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Amazon Kindle Voyage review: Amazon's second best e-reader

Although it's pricey, the Kindle Voyage's slim design, sharper display and even better lighting make it an attractive high-end e-book reader.

• Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer

In recent years, Amazon's mantra for its tablets and e-readers has been to build "premium products at nonpremium prices." So it surprised some people when the company went ahead and built a premium e-reader, the Kindle Voyage, for a pretty premium price. It starts at $199 in the US and £169 in the UK for the Wi-Fi version.

Amazon Kindle Voyage

The bottom line.

A step-up version with "free" 3G is also available for $269 or £229. In the US, both models require an additional $20 charge to remove the embedded ads on the home screen and lock screen (in the UK, there is no cheaper ad-supported version). The Voyage is available for preorder now, and ships the week of November 23 in the US and November 4 in the UK.

In Australia, the Voyage has just gone on sale as of May 1, 2015. Only the Wi-Fi version is available and it's going to cost you a rather large AU$299. Amazon has no current plans to bring the 3G Voyage into Australia.

The Voyage isn't a huge upgrade over the existing Kindle Paperwhite ($119, £109 and AU$179 for the Wi-Fi version), which remains on sale with a bump from 2GB to 4GB of memory. But it's a little slimmer, measuring 7.6mm thick and weighing less than 181 grams (the Paperwhite weighs 206 grams). It also has an improved lighting system, and its higher-resolution screen is a little sharper, with better contrast.

Kindle Voyage product photos

Simply put, the Voyage is the best Kindle I've used to date. But is it worth the $80 or £60 premium over the Paperwhite?

If you're already a satisfied Paperwhite owner -- or if you only use an e-reader sparingly -- the answer is probably no. But if you're an avid everyday reader, check the yes box -- and know that you're getting the latest and greatest e-reader, bar none.

Design changes

The Voyage is the first Kindle e-ink reader to feature a flush glass front and magnesium back. It uses a new 6-inch Carta E Ink HD touchscreen display, with pixel density of 300 pixels per inch (ppi). Like the Paperwhite, the Voyage uses capacitive touch technology, not the older infrared-based touch technology of the entry-level Kindle 2014 .

Its display stack uses "chemically strengthened glass" too, which Amazon says is designed to resist scratches. On top of that, Amazon says the cover glass is micro-etched to diffuse light and reduce glare, which sounds pretty high-tech. From my time using the Voyage both indoors and in direct sunlight, the micro-etching does seem to help, but that doesn't mean you won't encounter some glare.

In some ways the Voyage resembles the Kobo Aura , which weighs 174 grams and has a flush glass front and similar specs (1GHz processor, 4GB of memory, built-in light). There's also the new $180/£140 Kobo Aura H2O -- a 6.8-inch waterproof e-reader that sports a Carta E Ink HD touchscreen similar to the Voyage's (in this case with 1,430x1,080-pixel resolution, at 265 ppi) and has expandable storage, too. But the Voyage is sleeker. And, of course, it has access to Amazon's extensive e-book ecosystem, while the Kobo can use "open" epub files.

The Kindle Voyage features Amazon's sharpest screen in an e-ink e-reader, with a flush glass panel.

Thanks to the flush-glass design, the Voyage's touchscreen is allegedly a tad more responsive than the Paperwhite's, but I didn't notice a significant difference. When you compare the screens side by side, however, you can see that the Voyage's screen is a little sharper -- it's easy to spot in book covers but is also noticeable in text, particularly small text -- and the contrast is a little better, with blacks appearing more black than dark gray.

The light at its highest setting is clearly brighter -- Amazon says 39 percent brighter -- and the screen appears whiter. Look closely and you'll also see that the light splays across the screen more uniformly, though it's still not absolutely perfect, leaving room for some small improvements in the next model.

What's also new is that the light can be set to adjust automatically based on the light in your environment. You can, as always, opt to adjust the lighting manually, but I suspect most people will just go with the automatic setting and not think about it too much. Additionally, you can enable the "Nightlight" feature, which Amazon says "gradually reduces the screen brightness over time as your eyes adjust to the darkness."

Another new addition is a set of pressure-sensitive page-turn buttons on either side of the bezel. You keep your thumb resting on the button and then press lightly to make the page turn forward or back, depending on whether you touch the top or bottom button. You also get a some haptic feedback -- a slight buzz on your finger -- with each page turn. Amazon calls the new feature PagePress and it works well.

That said, I personally prefer to simply touch the sides of the screen to turn pages -- yes, you can still do that -- but an apparently vocal subset of the e-reading population likes to press physical buttons, so we now have PagePress.

The Kindle Paperwhite (left) next to the Kindle Voyage (right).

All the new e-ink Kindles are powered by a 1GHz processor and 4GB of built-in storage with no expansion (although that 4GB allows you to store thousands of e-books and other documents). The Voyage has 1GB of RAM compared with the 500MB of the step-down models, which makes this device a tad zippier. However, since e-ink is inherently sluggish, the device just isn't anywhere as speedy or responsive as the latest iPads or Android tablets.

It's worth mentioning that no AC adapter is included with the e-reader -- just a USB cable -- but most people have a USB charger already for their phone or tablet. No case is included either and it's probably a good idea to get one, particularly since this model costs so much. Amazon makes a really well-designed Origami Case -- I recommend it -- but it is rather pricey, starting at $45 or £40 (the leather model costs $60 or £55). Other more affordable case options will be available eventually.

The back of the device, with the power button on the left side near the top.

Battery life is rated at six weeks, based on a half hour of reading per day with wireless off. That's less than the Paperwhite's eight weeks (it appears that more power is required to drive the higher-resolution display or Amazon shaved the battery down to get the weight of the device down -- or a combination of the two). But at this point, with battery life measured in weeks rather than hours, that reduced battery rating shouldn't be a serious issue.

Some competitors, including Kobo, have made efforts to reduce the amount of flashing the screen does to clear e-ink's slight ghosting effect as you turn pages. With the Voyage I ended up turning around 14 pages before the screen would refresh (that number was pretty consistent). Most people don't mind too much when the screen blinks, but it does bother some readers.

The device charges via Micro-USB. A USB cable is included but no AC adapter.

I'm not going to dig too deep into the Voyage's Kindle features and interface, but the platform continues to mature and add new features. The kid-friendly Kindle FreeTime and Vocabulary Builder (words you look up are automatically added) are now on all of Amazon's e-ink Kindles, and Amazon has enhanced its X-Ray ("bones of the book") feature too. Goodreads, the social reading and reviews site that Amazon bought last year , has been integrated.

As with other e-readers, you can also borrow e-books from your local library. And Amazon's daily, weekly and monthly deals ensure that there is always a huge number of e-books available for as little as $2 or 99p -- just don't expect them to necessarily be from mainstream authors that you've heard of.

To cut a long story short, the Amazon ecosystem remains far superior to alternatives from Barnes & Noble, Apple and Kobo.

