The $199 Kindle Voyage will meet its match next week. Next week is when Amazon intends to announce the new high-end e-reader.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos teased news of the new Kindle in a tweet. It's a Kindle e-reader and not a Kindle Fire tablet with an LCD screen, as was indicated by the targets of Bezos' tweet.
Heads up readers – all-new, top of the line Kindle almost ready. 8th generation. Details next week.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) April 4, 2016
It'll be the first e-reader in the 8th generation Kindle.
The current lineup of Kindle tablets, the seventh generation, includes the Kindle ($79), Kindle for Kids ($99), Kindle Paperwhite ($119.99) and the Kindle Voyage ($199). Each of those e-ink tablets bears a 6-inch display.
The 2015 Kindle Paperwhite was the last e-reader that Amazon released in June of last year. But going by Bezos's remarks, it would appear that the best Kindle to compare the new e-reader to would be the 2014 Kindle Voyage.
The Voyage wore the Paperwhite display before the Kindle Paperwhite did so. And the displays on both e-readers have a pixel density of 300 pixels per inch.
"The exclusive flush-front display stack uses specially strengthened glass, which is designed to resist scratches," says Amazon of the Paperwhite display. "Since regular glass would create glare, the cover glass on Kindle Voyage is micro-etched in order to diffuse light, ensuring you can read easily in bright light without glare. The etching pattern on the glass also serves to match the feel of paper."
There isn't a lot that separates the Kindle Paperwhite from the Voyage, but there are a few things that Amazon has used to justify the former's higher pricetag.
Setting the Voyage apart from the Paperwhite and the rest of the pack is its lighter, more compact build and its adaptive front light — it dynamically adjusts the screen's brightness based on the amount of ambient light it senses. The Voyage also uses PagePress, which allows readers to turn their e-books' pages by resting a thumb on the e-reader's bezel.
