Amazon’s latest Kindle Paperwhites are now available
The long-awaited new model now comes in three different versions
Amazon has debuted a new Kindle Paperwhite. In fact, there are three different versions of the long-awaited device – the standard £130 version comes with a 6.8-inch glare-free display, up to 10 weeks of battery life, adjustable warm light, USB-C for charging, and 8GB of storage.
Then there’s a £180 Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition – a first – which additionally has a useful auto-adjusting light sensor to adapt to ambient conditions, 32GB of storage, and – most interestingly – wireless charging.
Waterproof for kids
Finally, there’s also a £140 Kindle Paperwhite Kids which is similar to the standard models but is waterproof and comes with a year of Amazon Kids+ plus a kid-friendly case and a 2 year worry-free guarantee if you happen to break it.
Amazon is promising 20 percent faster page turns with the latest-gen Paperwhite in addition to the 10 weeks of battery life, while it has refreshed the Kindle interface so that it’s easier to use (you can also use the Kindle app for iOS or Android to get set up quicker). The new device has smaller 10.2mm bezels around the 300ppi, 6.8-inch display. This latest-gen display can go 10 percent brighter than the previous generation for use in direct sunlight. The USB-C charging means you can juice up in around 2.5 hours.
The Paperwhite was last refreshed in 2018 and we originally expected new versions of the device earlier in 2021. Rumours reached a crescendo this week and we were expecting to see it launch at Amazon’s upcoming hardware event next week. Instead, Amazon has decided to launch separately as it did with the Fire TV 4K Max recently.
The new interface enhancements include an easier way to switch between the home screen, your library or your current book. The new library screen has more filters and sort menus, a new collections view and an interactive scroll bar.
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