You may balk at the price of the Voyager, especially with Amazon selling the Fire HD 6 tablet for half the price. But there's been a movement lately by companies such as Kobo toward creating higher-end e-readers with higher-resolution displays that sell for more. They're targeted at heavy readers who want the best dedicated e-reader available. And that's exactly what the Kindle Voyage is: a great e-reader that just isn't cheap.

Score Breakdown

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Amazon kindle voyage review: a first-class trip.

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With tablet devices available in all shapes and prices these days it's amazing that eBook readers are still holding their own. But not only do Amazon's Kindle devices persistently perform well, the company regularly refreshes its range to keep things interesting.

Our quick take

That's really what it all boils down to: the price. There is little doubt that the Amazon Kindle Voyage is the best eBook reader on the market, with few if any flaws. We're still not entirely sure the haptic feedback for turning through pages is more than a gimmick, but can see the allure it might have.

However, it is a very expensive bit of kit to read downloaded books on, even if it caters for that with such aplomb. The Voyage is priced roughly the same as eBook readers were when they first emerged onto the market and we didn't have tablets to rival them then - hence this perhaps being the end of its long journey.

That said, those who do have enough disposable income to invest in different toys for different purposes will love the Kindle Voyage. It is not only a technological marvel in its field, but is an object of beauty to look at and hold. It is the Ferrari of eBook readers. And carries the price tag that goes with that distinction.

Amazon Kindle Voyage - 4.5 / 5

That said, the aptly named Kindle Voyage feels like the end of a journey. Not because we can no longer see the need for a device that is locked to almost just one purpose, but because it will be hard to see how it can be topped. Bar a colour Kindle in the future - which may or may not even be needed - the Voyage is the best eBook reader you could possibly ever own.

That comes at a price, though, which is its biggest drawback by far. But if you want the best you will have to pay for it.

At £169 for the Wi-Fi-only model, and £229 for the 3G version, the Kindle Voyage is more expensive than a decent Android tablet, such as the Tesco Hudl 2 or even Amazon's own Fire HD 6 or HD 7 devices, yet does only a fraction of the things a tablet is capable of. So what is it about the Voyage that makes it worth the money?

A thing of beauty

Its build quality is clearly head and shoulders above other eBook readers on the market. The device is incredibly light, at just 180g for the Wi-Fi model (the one we've tested here), and it is super thin, measuring 7.8mm at its thickest point. The rear cover is matt and made of magnesium which is non-slip for comfortable reading, while the front touchscreen is more tablet-like as the panel is made of one glass panel that stretches to each edge.

The screen itself has been dramatically improved over other Kindle models, with a 6-inch display featuring Carta e-paper tech with a 300ppi pixel density. In reality, this means sharper text and a greater contrast ratio, more accurately aping printed words on paper.

The front light this time around is adaptive thanks to an ambient light sensor. That means it will change in brightness based on your surroundings, plus you can set the ideal brightness yourself and the reader will adjust based on those parameters.

Brilliant battery

The LED lighting is always on as well, not requiring much power to work, so makes reading in daylight easier on the eyes as well as at night. And even when used regularly with the light at almost full pelt, we've found battery life to last around a month. Amazon claims a single charge will last up to six weeks if you read around half an hour a day with the light at half-strength and that seems reasonable based on our experience.

You can of course also turn off the light and the Wi-Fi if you don't use Kindle Store very much or the Smart Look Up intelligent dictionary service, which requires the internet connection if you also want the Wikipedia entry.

The Smart Look Up dictionary service is useful, where you tap on a word and it presents its definition in a pop-up on screen. There is also an enhanced version of X-Ray, Amazon's proprietary service that deep dives into passages of a book to present salient facts on some of its contents. Other new features that have been added through a recent software update, including the Family Library feature to share eBooks with other Amazon account members in the family, and Word Wise which will show explanations in small above difficult-to-understand words for children and those learning a new language.

We feel you might as well leave all of such internet-based feature active to get the complete Voyage experience. And a month of use is a very long time between charges.

Better than the sun

That's one of the benefits the Voyage has over a tablet, partly justifying its reason for being. Another is the age old "better to read in the sun" selling point. All eBook readers, thanks to their E Ink displays, are easier to read in the sun than a glass-fronted tablet. And the same is true of the Voyage, even though it also has a glass frontage.

The front panel has been micro-etched, a process that both diffuses light rather than reflecting it and feels more matte to the touch, like a conventional eBook reader screen. Touch controls are no less sensitive because of it, but it really does mean that you can carry on reading, even in very bright ambient light.

Haptic feedback

The front of the device also has a couple of visible lines on the bezel either side of the screen. These illustrate where the PagePress sensors are, which are used to turn pages. As well as turn pages of whatever you're reading in the traditional touch way, by tapping either side of the on-screen text, you can also exert a little pressure onto the right or left sides of the bezel. This will turn the pages and emit a slight haptic vibration to tell you it has recognised your action.

To be honest, we found just tapping the screen was just as efficient and easy, as we've been doing on other touchscreen eBook readers for years. Had we the option of losing the PagePress functionality in favour of a lower price, we'd go for that. Still, new technologies and that. And no doubt many users will like the feature.

There are no visible buttons on the Voyage at all, with the only switch being a power button on the rear. Keeps it all neat and tidy.

Extra power

The final major tech feature worth noting is the processor. Amazon is always cagey about revealing the exact tech spec, so we're not entirely sure what chipset is driving the device, but what we do know is the Kindle Voyage is super quick - faster than any other existing model of Kindle, that's for sure.

Those looking to upgrade from an older Kindle will be gobsmacked just how rapidly the screen refreshes on the Voyage. E-paper devices have always had the issue of ghost text remaining for a while after a page turn, not so the Voyage. It's still not quite LCD or OLED fast but then it doesn't require the power of those screen technologies.

The simple act of purchasing and reading books is the Voyage's raison d'être and in that department it is superb. There is 4GB of on-board storage that can hold thousands of downloaded books. Admittedly, no SD card slot is present, so you can't expand upon that, but you do get unlimited cloud storage for all titles you buy from Amazon, which will remember your bookmarks even if they are not downloaded to the Voyage itself.

Some might whinge about the different file types understood by the Kindle, with EPUB most notably absent (it does recognise MOBI files, as well as its own AZW books though), but considering Amazon is the largest seller of digital titles in the world, it is likely you'll buy all your books from it in the first place. Especially if you're willing to pay £169 or more for the device to read them on.

We've also been using the Origami Case which acts is a fantastic stand, but will add an additional £40 to your order.

• amazon kindle

Amazon Kindle Voyage eReader Review

Looking for an ereader go on a voyage with amazon's flagship device..

Updated July 5, 2015

If it seems like eReaders don't ever really change, there's a reason for that: eReaders don't ever really change. Though there is still some competition between Amazon, Sony, Barnes and Noble, and others, the recipe for a solid eReader is pretty well understood: a well-lit eInk display, excellent battery life, and dirt-cheap prices.

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Introduction

Lighting & screen.

