon has bumped into the new Kindle. Storage has also doubled from 8GB to 16GB. Honestly, even 8GB was good enough considering most e-books are only a megabyte or two at most. And 16GB (13.2GB available) will allow you to store thousands of eBooks on this device. Imagine that a few thousand books weigh only 158 grams. Don’t we love technology?
Enhanced backup battery and USB-C port for charging
The battery backup has also seen a good 50% improvement over its predecessor. The company claims up to 6 weeks of battery life for the new Kindle; The catch – 30 minutes of daily reading. Battery life varies with your use. At just over an hour of daily reading, it easily lasted over two weeks for me, which is totally fine considering you’ll only need to charge this device twice a month at most.
It lasts longer if you don’t use it at all for a week or so. Standby time is great here with almost no battery drain when not in use. Another notable improvement is the presence of a USB-C port, which took several generations to arrive, but is finally here. A standard 10W USB-C charger takes about four hours to fully charge your Kindle.
What we didn’t love about the all-new Kindle:
Most of the negatives here are from us being spoiled by the Kindle Paperwhite. While we fully understand that there needed to be distinct differences between these two devices to justify their individual existence, there are a few items that could have been added to the base model as well.
No ingress protection
This is one of the features of the Paperwhite that I definitely wanted to see in the basic Kindle. While the more premium device has a decent IPX8 water immersion resistance, IPX5 splash resistance was also sufficient for this model. An e-book reader is not something that one uses only indoors. So a little protection from the outside elements would come in handy. Something Amazon should consider for its 12th generation Kindle.
It was nice to have an adjustable warm light
Yes, we are now paying it. But the warm light feature makes the Paperwhite much easier on the eyes as well as more even front lighting thanks to 17 LEDs. While there’s nothing blatantly wrong with the all-new Kindle’s readability, the screen does feel a bit cool in comparison, especially in a dimly lit environment, and a touch of warmth would have been nicer, if not for the adjustable warm lighting.
There is no SIM slot for data connection on the go
The basic Kindle only works over WiFi, and there’s no data connection option because it doesn’t have a SIM or e-SIM option. So if you are out of the WiFi area, you cannot buy or download eBooks on the go. Of course, one can set up a hotspot on their smartphone and do the needful, but a separate 4G/5G option for those who care about it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Price and rule:
The all-new Kindle (11th generation) can be purchased for Rs 9,999 with a one-year warranty on Amazon India. You can choose between black and denim blue color options. The new Kindle is not only our smallest and lightest Kindle ever, it’s also our best basic model yet. It also boasts a few useful features previously only available on the Paperwhite such as the 300 PPI display and front lighting.
Add to that a responsive user interface, 16GB of storage, better battery backup, and a new dark mode, and the all-new Kindle makes a strong case for itself over the Paperwhite, given the ₹5,000 difference between the two. Of course, the Paperwhite remains the superior ebook reader, but the gap between two devices of the same generation has never been so narrow.
