Review. New Kindle Paperwhite stays warm

Many book lovers have grown to love their Kindle almost as much as they do physical paper books. And although you can download the Kindle app on just about any device, your eyes do get a rest from bright glare-emitting screens when you read on a Kindle.

Amazon has recently launched two Paperwhite Kindles — the regular Kindle Paperwhite (₹13,999) and the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (₹17,999). It has brought in several new features that may be de rigueur on smartphones but awaited on the Kindle. We are checking out the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition which has more features.

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition

More real estate: The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is broadly a familiar Kindle design, but there are some points worth noting. The screen is larger at 6.8 inches than the previous gen and has significantly less bezel on the top and sides. In fact, it may have just stopped at a size beyond which seasoned users lose interest. There’s a certain pocketability and screen compactness that makes for a sweet spot. The bottom bezel is still broad and has to remain so because you need space for your fingers to grip the Kindle Paperwhite without touching the actual screen.

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition

The physical design also includes a soft rubbery back which is comfortable to hold and makes a case unnecessary, but takes on oily smudges from the skin of one’s fingers. They’re not easy to wipe off quickly either. A case will make this thin device thicker hut if it’s a flip case, will feel like holding a real book and will perhaps add a fraction of effort to page turning which is easier with just the Kindle by itself.

The Paperwhite doesn’t look or feel like the more expensive Oasis which is much more compact, thinner and made of more premium materials. It is, however, still IPx8 water resistant.

Thankfully, the Paperwhite has moved on to USB-C and even supports wireless charging. When its battery runs out, purportedly after ten weeks, you should be able to drop it on a Qi charging mat and get it topped up. I couldn’t test the battery out since it would really take a long time, but it seemed to be holding up fine and much the same as other Kindles. The battery life will vary very much depending on the amount you read, the lighting you use, etc.

Easy on the eye: The screen is not just larger now, the Paperwhite has an auto adjusting light sensor. The resolution is 300ppi and, of course, still e-ink — designed to be comfortable to read and as close to a real book as possible. It’s one of the few displays you can read perfectly in direct sunlight. In fact, daylight makes it seem more natural and you can go ahead and turn down or let it turn down the built-in back lights.

One thing you’ll find in the redesigned software on the Paperwhite is a new slider to adjust warmth level. Even at zero, the warmth is a bit more than other Kindles that are more blue-white. This is meant for when you’re using those built in lights and reading indoors, specially as it gets dark. You can also, as before, set the theme to white text on black background for reading in the dark.

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition

The Paperwhite Signature Edition has 32GB of storage which is sheer luxury on a Kindle. This can let you carry thousands of books with you. The Paperwhite is very responsive and that is something old Kindle users will notice immediately. Page turns happen with a light tap on either side for back and forward. You don’t even have to reach all the way to the edge to move to the next or previous page — as long as you tap on the half of the screen in the direction you want to go, the page will turn.

You get a larger display even on the regular Paperwhite. You won’t, however, get the wireless charging (something that hardly matters considering you have to charge it every few weeks), and you won’t get as much storage. The regular may make sense for many people.

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