Despite this, Amazon has continued to improve upon its line of eReaders. Its latest flagship eReader, the Kindle Voyage (MSRP $199), focuses on the first two elements of the recipe, sacrificing on the third. The result of this grand experiment? The best eReader we've ever seen.

Of course, this is also the most expensive eReader in Amazon's lineup, available for a healthy $80 premium over Amazon's already superb Kindle Paperwhite reader. Is the extra money worth investing? We took the Voyage on a journey through our labs to find out.

The same, but better.

{{ photo_gallery "tour" }}

The eReader still charges through a microUSB cable, the aspect ratio and software haven't changed much, and the device is imperceptibly lighter than its predecessor. The chassis of the Voyage is needlessly changed to look cooler than it actually is. That's really not a gripe that should give anyone pause, but there are idiosyncrasies introduced by it. For example, the backing material is a little more slippery, the power button has moved from the side of the device to the back, and the screen is slightly more reflective in the presence of diffuse light.

Page turn buttons make their return on the sides of the bezel.

That's not as big of a deal as people think, however; magazines are generally 200 DPI. So what else is crammed in there to make life easier? An ambient light sensor, and bezel-oriented page controls to the left and right of the screen. Both are welcome additions, and the page controls in particular are sorely missed on lower-end models. Additionally, if you spring for a case for the Voyage, smartcovers can toggle the device on whenever you flip the cover back.

{{ photo_gallery "design" }}

Sometimes the intelligent choice means not being bright

Dedicated eReaders typically use an "e-ink" screen. This screen by itself merely reflects ambient light, which is why it's easy to read out in the sun and doesn't fatigue your eyes as much. If you want to be a bookworm in bed, however, you need an eReader that supplies its own light when need be. Last years Kindle Paperwhite could do this, but it lacked the ability to tell when your surroundings only required a little light to remain visible. The result was that you had to adjust the brightness manually to save battery and make things easier on the eyes.

The Kindle Voyage fixes this problem with the inclusion of an ambient light sensor that will judge just how bright your screen needs to be for your current conditions, and adjust to meet them. In the long haul, that saves battery life—though eReaders typically don't run out of juice all that quickly anyways.

An automatic light adjusts to any brightness condition.

The automatic adjustment handles things generally well. The only problem we have here is that when manually adjusting brightness the menu seems to suggest that you should crank the lighting in brighter environments. That's true of traditional tablets, but not those with e-ink screens. In direct sunlight, this practice is just wasteful; you don't need any additional lighting on the beach or by the pool. Though battery life isn't typically a sore spot for eReaders, maximizing its efficacy is never a bad idea.

Letting the days go by, let the updates hold me down

If you've ever used a Kindle before, you know that the experience is refreshingly basic. Despite some experimental web browsing features, the device itself doesn't really do much to get in between you and several hours of reading. It's still a smart device, but it's one that encourages you to spend your time wisely.

The Kindle Voyage is at home in any setting.

You might not find yourself using it everyday, but it's especially great if you're reading non-fiction or a complex novel with lots of characters to keep track of (read: Game of Thrones. Seriously. Read it!). It definitely makes reading archaic texts much easier, and if you're learning a new language this is a great way to immerse yourself, with an adaptive cheat sheet at your disposal. The internet and books are a match made in heaven—and the more you use it, the faster you'll scrape every possible bit of information from your favorite texts and stories.

The one part of the experience that still isn't perfect, it's the laggy display. Page turns are sluggish, and if you're used to the instant gratification of a smartphone you'll have to adapt. That's always been an issue with displays with this technology, so unless you're reading 6 pages per second you should be fine. And to be honest, it's still generally faster than flipping a physical page. Some users have noted image retention issues, but in our experience these "ghosting" issues are a bit overblown. This is easily the best eInk display in an eReader to date, and it's hardly like you're using a Voyage to edit photos.

Internet features are an old book's best friend.

Battery life varies wildly based on how much you use the lighting on the device, but we weren't able to exhaust the battery by any appreciable amount within a 24 hour period with the lighting disabled. Because eReaders use a display that only needs power when the image changes, short bursts of current are all that's needed to operate the screen—meaning this is a device that sips power slowly. If you turn the front light on, you can expect your battery life to dip, but you can conceivably take the Voyage on a weeks-long vacation and not think about charging it until you get back.

Cream of the crop, if you're willing to spend the cheddar

Despite their stranglehold on the eReader market, Amazon isn't resting on its laurels. Instead, it's drastically enhancing some areas of the eReader experience to satisfy buyers who just want the best of the best. It's not an earth-shattering update to the Paperwhite, but it's a better device without question.

This eReader is slightly more reflective than the other members of the Kindle line.

That's a tempting deal, but price aside the Voyage is simply the best eReader you can buy. It's better than even the Paperwhite in appreciable ways, enhancing what was already a superb experience. It's not the cheapest, but on voyages short or long, it's a travel companion that you'll never want to be without.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

Meet the tester

Chris Thomas

Staff Writer, Imaging

A seasoned writer and professional photographer, Chris reviews cameras, headphones, smartphones, laptops, and lenses. Educated in Political Science and Linguistics, Chris can often be found building a robot army, snowboarding, or getting ink.

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Kindle Voyage Review

Kindle voyage.

The e-reader that shines the brightest

• Outstanding screen
• Reliable backlight
• Intuitive controls

Key Specifications

• Review Price: £169.00
• 6-inch high-resolution display
• Built-in light with adaptive lighting system
• Pressure-sensitive bezels
• 1GHz processor
• 4GB of onboard storage
• Six-week battery life

What is the Amazon Kindle Voyage?

The Kindle Voyage is Amazon’s top-of-the-range e-reader. Like the excellent Kindle Paperwhite , the Voyage has a 6-inch backlit touchscreen, but its screen is sharper and clearer. The Kindle Voyage is also slightly thinner and lighter, supports a clever new origami case and adds new ‘haptic’ controls for turning pages. At £169, it’s also £60 dearer than the Paperwhite. Is that too much?

For existing Paperwhite owners, yes: the Paperwhite’s still a fine e-reader, after all. But if you have an older Kindle then the Voyage is an outstanding upgrade. Is it expensive? Certainly, but it’s also the very best there is and will stand the test of time.

Amazon Kindle Voyage video review

Amazon kindle voyage – screen.

In isolation, it’s easy to wonder why you would spend this much on a Kindle when a tablet like the Tesco Hudl 2 is available for less and ‘does more’. It’s a perfectly reasonable argument to make and, if your requirements lean towards a tablet, you shouldn’t give the Kindle Voyage a second thought – you may want to consider the Kindle Fire HD 6 or any of our best cheap tablets . But if you’re mainly interested in reading then the Voyage’s outstanding screen is worth the entrance fee alone.

Like the Paperwhite, the Kindle Voyage has a 6-inch backlit display, but it improves on it in a couple of important ways. One, it has more pixels, which makes it sharper; two, the backlight automatically adjusts to select the right level for the ambient light. These two qualities and the anti-glare nature of an e-ink screen make reading on the Kindle Voyage a pleasure that no tablet can match.

