The Base Model Kindle Is The E-reader Most People Should Buy. Here's Why

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Amazon's guidelines exemplary Kindle promises quicker page-turning, a brighter display, and a nosy matcha greenish colorway (alongside nan classical black)
• The e-reader is much reactive and vivid, and reference thing connected nan lightweight, portable instrumentality is convenient.
• This exemplary has nan shortest artillery life retired of nan full lineup, but it's still six weeks long.

Unlike an iPad aliases tablet competitor, a Kindle's sole intent is to beryllium arsenic adjacent to analog arsenic imaginable for a tablet -- delivering distraction-free reference pinch a artillery life that lasts weeks and a surface that's easy to position nary matter nan environment.

That intends Kindle customers and devotees aren't expecting cutting-edge exertion successful a caller release. They conscionable want a awesome instrumentality pinch important but minimal finishing touches that amended upon nan erstwhile generation. 

Also: The champion Kindles you tin buy

This is particularly existent for nan base exemplary Kindle, nan astir affordable and slightest feature-rich exemplary successful the caller Kindle lineup that includes an updated Paperwhite, Scribe, and a brand-new entrant, nan Colorsoft (Kindle's first-ever full-color model). The guidelines exemplary doesn't person an adjustable lukewarm ray for illustration the Paperwhite, drafting capabilities for illustration the Scribe, nor vivid colour for illustration nan Colorsoft. What nan 2024 Kindle does have, however, is beautiful and effective simplicity that makes it easy to urge nan e-reader to anyone looking to dial into their reference goals successful nan caller year. 

I spent immoderate clip reference and playing astir pinch nan caller guidelines exemplary Kindle, and I highly urge it if you're successful nan marketplace for your first e-reader aliases if you're upgrading from a Kindle you purchased much than 2 years ago.

Amazon released nan erstwhile guidelines exemplary Kindle successful 2022. The 2024 type keeps astir of nan specs of nan guidelines model, pinch a fewer exceptions. These see different exterior colors (Matcha and Black), a brighter beforehand light, a higher opposition ratio, and a faster page-turn rate.

Also: I tested nan Kindle Paperwhite, and it has nan 1 upgrade I've been waiting for

The Matcha colorway is beautiful and fun, and is overmuch much vibrant than nan Navy aliases Black options from nan 2022 lineup. One of my favourite parts astir nan guidelines exemplary is its pocketability and portability, acknowledgment to its compact size.

The size of nan show is nan aforesaid six inches -- an amenable show size for on-the-go reading. The 1072 x 1448 surface resolution, nan 5.56 oz. weight, and nan six-week artillery life haven't changed either.

I spent nan play absorbed successful immoderate e-books (most notably, nan newest Emily Henry novel) that I rented from my library. On 1 engaged Saturday, I stashed nan Kindle successful my dress pouch to publication connected nan subway successful betwixt errands. My friend and I had been stepping astir nan metropolis that day, and I had kept nan e-reader successful my pocket, wherever I hardly noticed it passim our journey.

On a lazy Sunday morning, I lounged successful bed, lying connected my side, reference nan Kindle pinch 1 hand, thing I tin ne'er do pinch a beingness caller because of really uncomfortable it is to clasp ambidextrously. 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

While I was reading, I noticed that nan page-turning and book-loading speeds were importantly quicker than connected my Kindle Oasis aliases Kindle Paperwhite from 2022. I tested my aged Paperwhite and my caller Kindle and recovered that nan caller Kindle turned pages a smidgen quicker than nan Paperwhite. 

As acold arsenic artillery life is concerned, I can't corroborate that this e-reader lasts nan advertised six weeks because I've only tested nan Kindle for a week. Still, six weeks is simply a agelong clip betwixt charges, and I haven't had immoderate melodramatic dips successful artillery life truthful far.

Also: I tested nan caller Kindle Scribe for 2 weeks, and its champion characteristic was unexpected

As personification who enjoys increasing her beingness book postulation but besides enjoys sampling various novels and nonfiction books from nan library, a Kindle is simply a awesome instrumentality for reference and renting books you whitethorn ne'er prime up and bargain but are still willing in. I tin fresh this portable instrumentality into my pouch aliases activity container and publication connected nan bus, earlier aliases aft work, aliases while waiting astatine expert appointments.

Because reference is its only functionality, nan Kindle offers a genuinely distraction-free interface that makes knocking retired reference assignments for precocious schoolhouse aliases assemblage students little intrusive than a laptop aliases a tablet. 

I'm not utilizing a Kindle to switch beingness books. Instead, I usage a Kindle to grow nan types and genres of books I'd ne'er scheme connected owning successful nan first place. An e-reader (with nan thief of a room card) allows you to widen nan scope of lit that you publication and sample different authors and stories that you'd ne'er fresh wrong your bookbag, suitcase, aliases bookcase.

ZDNET's buying advice

If you haven't purchased an e-reader earlier aliases are contemplating buying 1 for a loved 1 complete nan holidays, I'd without a uncertainty urge this Kindle. It has each nan features you'd request successful a respectable e-reader, for illustration a vivid display, reactive and speedy speeds, awesome artillery life, and a beautiful color, each for a bully price.

Because a batch of nan specs are unchanged, upgrading from nan 2022 guidelines exemplary to the 2024 guidelines modelisn't nan astir reasonable point to do, unless you aren't pleased pinch your 2022 Kindle's color, page-turn rate, aliases show brightness, and are consenting to walk $85 to alteration that.  

If you want 1 much inch of display, different e-reader colors, an adjustable lukewarm ray for reference successful different environments, and double nan artillery life, you whitethorn want to upgrade to nan Paperwhite, which is $50 more, but I tin publication conscionable good pinch nan guidelines model, I emotion nan pastel-y mint of nan Matcha colorway and nan compact display, and I tin surely complaint my Kindle erstwhile each six weeks, truthful spending $50 much seems silly.