Amazon Unveils Redesigned Kindle, Paperwhite and Colorsoft With Aluminum Options
Amazon has launched a redesigned Kindle range with flush-front screens, new colors, aluminum models and page-turn accessories. Here are the prices, dates and details.
Amazon has announced a fully redesigned Kindle lineup, covering the entry-level Kindle, the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Colorsoft. The entry-level models are on sale now, and the other two are open for preorder.
All three devices now have a flush-front display, with no raised border around the screen. Their body colors also wrap from the front to the back. Amazon says it is the first e-reader to use a "reverse stack" display construction.
What's new
The new 6-inch Kindle is the "most pocket-sized" Kindle Amazon has made. Engadget lists it at 6.8mm thick and 140 grams. Amazon says it opens books 30% faster than the previous version and lasts up to six weeks on a charge.
It has 16GB of storage and costs from $149.99 with lockscreen ads. It comes in Ube, a rich purple, and Graphite.
For the first time, the basic Kindle also comes with an aluminum back. That version has 32GB of storage and costs $189.99. It comes in Alpine Sky and Seaglass Green. The Verge says it drops the ads, and Engadget says it is about 20 grams heavier than the plastic model.
The Paperwhite is thinner and lighter, waterproof, and lasts up to 12 weeks per charge. Amazon says it has the largest Paperwhite display yet, with the highest contrast ratio. It starts at $199.99. The Signature Edition costs $249.99. It adds an aluminum back, 32GB of storage, an auto-adjusting front light and double-tap page turning.
The Colorsoft keeps its paper-like color screen, now edge-to-edge. Engadget puts the base model at about $290. The Signature Edition starts at about $320, and The Verge gives $319.99. Engadget says it comes in Graphite and Fig.
New accessories
Amazon is also selling a $79.99 magnetic case with physical page-turn buttons. It works with the Signature Edition Paperwhite and Colorsoft, which have pogo pins on the back. The Verge compares the effect to the old Kindle Oasis.
A $34.99 Bluetooth remote, the Kindle Click, lets you turn pages from a distance. Amazon says it works with Kindles from 2024 onward. A $59.99 charging dock for the Signature Editions attaches by pogo pins.
Kids versions of all three models include child-friendly covers and Amazon Kids+. Prices start at $180.
Availability and first impressions
Engadget says the entry-level Kindle and its aluminum version are available now in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and several other countries. The Paperwhite and Colorsoft are on preorder in the same regions. The Verge gives their release date as October 28. UK prices were not in the sources, and the prices above are in US dollars.
The Verge reports that all the new Kindles have user-replaceable batteries, which Amazon's Kevin Keith linked to EU regulations. Amazon says the housing uses recycled materials.
Early hands-on impressions are mostly positive. Engadget's Cherlynn Low found the Signature models thin, light and responsive, and saw no lag with the page-turn case. She thought the Ube model's paint felt slightly scratchy, though she said that could be down to the demo unit.
The Verge noted that an aluminum Kindle with its folio case comes to $239.98. That puts it close in price to the Paperwhite, which has a sharper, auto-dimming screen.
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