How much sharper is the Kindle Voyage? At 300ppi (pixels per inch), it’s about as sharp as most ‘retina’ phones or tablets and around 35 per cent sharper than the Kindle Paperwhite. The difference is noticeable, particularly as it means you can read smaller text with greater comfort. More so than ever, reading on the Kindle Voyage feels just like a book or newspaper. If you’ve previously resisted e-readers on account of fuzziness, the Voyage may well convert you.

The adaptive brightness, meanwhile, is a subtle but brilliant addition. The main benefit is that it selects the right brightness for the conditions. You could do this manually, but the automatic system works very well and it’s one less distraction from remaining absorbed in your book. It also smartly changes the brightness very gradually, so you don’t get distracting jumps. This is equally true when switching from bright light to complete darkness, as the Night Light setting gradually reduces the brightness as your eyes become accustomed to darkness.

The Kindle Voyage really comes into its own when reading in the dark. You notice the sharper text all the more and you suffer none of the eye-strain that tablet a generates even at its lowest brightness setting. And, of course, when outdoors the Kindle is in a completely different league – nothing new there.

Amazon Kindle Voyage – Design

The Kindle Voyage looks and feels great, though the differences between it and the Paperwhite are subtle. It’s marginally slimmer and lighter, but marginally is the word, while the rear adopts the same two-tone gloss and soft-touch finish as the Kindle Fire tablet range. It’s fine, but nothing to get excited about.

More interesting are the new PagePress controls, which mimic the physical controls of older Kindles but using pressure-sensitive ‘haptics’ instead. This means you never have to move your hand, as you simply squeeze the edge where your hand already rests to turn the page.

Opinions vary on how useful the PagePress buttons are, but we really like them. They’re more convenient than tapping the screen each time, but they don’t disrupt the smooth lines of the Kindle’s frame. The only tricky problem is that they’re slightly hard to locate in the dark, but their location soon becomes second nature and you can still resort to tapping the screen.

The touchscreen itself is pleasantly responsive, though the e-ink screen still isn’t slick enough to emulate the speed and responsiveness of a tablet. We much prefer the smooth finish of the Kindle Voyage’s display, though. The Paperwhite’s slightly recessed screen has an unpleasant coarse texture, but the Kindle Voyage’s is smooth. It’s a small detail, but it’s another that makes the Kindle Voyage nicer to use.

Other things to consider

Battery life is an historical strength of Kindles, albeit one reduced by the introduction of backlights. Amazon claims up to six weeks when used 30 minutes per day with wireless turned off and the backlight set to 10. We found four weeks is a more realistic figure for a regular reader.

As with most recent Kindles, the Voyage doesn’t have a headphone jack, so it doesn’t support audio books. We don’t feel this is a huge problem, though, as a phone or MP3 player are a more convenient means of listening to them.

Format is another thorny issue for some, as the Kindle Voyage doesn’t support ePub books from other stores. Existing Kindle owners will have made their peace with this long ago, but if you’d rather not be locked into Amazon’s ecosystem – excellent though it is – then nothing has changed here.

Finally, Amazon has introduced new cases for the Voyage, priced from £35 up to £55 for the leather version. The main feature is the folding ‘origami’ stand, which is perfect for propping on tray tables. It’s also magnetic – it clips on magnetically and the front cover automatically wakes and sleeps the Kindle when opened.

Should I buy the Amazon Kindle Voyage?

We’d prefer it if the Amazon Kindle Voyage were £20 cheaper – it feels expensive. But it’s also an outstanding product and the very best e-reader on the market. The screen is great, the PagePress system is a small but useful improvement, and the Amazon Kindle ecosystem remains incredibly strong.

This is also the first e-reader that really looks as crisp and readable as a real book. Add in the benefits for night-time reading and the convenience that the Kindle Voyage affords, and it’s a great choice for anyone for whom reading is their favourite pastime.

The ultimate e-reader for the serious bookworm, though some will be put off by the price.

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Katie Collins

Amazon Kindle Voyage review

High-resolution screen; automatically adjusts brightness levels according to ambient light; squeeze pads for turning pages

Much more expensive than other Kindle models; no dedicated high-end software features

Perhaps it will come as no surprise to hear that the newest and most expensive Kindle from Amazon is its best ever. But it really is. The price tag could be sticking point, however. At £170, the top-of-the range Kindle Voyage is the most expensive ebook reader Amazon has developed yet, but with similarly remarkable electronic ink tech available at a remarkably affordable price in the form of the £60 Kindle, has Amazon undercut itself?

The screen on the Kindle Voyage was made for those mammoth reading sessions in which night or day, no matter how fatigued, you just can't put a book down. Its 300 pixels per inch display is very high resolution for a device of this type and therefore very kind on your eyes.

To stop you from squinting in the darkness, the Kindle will automatically adjust to new lighting situations so, as time goes by, will get lighter or darker as your eyes start to adjust to the changed visibility conditions. This is almost imperceptible, in the way of discreet five-star hotel service -- you feel comfortable and taken care of, and yet there have been no interruptions to your private time.

As well as the actual device being the thinnest and lightest Kindle ever, the Voyage has some other tricks up its sleeves that we haven't seen on previous models. Running down each vertical bezel is a line and a dot. Squeeze the line and the page will flick forwards and squeeze the dot and the page flicks back one.

This obviously makes it ideal for lefties and means that most of the time you don't even need to lift a finger to turn the page (just shift your thumb a bit instead). The Voyage provides noiseless haptic feedback that you can only feel in your thumb.

Over time it becomes more sensitive -- Voyage newbies tend to squeeze harder out of excitement, which was definitely true of WIRED.co.uk's reviewer.

It's a boon and a novelty and perfect for those lazy days on a sun lounger when you're lying on one side holding the Kindle up to help shield your eyes from the sun as you read (just don't try and balance it on your face if you decide to have a nap). But it is also to an extent a luxury. Touching the screen to turn the page is not all that more difficult than squeezing the bezel -- not £110 more difficult at any rate.

It should be mentioned that there are some great features on-board the Kindle, including expanded X-Ray -- which lets you look at the "bare bones" of the book -- and a smart lookup tool that integrates X-Ray, dictionary and Wikipedia information about the book in one place. On their way are other features -- enhanced search, family libraries and Word Wise to help you understand more complex books. All great, but these features are also all available on the £60 Kindle.

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By Angela Watercutter

By Adrienne So

The Voyage's main competition aside from Amazon's other products is the Nook Glow -- a lovely, light ebook reader with similar light-emitting technology to the Paperwhite and a 6-inch screen that costs only £90. Of course this locks you out of Amazon's ebook ecosystem, but if you've yet to invest in a device, that is not necessarily a problem.

Amazon revolutionised the hardware people used for reading for the mass market in a way the human race hadn't seen for centuries, but innovating such a low-tech activity comes at a price. As it always has done, the luxury of reading lies in the content itself rather than the more disposable vehicle that delivers it.

