Update, July 1st: Amazon’s deal on the 2018 Kindle Paperwhite is no longer available.

Lately, it seems as though the biggest happenings in the E Ink world revolve around large note-taking devices like the Kindle Scribe and color offerings such as the apt-titled Kobo Libra Colour. That said, if you’re looking for a basic ebook reader to burn through your summer reading list, there’s nothing wrong with picking up a last-gen e-reader like the 2018 Kindle Paperwhite — which happens to be on sale at Amazon (via Woot) in used condition with ads for $49.99.

Amazon’s last-gen Paperwhite has become more difficult to find since the arrival of the 2021 model, even if it isn’t a dramatic step down in terms of features. It still carries an IPX8 rating for full resistance against water immersion, as well as a crisp six-inch, 300ppi display and support for Audible audiobooks via Bluetooth headphones. The newer Paperwhite sports a bigger display and better backlighting — not to mention wireless charging, if you opt for the 32GB Signature Edition — but it rarely drops below $100 in price, even when on sale. The real travesty here is the fact that the 10th-gen Paperwhite only offers a mere 8GB of storage in its base configuration and uses Micro USB for charging instead of USB-C, which, even in 2018, felt like a miss.

Read our Kindle Paperwhite (2018) review.

More deals, discounts, and ways to save

• The recent discontinuation (RIP) of the last-gen iPad means the 10th-gen iPad is now the de facto choice for anyone seeking an entry-level tablet from Apple. That’s not such a bad thing, though, especially when you consider the base model is on sale at Amazon for $321 ($28 off). It features an older A14 Bionic chip, yet it’s still great at handling basic tablet things, from reading to streaming. Plus, it cribs many design elements from the iPad Air, including a larger 10.9-inch display and support for USB-C. Read our review.
• Although Prime Day doesn’t officially kick off until July 16th, that hasn’t stopped Amazon from dropping an array of Prime exclusives ahead of the two-day event. Right now, for example, you can pick up the latest Echo Dot Kids at Amazon for $27.99 ($32 off), which matches its lowest price to date. The kid-friendly smart speaker is nearly indistinguishable from the standard version, only it includes a year of Amazon Kids Plus service and one of two animal-themed configurations. Read our Echo Dot (2020) review.
• You can currently pick up a used pair of the Sonos Ace in like-new condition at Best Buy for $381.99 ($67 off). Their marque trick still needs a bit of work — the TV Audio Swap feature that allows you to transfer sound from a Sonos soundbar to the headphones is a bit spotty, to say the least — but they remain an impressive pair of first-gen headphones with superb comfort, great noise cancellation, and a helpful transparency mode that’s second only to Apple’s in how natural it sounds. Read our review.