don’t have Many regrets, but buying the basic Kindle a few years ago is one of them. Ironically, I hadn’t done much research before purchasing it. I wanted to read again and I didn’t want to spend a lot; I was having trouble finishing printed copies and thought an e-book reader would solve the problem. I went to Amazon and bought the basic 2019 Kindle.
Between the low screen resolution, poor performance, and short battery life, the frustrating experience kept me from using it as much as I wanted. I should have bought the Kindle Paperwhite, even if it was a little more expensive – buy it once, cry once, right? I was convinced that the higher quality screen and fancy lighting features would make it more enjoyable. Unfortunately, I was worried that the Paperwhite would sit dead and dusty in a drawer, like my Kindle, so I didn’t buy it.
And yet, a Paperwhite ended up in my hands a few years later. Amazon just announced a new version, Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition, which are thinner, faster and have longer battery life. I tried the latter, which has some added perks, like wireless charging and 32 gigabytes of storage (for an additional cost). After weeks of use, it’s easy to understand why this is Amazon’s most beloved Kindle: it’s Paperwhite or nothing.
Photography: Brenda Stolyar
Better, faster, stronger
Coming from a smaller Kindle, I was worried that the Paperwhite would seem too unwieldy, especially now that it’s a bit thinner than its predecessor (7.8mm vs. 8.1mm) but heavier. It’s still easy to hold with one hand, but I sometimes feel my arm cramp up during longer reading seasons; I quickly understand why so many people connect a PopSocket to their Paperwhite.
The screen is now 7 inches (up from 6.8) thanks to thinner bezels around the screen. It also has the highest contrast ratio of any Kindle, which more or less allows text and images to look sharper on the screen. While both changes are good, these differences are incremental from the 2021 Paperwhite (8/10, WIRED recommends) and no, you don’t need to upgrade if you have that model.
Photography: Brenda Stolyar