The Kindle Voyage is a fabulous device that we wouldn't hesitate to endorse, but ultimately we couldn't recommend to someone that they should pay to upgrade from a recent older model. Similarly, if you're debating between the cheaper and more expensive Kindles, you are probably better off going for the £60 device and spending the change on stocking up your ebook library. The exceptions to this are if you have no choice but to read in the dark, or if your name is Moneybags -- in which case, go wild and enjoy.

This article was originally published by WIRED UK

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Kindle Voyage Review

Review Date: November 2014 - Review unit purchased from Amazon

The Kindle Voyage is Amazon's latest ebook reader and is their first attempt at what would be considered a premium ereader when compared to other Kindles. It has a new thinner design and is the first Kindle to have a flush glass screen, page turning sensors, and a 300 ppi E Ink display.

The Kindle Voyage sells for $199 in the US for the Wi-Fi model with Special Offers. It costs $219 without ads. There's also the option to add 3G wireless for $70 more. Amazon continues to offer the Kindle Paperwhite as well, in addition to the new entry-level $79 Kindle .

Quick Review: Kindle Voyage

• Text looks super sharp and clear thanks to the 300 ppi E Ink screen.
• Best contrast of any Kindle yet, has the darkest text and the whitest background.
• The PagePress sensors give a nice alternative to swiping the screen.
• The flush screen and new overall design is an upgrade over other Kindles, and gives it more of a premium feel.
• Possibility of subtle tone variations with the frontlight from the top of the screen to the bottom.
• No added software benefits or improved performance over the cheaper Kindle Paperwhite or $79 Kindle—all have the same 1GHz processor and offer the exact same reading features.
• High price for an ebook reader, especially the 3G model at $289 without ads.

In my first impressions review , I mentioned how I wasn't as impressed with the Kindle Voyage as I thought I would be. The screen is absolutely spectacular but the frontlight isn't perfect, the page sensor buttons take some getting used to and the feedback they give off is downright annoying. But there's a reason that I don't post full reviews a couple of days after getting a new device to test (like most tech review sites). I think it's better to actually use the device regularly for at least 2 weeks before finishing a review.

After using the Kindle Voyage as my main ebook reader over the past few weeks, my overall opinion about it has changed. It does have its flaws—the device isn't perfect—but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best ebook readers on the planet. The clarity of the E Ink screen is truly spectacular, the whiter background and darker text really stand out, and the page sensors are quite pleasant once you get accustomed to using them. Overall the device offers an outstanding reading experience.

In my opinion, the biggest problem with the Kindle Voyage is the price. A lot of people think it is too overpriced , and I still think that myself after using it, especially when you add the price of a cover and the cost to remove the ads. Unless you really want the super high resolution screen and page sensor buttons, the Kindle Paperwhite provides a better overall value and offers all the exact same software features. It’s priced $80 lower and sometimes goes on sale for $99. It's hard to recommend paying twice as much for the Voyage just to get a slightly better screen and page sensor buttons.

Kindle Voyage Video Review

Comparison Review : Kindle Voyage vs Kindle Paperwhite »

Hardware and Design

With the Kindle Voyage Amazon introduced a completely new design. On the surface it kind of looks like other Kindles at first. But when it's in your hand you can really tell how different it is from previous Kindles. The front has a flush glass layer like a tablet. The device is exceptionally light and thin, almost too thin to hold at the edges that taper down to about an eight of an inch. The thinness really makes the Kindle Voyage perfect to hold in a cover, however, which all ebook readers should have anyway because of the fragility of E Ink screens.

The overall thickness of the Voyage is 1.5 mm less than the Paperwhite, and the overall weight is one ounce less. That doesn't sound like a lot but you can really feel the difference in person.

Aside from the aesthetic upgrades, the Kindle Voyage offers its own unique set of hardware features that aren't offered on any other ebook readers. It's the only E Ink ereader with a 300 ppi screen, an auto-brightness sensor, and page turn sensors that cause the device to give off feedback when pressed.

When it comes to the processor and available storage space, the Voyage is exactly the same as the lower-priced Kindles, so there is no benefit in that regard. The early video reviews from CNET said that the Kindle Voyage has double the RAM. If so, there's no noticeable difference with overall speed or loading times whatsoever when compared to the Paperwhite and $79 Kindle.

There's no question that the screen is the best thing about the Kindle Voyage. The clarity of the 300 ppi E Ink Carta display is indeed impressive, better than anything else on the market right now. Text is noticeably darker and the background is noticeably whiter than any other ebook reader. Fine details in images and small fonts are especially clear. That being said, the difference isn't that noticeable unless you have two devices side-by-side. It's not like the Paperwhite with it's 212 ppi screen is any harder to read, fonts are just a little fuzzier.

The Frontlight

The only disappointing thing about the Kindle Voyage for me is the frontlight. When paying a premium amount for an ereader you expect it to be perfect. And unfortunately the frontlight isn't perfect. In fact it's not even as uniform as the frontlight on my Kindle Paperwhite 2. The Voyage has sort of an orange gradient at the top of the screen. Ninety percent of the time it's virtually undetectable, especially when using auto brightness and on lower brightness settings, so it's really not as big of an issue as it would seem.

But there are times when it is distracting and takes away from the reading experience. The gradient is more apparent with the brightness turned up high, and when reading at night in a dark room. It's especially noticeable when using landscape mode to read because each line goes from light to dark.

Frontlights vary a lot from one device to the next, however, so it's always hard to know what you're going to get. The Kindle Voyage has been getting complaints about the uneven lighting and different-colored hues from reviews on Amazon as well, so it's not an isolated issue. The variance it subtle enough that most people don't even notice it unless it is pointed out to them, so for most it's not a problem at all. But if you're super picky about screens and notice details like that it might bother you enough to return it.

Auto-Brightness Sensor

When it comes to the auto-brightness sensor, nothing has changed from my initial review. I really like the sensor when it works. It automatically adjusts the frontlight under different lighting conditions, and does so slowly enough not to be jarring. I never like auto-brightness on tablets because they over adjust and are usually too bright. But the Voyage keeps the level nice and dim, perhaps too dim for some, however.

The thing with the auto-brightness sensor is that it doesn't always seem to work. I don't know if it's a software bug or a defective sensor, but sometimes I sit there waiting for it to adjust and it does nothing. After a few minutes I get annoyed and adjust it myself. I don't know what the deal is with it but it's not 100% consistent.

PagePress Sensors

In my first impressions review, I talked about how I was on the fence with the PagePress sensors because I found them somewhat difficult to use. With large hands, it's hard to hold the Kindle Voyage in such a way to make using the sensors comfortable. This is mainly because the edges are so thin there's not enough to hold onto. But I've found that using a cover cures this with the added thickness, and makes using the page sensors a lot more pleasant, at least for me personally. I still think the page back sensor is too high to comfortably reach, however, and find swiping the screen to be more convenient for paging back.

