The third-generation Kindle Paperwhite lacks many of the bells and whistles adorning Amazon's top-of-the-line Kindle Voyage, but for people who don't necessarily have to have the best of the best, the new Paperwhite is still an awesome e-reader for its price.
Although the e-reader market is a special niche in a wider industry of mobile device, Amazon has long established itself as the king of this niche, and it is clear that it is not making substantial changes it knows will disrupt a tried-and-tested formula of developing the best e-ink e-readers on the market.
The new Paperwhite, which is an evolutionary rather a revolutionary upgrade, is an example of this case. The biggest change over the 2013 Paperwhite is the boost in resolution to 300 ppi. Everyone who has reviewed the new Paperwhite agrees that it produces much clearer and sharper text than the previous model, which has a 221 ppi. The spec bump also matches it up against the Voyage, which also shares the same resolution, but the display is still noticeably better on the Voyage than the Paperwhite.
"This is the third Paperwhite in as many years, and Amazon finally upgraded it with a high-resolution 300pp screen. The rest of the changelog is pretty short, but that doesn't really matter: a great display combined with Amazon's web of content makes this Paperwhite the best Kindle for anyone who isn't a persnickety e-book nerd," writes Engadget. "Still, we wish some of the Voyage's more premium features (and the design) had trickled down to this thing."
The screen on the Voyage is flush against the bezel, making the light splay across the screen more evenly and makes for a better display overall. Also, the latter lacks the Voyage's ambient light sensor, which automatically adjusts the device's light accordingly, and the touch-sensitive pseudo-buttons called PagePress, which let you turn the pages with a slight press on the side of the device instead of tapping lightly on the screen.
Still, as most people say, these aren't must-have improvements, and many readers can live without PagePress or an automatically adjusting light. But there is one other thing that is missing from the Paperwhite, according to CNET, and that is water resistance.
"If you're wondering what's missing, the one hardware feature that Amazon has yet to introduce its Kindle line is waterproofing," says CNET. "Kobo offers that feature with its Aura H20. It's a nice extra but it's unclear how many people are dropping their Kindles in the pool or ocean."
You might wonder who would likely drop their Kindle in a pool or at the beach, but being water-resistant actually offers a few nice perks. For instance, it would make it okay to take a dip in the tub with a good book on your Paperwhite and a glass of wine without worrying about getting your Kindle wet. And besides, the Kobo Glo HD and the Kobo Auro H2O are both water-resistant, so Amazon better do well to look at what its competitors are offering to make sure it retains the top spot as e-reader provider.
But again, this is just being nitpicky, and you have to be if you're going to look at the evolutionary improvements introduced in a new device. Other than the things mentioned above, the new Paperwhite retains the same soft-touch matte plastic cover and light weight that makes it easy to grip with one hand and the weeks of battery life. It also gets Amazon's new font, Bookerly, which makes reading a bit more pleasing to the eyes, but older Kindles are set to receive the same font in a software update in the future.
Overall, as The Verge says, "the truth is that Kindles are nice and this particular Kindle is the nicest one yet for the price," unless, of course, you can spare an additional $80 to pick up a Kindle Voyage. Otherwise, $119 for the Paperwhite is a steal.
Here is what other reviewers are saying about the new Paperwhite:
"With text, you may or may not notice the characters are slightly crisper, but the higher resolution is a most welcomed improvement for books that have illustrations, maps or photographs—they'll be noticeably most detailed." J. Chambers, Top 10 Reviewer, Amazon
"The print on the screen is blacker and crisper and it is easier on my eyes. Side by side with my Kindle Paperwhite 2013 the older Paperwhite looks gray and the screen slightly yellow in comparison with the newer version. There definitely is a good improvement and that relates to more reading comfort for my eyes!" JJCEO, Top 10 Reviewer, Amazon
"If you've yet to get yourself an e-reader, or are just looking to upgrade from an older model, the latest Paperwhite is a great choice. In fact, we'd probably go as far as saying it's the best all-around e-reader on the market." TrustedReviews.com
"While the Kindle Voyage remains Amazon's high-end ebook reader, you simply can't beat the Paperwhite for sheer value. The Paperwhite is fantastic value for the price, and our top pick." PCMag
