Love to read? Amazon just announced a new Kindle Paperwhite
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Love to read? Amazon just announced a new Kindle Paperwhite
Many people don't see the point of e-book readers. Why do we need them when we have our phones and tablets?
That was me. But then early last year I decided to get a Kindle Paperwhite and now I'm an e-book reader convert.
Yes, they are slow compared to modern tablets and they can't show colours very well if at all. But there's something about E-ink displays that make them more comfortable to read. They are much less harsh on the eyes.
And now, Amazon has just announced the new fifth-generation Kindle Paperwhite.
The new model looks similar to the last one. There are still sizeable bezels to give you something to hold on to, but they are now slightly smaller to accommodate the bigger 6.8-inch display (up from 6 inches).
Though larger, the display retains a 300 pixels per inch density for crisp text. The display also gets colour-temperature changing technology which adjusts the display depending on the lighting in your surroundings. Think Apple's TrueTone technology.
The new Paperwhite also ditches its old micro-USB connector for USB-C. This enables faster charging. Amazon says it takes 2.5 hours to fully charge the latest Paperwhite.
Storage is 8GB which should be plenty and the water-resistance rating is the same IPX8 which means you can take it to the bathtub or the swimming pool.
And finally, battery life has been improved to up to 10 weeks (up from 8 weeks).
There's also a more premium version called the Paperwhite Signature Edition that comes with wireless charging, 32GB of storage, and a display that automatically adjusts brightness.
Availability and pricing
The new Kindle Paperwhite is available to order now. The regular Kindle Paperwhite is US$139.99 (~S$190) while the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is US$189.99 (~S$257). These are for the ad-supported versions. To get the ad-free version, you have to add US$20 (~S$27) to the price.