After you get used to them, the page turn sensors do work well and are a nice alternative to moving your thumb over and swiping the screen, but when it comes right down to it I think that real buttons like on the Onyx Boox T68 are more functional and pleasant to use. With a sensor, there is no give or feel of a button; it's no different than pressing anywhere on the screen, and at night you can't see the sensors or feel them.

One good thing about the sensors is it's hard to accidently activate them. There are three pressure settings you can select in the settings menu. Even on the lowest pressure, you still have to physically press the sensor for it to activate. Simply tapping it or brushing over it does not activate the sensor like when using the touchscreen.

In addition to the PagePress sensors, the Kindle Voyage has the option to give off feedback when pressing the sensors. There are three levels of feedback you can select from in the settings menu, and it can also be turned off. When you press a page sensor, it makes it so the Kindle vibrates slightly. Personally I find it completely distracting. It's even jarring on the lowest setting and takes me immediately out of a book. I don't understand why you'd need to feel a vibration while pressing a sensor when you can see the page turning. But to each their own...

Software Features

The thing with the Kindle Voyage is the software is exactly the same as the Kindle Paperwhite and $79 Kindle. So for all the extra money it costs, you're not getting a single extra software-related feature that's not offered on the $79 Kindle. The only difference is a couple subtle variations to things like the menu bar and settings menu for the added hardware features to adjust things like the page sensor pressure and frontlight brightness.

The only other difference software-wise with the Kindle Voyage is that it doesn't support Active Content (games and apps). Amazon has decided to drop support for Active Content on newer Kindles, so only the Kindle Paperwhite and older Kindles can display Kindle games and apps.

The homescreen displays content using cover view. You can also switch to classic list view from the settings menu. Like all Kindles there are two sections: one for cloud content and one for on-device content. Sorting options include by title, recent, author, and collections, and there are sub categories for books, periodicals, personal documents, and collections. There's a recommend reading section that displays on the homescreen by default, but it can be turned off in settings.

Kindle Reading Features

Notes and Highlights: While reading, holding down on a word or holding and dragging across multiple words brings up the option to add highlights as well as text notes using the onscreen keyboard. Annotations can be viewed from the menu , and from the clippings file on the Kindle. They can also be viewed and edited online at Amazon, and the clippings file can be exported and edited using 3rd party programs. Additionally, the Kindle has a feature called public notes and highlights that displays the most frequently highlighted passages within ebooks, along with notes. This can be toggled on and off in settings.

Font Choices : The Kindle offers six different font choices: Baskerville, Caecilia, Caecilia Condensed, Futura, Helvetica, and Palatino.

Text Adjustment: All Kindle devices and apps have the same three line spacing and margin settings. And there are 8 font sizes to choose from.

Bookmarks: Tap in the upper right hand corner when reading to add and remove bookmarks. A list pops up that shows other bookmarks in the ebook, and tapping on them opens a second window to view the bookmarked page without leaving the current page.

Dictionary: Holding down on a word opens the dictionary window. From there you can scroll through the definition and select which dictionary to use in the lower right. You can also choose to open the full dictionary. The Kindle comes with two English dictionaries pre-loaded. More dictionaries can be added from the Kindle Store, several foreign language dictionaries automatically get added to the cloud after purchasing a Kindle.

Instant Translations: The Kindle has a translation feature that can translate single words or entire sentences into a number of languages without leaving the ebook. It uses Bing Translator so an internet connection is required. Languages include Chinese (simplified and traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Reading Progress Indicator: The Kindle has an estimated reading speed timer that displays in the lower left corner that gives an estimate of how long it will take to finish a chapter or the rest of the book based on your reading speed. Tapping the lower left corner switches from chapter to book to location. It can also be toggled off.

Table of Contents: The Kindle has a "go to" function that open a book's table of contents to easily jump around the different parts of a book. You can also select to jump to the beginning or a specific page or location.

Fast Page Scan: Aside from the TOC window, another way to navigate an ebook is to tap on the top of the screen to open the menu bar, and then tap on the tab at the bottom of the page. This opens a second window where you can use a quick page scan feature to skim through a book. There are also buttons to move forward and back by chapter, along with a page dial to jump around parts of a book quickly.

X-Ray: This feature analyzes the "bones of the book" and shows passages about common themes, characters, historical figures, and specific places or topics in a book. X-Ray then offers descriptions about them from Wikipedia and Shelfari.

Search: The Kindle has an advanced search feature that is always accessible from the menu bar. It uses predictive search so you usually only have to type the first few letters when searching ebooks. You can choose a number of places to search, including this book, my items, all text, Kindle store, Goodreads, dictionary and Wikipedia.

Sharing: You can share passages and messages on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter.

Goodreads Integration: The Kindle has the option to connect with your Goodreads account to see what your friends are reading, share highlights, and rate the books you read. You can add books to your "Want to Read" shelf, update reading status, and more.

Landscape Mode: The Kindle has the option to switch to landscape mode for ebooks and PDFs, but not other parts of the interface.

Language Support: The following languages are available in the settings menu: English (US or UK), German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Brazilian Portuguese..

Parental Controls: There are parental control settings to restrict access to the Kindle Store, Cloud items, Goodreads, and web browser.

Kindle FreeTime: This lets parents setup profiles for kids where parents can choose specific books for their kids to read. Parents can set reading goals and track progress while kids earn badges and awards for reading. This can be used with books you own as well as books through the subscription-based Kindle FreeTime Unlimited program with kid-friendly books.

About the Author: Within a book you can select to learn more about the author, which loads a page with a description about the author along with a list of their published work.

Whispersync: This keeps your last page read, bookmarks, notes and everything else in sync across multiple Kindle devices and apps.

In-line Footnotes: Opens a second window when tapped instead of leaving the page.

Word Wise: A new feature that makes it easier to read more challenging books. Short and simple definitions automatically appear above difficult words. Tap on a word to bring up a simple card with definitions, synonyms, and more. You can adjust the number of hints you see with a slider bar.

Vocabulary Builder: Whenever you lookup a word in the dictionary, it automatically gets added to a vocabulary builder list where you can study the words and definitions along with flashcards. This feature can be turned on and off in settings.

Partial Page Refresh: In the settings menu there's the option to turn on and off partial page refresh. Partial refresh is faster but it can lead to more ghosting and afterimage effects. Full page refresh flashes more but it helps make the text appear sharper and darker.

Web Browser: The Kindle has an "experimental" web browser. It is very basic but it can be used for things like reading news sites, referencing Wikipedia, and downloading DRM-free ebooks from websites and Dropbox. The browser offers an article mode that looks nice. Overall the Kindle's web browser is difficult to use because it loads slow, scrolling is wonky, and it crashes frequently.

Non-Amazon Content: The Kindle connects to Amazon's ebook store for ebooks and periodicals. You can also borrow library ebooks for the Kindle , get lots of free ebooks , and shop for DRM-free ebooks from various websites too. Epub formatted ebooks can even be easily converted to Kindle format.

