Amazon redesigned all three of its Kindle e-readers, giving the base Kindle, the Paperwhite and the Colorsoft a flush-front display with no raised border around the screen. The base model starts at $149.99, the Paperwhite at $199.99 and the Colorsoft at $289.99. Amazon says the base Kindle is on sale now in 19 countries, while the other two are open for preorder on a rolling basis in the same markets.
The biggest change sits under the glass. Amazon describes a new reverse-stack display construction, which it calls a first in the e-reader category, and says it leaves the reading surface as one flat plane. Per Amazon, that also makes each device thinner and lets the body color wrap from back to front. The palette adds Ube, a purple, plus Alpine Sky, Seaglass Green and Graphite, and Fig reaches an e-reader for the first time.
Amazon calls the 6-inch Kindle its most pocket-sized yet. It lists 16 GB of storage, up to six weeks of battery life and book opening 30% faster than the previous release, in Ube or Graphite for $149.99. A version with an aluminum back doubles storage to 32 GB at $189.99 and comes in Alpine Sky or Seaglass Green. The battery and speed figures are Amazon's own ratings.
The Paperwhite is thinner and lighter than the previous lineup, according to Amazon, and is waterproof with an adjustable warm light and a battery rated at up to 12 weeks. Its screen uses an oxide thin-film-transistor backplane that Amazon says gives the highest contrast ratio of any Paperwhite. The 16 GB Graphite model costs $199.99. The $249.99 Signature Edition moves to 32 GB and an aluminum back, and adds an auto-adjusting front light, pogo-pin dock charging and double tap to turn pages.
The Colorsoft gets a completely redesigned display, Amazon says. A light guide with nitride LEDs is meant to brighten color, and an oxide backplane with custom waveforms, Amazon adds, speeds up page changes and raises contrast for both color and black-and-white content. The 16 GB Graphite version starts at $289.99, and the 32 GB Signature Edition costs $319.99 in Graphite or Fig.
Kids editions of all three models add artist-designed covers and 12 months of Amazon Kids+, from $179.99. The announcement gives no ship dates for the Paperwhite and Colorsoft beyond the rolling preorders, and it lists no screen sizes or resolutions for either.
New accessories include the $34.99 Kindle Click, a Bluetooth page-turn remote that works with the new models and any Kindle from 2024 or later. A $79.99 Page-Turn Cover and a $59.99 charging dock are listed for the Signature Edition Paperwhite and Colorsoft.
The price ladder is tighter than the names suggest. The 32 GB aluminum Kindle at $189.99 lands $10 under the entry Paperwhite, so that choice comes down to an aluminum back and 32 GB against the waterproofing and 12-week battery rating Amazon lists for the Paperwhite. Color costs $90 more at the 16 GB tier and $70 more at the Signature tier.
