This 12th-gen Kindle leak exposes fun new colors and a problem I can't ignore

The display gets slightly rounded corners, which is a first for the base Kindle after years of perfectly square panels. The power button also moves from the bottom edge to the upper right side, so accidentally putting your Kindle to sleep while it rests on your lap will hopefully happen a lot less often.

It should be noted that the images show two slightly different front designs, one with the screen sitting almost flush and one with a raised frame around it. Quandt himself says this could point to more than one device, though it could just as easily be marketing material that changes before launch.

A refreshed Kindle Kids is also on the way, and it appears to differ only by its bundled cover and a longer warranty. Price, specs and a release date are still unknown, though the screen will likely stay at around 6 inches.

A $149.99 Kindle needs more than a new paint job

Here's what gives me pause: back in August, Amazon raised the current Kindle's price from $109.99 to $149.99, a jump of more than 36%. That's $40 extra for the same 6-inch, 300ppi screen and 16GB of storage the 2024 model launched with.

That's where the rivals come in. Kobo lists the Clara BW at $159.99 on its own store, just $10 more than the current Kindle, and it brings a waterproof build and adjustable warm lighting, neither of which the base Kindle has.

If you own a Kobo Clara, there's nothing in this leak worth switching for, at least until we see the specs.

Kindle Paperwhite owners can sit tight too, since their $199.99 reader still has the bigger 7-inch screen and waterproofing the base model lacks. As for Kobo, I'm guessing it isn't losing sleep over four new colors.

Who the 12th-gen Kindle is really for

The people who will care most are first-time buyers and parents shopping for a kid's first e-reader, since a light blue or purple Kindle is an easier sell than yet another black one.

If your older Kindle tends to fall asleep when you shift it in your hands, the side power button is also a genuinely practical change. According to Quandt, Amazon should announce the new Kindle shortly, so waiting for the official price before ordering seems like the smart move.

I'd trade these colors for one missing feature

I like these colors, and the purple one in particular looks great. Still, a $149.99 e-reader without waterproofing or warm lighting is a harder recommendation than it was two months ago, and a fresh coat of paint doesn't close that gap.

I'd personally love to see Amazon bring warm lighting to the base Kindle this time around, because that would make those pastel colors a lot easier to justify.

More on Amazon's Kindle lineup:

• See what every Kindle costs after the price hike
• Find out which older Kindles lost Kindle Store access
• Revisit the 2024 Kindle lineup launch

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