Additional Kindle Voyage Reviews

• Kindle Voyage PDF Review
• Kindle Voyage vs Kobo Aura H2O Comparison
• Kindle Paperwhite vs Kindle Voyage Comparison

Kindle Comparison Table »

Kindle Voyage Specs

• 6" E Ink Carta display.
• 1448 x 1072 pixel resolution (300 ppi).
• Adaptive frontlight that adjusts automatically.
• Capacitive touchscreen, flush with the bezel.
• PagePress page turning sensors.
• 1 GHz processor, 512MB RAM.
• 4GB internal memory.
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n.
• Optional 3G.
• Supported formats: Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), AZW, TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.
• Battery Life: up to 6 weeks.
• Weight: 6.3 oz – 180 grams.
• Dimensions: 6.4″ x 4.5″ x 0.30″ (162 mm x 115 mm x 7.6 mm).
• Price: $199-$289 at Amazon .

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Review: amazon’s kindle voyage e-reader is the king of its niche, at $199, even a great reading experience has limited appeal beyond its core audience..

Andrew Cunningham - Oct 20, 2014 1:00 pm UTC

Most of the time, I’m not sorry that all my dedicated, single-use devices are dead and gone. If you’re carrying a modern smartphone around, why would you miss your Discman, or your portable DVD player, or your dumbphone, or your tape recorder, or your point-and-shoot camera, or your PalmPilot? Not only can one device replace all of them, but that one device is usually better at all of that stuff than most dedicated devices ever were.

Yet there’s something pure about hardware that’s only designed to do one thing, at least when it’s designed well. A gadget that only wants to do a couple of things can tailor itself better to those specific uses while ignoring everything else. Maybe you could get better battery life out of your camera if it didn’t need to be a portable game console and full-featured computer all wrapped up into one.

That’s the strongest argument there is for the Kindle line of e-readers, which continue to soldier on even though Amazon has branched out into full-on Android tablets ,  phones , and set-top boxes . The company's e-reader lineup changes only occasionally and very gradually; the biggest change was probably back in 2011 when Amazon switched out the physical keyboard for a software keyboard with navigation buttons and rudimentary touchscreens. The Kindle Paperwhite’s front-lit screen is a close second.

That brings us to the Kindle Voyage, which at $199 ($219 without ads; $269 or $289 for the 3G model) is by far Amazon’s most expensive e-reader. It’s also by far the nicest—if you can justify paying that much for a gadget that only does one thing.

Look and feel

The Voyage’s design has more in common with recent Fire HDX tablets than with past Kindles. Its soft-touch back is all angles, and it’s got the same rear-mounted power button. Its black bezel is flush with the 6-inch E-Ink screen, where previous Kindle displays have been slightly recessed.

Though its design is distinctly tablet-y, the reading experience is in line with previous Kindles. The front of the tablet has a matte finish that Amazon claims mimics the feel of paper—it’s not much like paper, really, but it does eliminate glare and minimize fingerprints. Two important things separate the Voyage from the $119 Kindle Paperwhite that still serves as Amazon’s midrange e-reader: it’s got a higher pixel density (300 PPI, up from 212) and an auto-brightness sensor.

Auto-brightness sensors in conventional phones and tablets often make screens just a little too dim for my tastes (in part to conserve battery, no doubt), but the Voyage’s sensor is a nice upgrade over the Paperwhite. I used the Voyage in a whole bunch of different situations—in brightly-lit and totally dark rooms, on daytime and nighttime flights jetting to and from last week’s Apple event to our yearly staff meeting. In all environments, the sensor did a pretty good job of making the screen look like a well-lit piece of paper. On my various Android and iOS devices, I usually set the Kindle app to display white text on a dark background just to avoid eyestrain, but it’s not a problem with the Voyage.

• The back of the foldable Origami case in stand mode. Andrew Cunningham
• The flap flattens out to cover the screen. Both front and back are protected, and the Kindle is held in place with magnets. Andrew Cunningham
• The back of the tablet. It takes cues from the Kindle Fire HDX tablets. Andrew Cunningham
• The Voyage is considerably smaller than an iPad Mini... Andrew Cunningham
• ...and a Nexus 7. Andrew Cunningham
• The Voyage's 300 PPI screen is sharp enough that even small text looks good. Andrew Cunningham

There’s an additional setting called Nightlight, disabled by default, that makes the auto-brightness feature adjust itself more gradually. It’s primarily used to slowly dim the screen in dark settings as your eyes adjust, minimizing the amount of battery power used while keeping the screen readable.

If you’ve already got a recent Paperwhite, though, there’s not much else about the screen that will make you want to upgrade. I’ve never found text rendering to be a problem when I’ve used 212 PPI Kindles, and both Paperwhite and Voyage use E-Ink’s “ Carta ” technology. This gives these devices better contrast and less text “ghosting” than the Pearl screens used in the $79 Kindle and older models. Though the screen still flashes black to refresh itself every few page turns, you really have to be looking for it to notice much text or image ghosting.

The Voyage is mostly touch-driven. The first-time setup tutorial walks you through the “zones” of the touchscreen—the large area in the lower-right corner used to turn pages forward, the smaller area in the lower-left corner used to go backward, and the area across the top of the screen that brings up the navigation toolbar.

While generally accurate, the touchscreen isn’t significantly faster or more responsive than those in older models. Pressing keys too quickly is a great way to mistype things, and the need to tap each key slowly and deliberately adds time to everything from unlocking the device with a PIN to searching for books in the store. This hesitation affects things like highlighting, too. That activity is pretty quick work on an iOS or Android device, but it takes several seconds longer on an E-Ink screen, something that may be frustrating to more active readers.

The Voyage also includes capacitive page-turning buttons to the left and right of the screen—the long bars turn the page forward when pressed, and the small dots go backward, and gentle haptic vibration accompanies each button press. Turning the page requires a small but deliberate squeeze, so you can hold the Kindle by this part of the bezel without automatically turning the page, and you can disable the buttons entirely if you're happy with the touch controls. These capacitive buttons approximate the functionality of the physical buttons on older non-touch Kindles, though they’re quieter than physical buttons and are harder to find in the dark. I was happy with the touchscreen controls, so I found them a bit superfluous, but lefties and touchscreen haters will appreciate the addition.

reader comments

Channel ars technica.

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Kindle Voyage and software updates

I have the Kindle Voyage. When there is an software update as an example of last weeks update 5,8,11, Amazon does not send it to my Kindle while it is connected to WiFi and charging. I must always go to my computer check for a new software update and manually load the update to my Voyage. Will this be also true with the new Oasis or will Amazon send the update automatically to the devise. Also is it Amazons practice not to send the updates to the e-reader Kindles or is it just me and with my concerns and keep checking manually. Thank you again.

Amazon rolls out updates in phases over weeks or even months.  Just leave wifi on your device when you can as, I believe, they only download to your device when it is not in use.

