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Choked Up
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Kindles have come a long way since the e-reader first debuted on Amazon in 2007.
What started as one humble device is now a line of five different devices, the Kindle Paperwhite among them.
As an avid reader, I’ve been using various Kindles since the Kindle Keyboard came out in 2010, and after a lot of testing and reading, I’ve finally settled on the Kindle Paperwhite as my go-to.
It’s the perfect e-reader for most people due to its size, battery life, and price point.
Thinking about making the lead from hardcovers and paperbacks to an e-reader? Keep reading or use the links below for everything you need to know about the Kindle Paperwhite (11th Generation):
- Features and Uses
- Price
- Comparison with other Kindles
- Comparison with other e-readers
- Cases and accessories
- The bottom line
Kindle Paperwhite Features and Uses:
The Kindle Paperwhite‘s 6.8″ screen makes it the perfect size for comfortable reading — it’s the size of a standard trade paperback, and thin enough that it’s not too heavy when you’re holding it for extended periods of time.
Obviously, with a Kindle, the main attraction is reading; with an 8GB model Paperwhite, you can store thousands of books, and you can also buy books directly on the Kindle if you’re connected to Wi-Fi. It’s also incredibly easy to borrow library e-books on a Kindle using the Libby app — you have the option to send books wireless to your Kindle directly inside the app (and pro tip: if you turn your Kindle onto Airplane Mode, your library loans will stay on your device until it’s next connected to Wi-Fi, even if the loan expires and the book is returned).
So now that you have your books, it’s time to play around with the settings. The first settings menu, pictured on the left, is more general — here’s where you’ll play around with brightness, Wi-Fi, warmth, and dark mode (which inverses the colors, so there will be a black background with white letters). The warmth feature can be put on a schedule similarly to night mode on an iPhone. It cuts down the stark blue light of the LEDs into something softer and easier on your eyes. I have mine set on a schedule that mirrors my phone’s night mode.
Inside the book, you can change the font to your liking. There are a number of different styles to choose from, plus a range of font sizes from really tiny to really big (for reference, I have mine set at 8). You can also adjust the margins, or choose one of the preset styles from Amazon.
Lastly, lets talk battery. Amazon’s product page states that the Kindle Paperwhite’s battery lasts up to 10 weeks on one charge if you read for a half hour a day with the brightness set to 13. I use my Kindle for about an hour every day with the brightness set to 12, and I find myself charging it once every two months or so. I am not reaching for the charger often at all.
Kindle Paperwhite Price:
Depending on the combination of features and storage you want, there are four different prices you could pay for a Kindle Paperwhite.
First, choose how much storage you want: 8 GB or 16 GB. Since an 8 GB model can hold thousands of books, it’s the best option for most people (and it’s slightly cheaper).
Amazon also has a feature that allows you to save a little more on a Kindle by enabling lockscreen ads. This essentially means that when your Kindle is locked, the sleep mode screensaver will be an ad for other Kindle e-books instead of the cover of the book you’re currently reading.
(For the sake of transparency, the Kindle I use is an 8GB model without lockscreen ads.)
With all of that in mind, here are the four possible prices you could pay for a Kindle Paperwhite:
- 8 GB with ads: $140
- 8 GB without ads: $160
- 16 GB with ads: $150
- 16 GB without ads: $170
How Does the Kindle Paperwhite Compare to Other Kindles?
There are five Kindle devices in Amazon’s family of e-readers: the basic Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, the Kindle Oasis, and the Kindle Scribe. We’ve broken down some of the core differences below:
| Kindle (2022) | Kindle Paperwhite | Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition | Kindle Oasis | Kindle Scribe | |
| Display Size | 6″ glare-free | 6.8″ glare-free | 6.8″ glare-free | 7″ glare-free | 10.2″ glare-free |
| Resolution | 300 ppi | 300 ppi | 300 ppi | 300 ppi | 300 ppi |
| Front light | 4 LEDs | 17 LEDs | 17 LEDs | 25 LEDs | 35 LEDs |
| Storage | 16 GB | 8 GB, 16 GB | 32 GB | 8 GB, 32 GB | 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB |
| Writing Capability | X | X | X | X | ✔ |
| Weeks of Battery Life | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Waterproof (IPX8) | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X |
| Flush-front design | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Adjustable Warm Light | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Wireless Charging | X | X | ✔ | X | X |
| Page Turn Buttons | X | X | X | ✔ | X |
| Price Starts At | $100 | $140 | $190 | $240 | $340 |
How Does the Kindle Paperwhite Compare to Other E-Readers?
Aside from Amazon, the two biggest names in e-readers are the Rakuten Kobo and the Barnes and Noble Nook.
Having used devices from all three brands before returning to my Paperwhite, I can say that the Amazon reading experience is unmatched in terms of battery life and display crispness, but there are some comparable models out there if you are looking for a non-Amazon alternative.
The Kobo Clara 2E is Kobo’s closest model in price (also $140), but the screen is smaller at 6″. However, it has the same waterproof rating as the Kindle Paperwhite, and it also features the adjustable warm light. If you want a slightly bigger Kobo, the Libra 2 has a 7″ screen and page turn buttons.
Barnes and Noble recently released their newest Nook model, the GlowLight 4 Plus, which bears more similarities to the Paperwhite than the Nook did. The screen is much bigger at 7.8″, but it has the same night mode features and flush front screen as the Paperwhite, with the addition of page turn buttons.
Readers who primarily rely on the app Libby and their local library card for access to e-books should know that while it’s incredibly easy to send a library e-book from the Libby app to your Kindle, it’s much more of a process with a Nook — you’ll need a separate Adobe program on your computer to transfer the e-book over.
Kindle Paperwhite Cases and Accessories:
Amazon sells a few accessories for the Kindle Paperwhite, namely two different kinds of cases. They’re actually the same style of case that clicks onto the back and has a front cover — it opens and closes like a book. The case is available in four fabric colors ($30 each) and four leather colors ($42 each).
I personally use the Mission Cables Clear Case ($22); it’s held up really well after over a year of use, and I love that I can still put stickers on my Kindle without ruining the device itself. It’s not too clunky or big, the way some Kindle cases can be, and it doesn’t make it heavier or harder to hold.
If you’re a Tiktok user who spends some time on #Booktok, you’ve probably seen all different kinds of accessories to make your Kindle reading experience even more luxuirous, aesthetic, or simplified.
Looking for a fun color or pattern to give your Kindle a pop of personality? You can find removable skin decals in different prints and colors on Etsy, like these from BookishDecals. Then, to protect it even further, grab a clear case to pop over it.
You can also grab a remote control to read hands free, and to really complete the cozy vibes, a gooseneck tablet stand will hold your Kindle for you so you can curl up in bed and read by just pressing a button.
The Bottom Line:
After graduating from my basic Kindle (2019), I have been happily using my upgraded Kindle Paperwhite for a year and a half, and I believe that the Paperwhite is the best Kindle for most readers.
Since Amazon updated the basic Kindle last year and raised the price to $100, the price gap between the two models shrunk to just $40 and it’s $40 worth spending, in my opinion, for a sleeker looking Kindle with more features, a brighter screen, and waterproof rating.
For more like this, check out the Decider Shopping section.
