But it's certainly a little surprising that Amazon chose to make this announcement just one day after scheduling its next big product launch event instead of, well, actually waiting for said event. Clearly, the e-commerce giant has something even more exciting planned for September 28, which says a lot since the all-new Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, and Kindle Paperwhite Kids are already pretty interesting, bringing a whole slew of significant upgrades and changes to the table.
The largest ever Kindle Paperwhite also comes with USB-C
While a USB Type-C port wouldn't exactly be hailed as a groundbreaking feature even for the humblest smartphones and tablets nowadays, e-book readers are a lot less technologically advanced in departments like charging capabilities. As such, it's definitely nice to see the Kindle Paperwhite (11th Generation) offer something that the higher-end and costlier Kindle Oasis (10th Generation) does not support.
The USB-C technology allows this year's Kindle Paperwhite to go from 0 to 100 percent battery capacity in just two and a half hours... in combination with a 9W or larger power adapter that's unfortunately not included as standard in the $139.99 and up price point.
Said price is only 10 bucks higher than the MSRP of the 2018-released Kindle Paperwhite (10th Generation), mind you, which feels like a very modest increase for a massively upgraded device. The most important change is arguably the bigger 6.8-inch glare-free display, which retains the 300 ppi (pixel per inch) count of the 10th-gen Paperwhite while minimizing the bezels to keep the overall body reasonably compact.
Incredibly enough, the already stellar battery life is further improved as well, from up to six weeks to a whopping 10 weeks of continuous use based on a half hour of reading per day. The list of upgrades and add-ons goes on, also including an adjustable warm light borrowed from the Kindle Oasis, 20 percent faster page turns, and a "completely redesigned" Kindle interface pre-loaded on the almost unbelievably affordable new Paperwhite.
Of course, $139.99 will buy you an ad-supported model with 8 gigs of internal storage space, and while you can spend $20 extra to lose the sponsored screensavers, you'll have to opt for an entirely separate Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition if you want more digital hoarding room.
The first "Signature" edition and the first Kindle Paperwhite for Kids
At $189.99, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition comes with 32GB storage, no ads, wireless charging capabilities, and an auto-adjusting light sensor. Apart from that, you're looking at the same exact e-reader detailed above, with the same exact jumbo-sized 6.8-inch screen in tow, up to 10 weeks of battery life, flush-front design with relatively thin bezels, and top-notch IPX8 water resistance.
Unsurprisingly, this bad boy will not ship with a charger (wired or wireless) bundled in as standard starting October 27, but any separately sold Qi accessory should do the job quite nicely, allowing you to take advantage of probably the most important Signature upgrade.
Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition
As you can imagine, the $159.99 Kindle Paperwhite Kids is not very different either, including however a kid-friendly cover in your choice of three designs, as well as a one-year Amazon Kids+ subscription and a two-year worry-free guarantee, to deliver pretty much unrivaled bang for your buck.
The three new Kindle Paperwhites join the entry-level Kindle (2019), Kindle Kids (2019), and Kindle Oasis (2019) to form a truly comprehensive and all-inclusive product lineup catering to the individual needs and preferences of every type of digital reader out there. Now let's wait and see what Amazon has up its sleeve for September 28.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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