With an unknown but large number of devices to update, they don't want to overload their systems by pushing it out all at one time to everyone, or so I surmise.

Thank you I will be patient in the future.

In addition, I have found some routers do not always seem to agree with Amazon.

My telco supplied router at home does odd things.  In working with Amazon's techs once, they determined that, for some reason, they often cannot see my Kindle or Fire as "connected" even though I am busy downloading stuff at the time they monitored the arrangement.

Neither side (and I have over thirty years experience with computer systems,) could sort that one out.  If I buy a new book and send it to my device, it does not populate unless I manually fetch it from my archive but if I buy a book from a sample on the device, it shows up just fine.

I know it's not the device because I can hook up on other wifi systems and things go slick and normal.  So if you continue to not get auto-updates, this could be a possibility.  It hasn't been a headache big enough to warrant replacing the router but that's on my list for next year.

Wow!!  This too could be the problem on my end. You really helped and gave some excellent insights. A big help. thank you again.

You are quite welcome.  Helping with genuine puzzler questions is one of the reasons I hang out here.

Keep up the good and helpful work. 

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What Features Will the Next New Kindle Paperwhite Have?

June 21, 2024 by Nathan 10 Comments

Amazon released the current Kindle Paperwhite model in October of 2021, so it’ll be turning 3 years old in a few months, and Amazon usually comes out with a new version every 3 years.

Given that, there’s a good chance of a new Kindle Paperwhite getting released later this year, and considering the fact that Amazon didn’t release any new Kindles at all last year, the odds are good something new will get released this year , and since the other Kindle models were released in 2022, the Paperwhite is the most likely one to get updated.

But the more I think about it, the more uncertain I am of what kind of “upgrades” a new Paperwhite could get, given how slowly ereaders evolve.

The current Kindle Paperwhite 5 brought the most changes to the Paperwhite line; most other version updates only changed a few details.

With the Paperwhite 5, Amazon changed to a larger 6.8″ E Ink screen, whereas all the earlier models had 6″ screens, and they also added a frontlight with warm temperature control, along with a USB-C port, support for dual-band WiFi, and they added a Signature Edition model with wireless charging and an auto-brightness sensor. They also made the Paperwhite 5 20% faster than the previous model.

At this point, what would they change with a Paperwhite 6 model?

Potential Upgrades

The 6.8″ screen size seems to be a hit with customers so I don’t see Amazon changing that on a new model, and the new Carta 1300 screens from E Ink have worse contrast than Carta 1200 screens, so they certainly aren’t the upgrade that people were hoping for (frankly, I’d rather see them stick with Carta 1200 screens).

The one thing Amazon could do to improve the screen is to use a better flush layer. The past two Paperwhite models have a plastic front layer that’s not a clear as glass, and it’s more fingerprint and smudge prone. The screen would look better if they went back to using glass like on the Oasis and Voyage.

Amazon could add stylus support too, like Kobo did with the Libra Colour . I think some people would be interested in that, and Amazon could make a lot of extra money selling the stylus separately.

One thing Amazon really needs to fix is the location of the power button. It’s always been on the bottom edge of Paperwhite models and it’s just too easy to accidentally press.

I think the Paperwhite could benefit from having external speakers as well, for those that listen to audiobooks or text-to-speech (VoiceView). A lot of ereaders have external speakers these days, but Kindles do not.

I know a lot of people would like Kindles to get expandable storage, but that’s not going to happen so there’s no use hoping for it. I would also like to see Amazon release a Paperwhite with page buttons or page button sensors like the Voyage had, but that’s not likely to happen either.

What new features would you like to see on the next Kindle Paperwhite?

Reader Interactions

June 21, 2024 at 9:39 am

The feature I want is the Text to Speech like the Fire tablet has. I can’t use what the kindle has now, it is just too frustrating.

June 21, 2024 at 10:33 am

I can’t get excited about an updated Paperwhite. It’s a boring device. I keep hoping they will release something new with physical buttons and a larger screen and, yes, text to speech with speakers will be nice. But I have been waiting for a long time, so not holding my breath….

June 21, 2024 at 11:16 am

The updates I’d like to see are:

1. The glass screen you mentioned, it just feels cheap and I want a premium kindle device, at least make the SE version have a glass screen.

2. I’d really love to see a magnet system on it, I’d like to be able to magnetically snap it into a case for traveling and I’d like to be able at home to easily switch that out for a magnetic pop socket or love handle like way to hold it upside down reading in bed. I’ve never seen this full system on an eReader, but guy can dream right?

June 21, 2024 at 2:21 pm

I just want it to have page turn buttons. Make them an option so people can buy with or without them. The Voyage was the last tradition shape Kindle that was not touch screen only and it was released a decade ago.

At this point, page turn buttons are the only thing I care about.

June 21, 2024 at 8:53 pm

I want the Kindle Oasis design, but with color, faster processor, more memory, textured back, bigger battery and preferably an easy way to open non-Kindle books in the Kindle reading app from a microSD card. Give us a microSD card slot, Amazon. I love the Boox Color 7, but I want it with Amazon Kindle software.

June 22, 2024 at 4:09 am

I want better software, especially for font and page layout. The steps for font sizes are too large, and the minimum margin settings for the left and right borders still leave too much unused space. These two issues combined lead to a poor use of the available screen real estate compared to the Kobo. This is why I switched to Kobo.

June 22, 2024 at 9:24 am

I don’t understand what you mean by external speakers since technically anything connected to the kindle via Bluetooth would be an external speaker. Unless you mean some sort of physical plug to connect speakers or headsets. But now that most headsets and speakers are Bluetooth, I don’t think there is any practical use a physical plug. Having built-in speakers would probably sound horrible. So, allowing Bluetooth connection give the use the freedom t use what works best for them. It would be nice if they used the latest Bluetooth. I agree with the other person about improving the UI for voiceview. I would think the one single upgrade they could add of significance would be a color screen of some sort. Maybe upgrade the RAM on the devices so they could work more smoothly and faster. I do think other than color and some hardware enhancements, the current line of devices are solid enough. Maybe they could spend the year working on the software instead. Improving on the stability, fixing little bugs and expand the features of the Scribe.

June 22, 2024 at 3:36 pm

I think the only thing that would entice the vast majority of people to buy the next new paperwhite would be a color screen. Color is the next big thing in the industry everyone wants to make the next widely popular e reader. All the other updates discussed are niche type stuff to all but the most core kindle users. I’d love to have a symmetrical design with buttons but I don’t think that will ever come back.

June 22, 2024 at 10:44 pm

I would prefer them to go back to an indented bezel, as it has better contrast, and for the love of God please give us…

– More font sizes – More margins – More line-spacing options

Please Amazon geez!!!!!

June 23, 2024 at 2:10 am

What else could come? I’ll bet that Amazon will come aroind the corner with a color screen. The new name would be something like “Amazons new Papercolor e-reader” or ” Amazons new Paperwhite with Color”. Beside that I do not think much internal hardware will change. Just my 5 pence….

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