The New Kindle Paperwhite Can Dig You Out of Your Reading Rut

I don’t have many regrets, but buying the basic Kindle a few years ago is one of them. Ironically, I hadn’t done much research before purchasing it. I wanted to get back into reading and didn’t want to spend much—I was struggling to finish hard copies and thought an ebook reader would solve the problem. I marched onto Amazon and bought myself the basic Kindle from 2019.
Between the low screen resolution, slow performance, and short battery life, the frustrating experience kept me from using it as much as I wanted to. I should’ve bought the Kindle Paperwhite instead, even if it was marginally more expensive—buy once, cry once, right? I was convinced that the higher-quality screen and fancy lighting features would make it more enjoyable. Alas, I worried a Paperwhite would stay dead and dusty in a drawer, just like my Kindle, so I didn’t buy it.
And yet, a Paperwhite ended up in my lap a few years later. Amazon just announced a new version—the Paperwhite and the Paperwhite Signature Edition—which are thinner and faster and have longer battery life. I tested the latter, which has a few extra perks such as wireless charging and 32 gigabytes of storage (for an extra cost). After weeks of use, it’s easy to understand why this is Amazon’s most beloved Kindle—it’s Paperwhite or bust.
Coming from a smaller Kindle, I was worried that the Paperwhite would feel too unwieldy, especially now that it’s slightly thinner than its predecessor (7.8 mm versus 8.1 mm) but heavier. It’s still easy to hold one-handed, but I sometimes feel my arm cramp during longer reading seasons—I quickly understand why so many people attach a PopSocket to their Paperwhite.
The display is now 7 inches (up from 6.8) thanks to slimmer bezels around the screen. It also has the highest contrast ratio of any Kindle, which more or less allows text and images to look sharper on the screen. While both changes are nice, these differences are incremental over the 2021 Paperwhite (8/10, WIRED Recommends), and no, you do not need to upgrade if you have that model.
The most discernible change is the page-turn rate, which is 25 percent faster. But you’ll only notice it if you scroll through pages as rapidly as possible. I’m not sure who reads that fast, but the same applies if you scroll slowly. There’s still some lag when tapping through the menu, Kindle library, or Amazon store—the screen gives off a flutter effect as you scroll or tap through it, which doesn’t impact usability, but it’s slightly jarring given how quickly the pages move while reading.
You get the same lighting features as the 11th-generation Paperwhite, including an adjustable warm light. I love using it before bed because it feels easier on my eyes, especially after staring at my monitor all day. You can also schedule it to turn on between certain hours (I have mine set to turn on between 8 pm and 8 am) so I don’t have to trigger it manually every time.
The Signature Edition adds the capability to auto-adjust brightness. I didn’t think I cared for this feature until I saw it in action—when walking into my dimly lit apartment building from the sunny rooftop. The brightness adjusted on its own so I didn’t have to disrupt my reading flow to change the settings manually. It’s ideal if you’re constantly reading in different environments (outside, on the train or subway, at night before bed) and would rather not adjust it yourself every time. But I’m very particular about my brightness settings, so I’d always increase or decrease it on my own anyway.
Amazon also improved the battery life of the Paperwhite. Rather than a little over two months, you’ll now get up to three months on a single charge. (This depends on your usage.) I typically use the Paperwhite to read for a few hours in the morning and at night. It’s been nine days since I’ve charged it, and it’s currently at 71 percent. I don’t expect it to last three months, but it’s nice to not have to worry about daily or weekly charging. Both models sport a USB-C port, but the Signature Edition also supports Qi-wireless charging, so you can plop it on a wireless charging pad for a top-up instead of fishing for a cable.
Despite the incremental update, Amazon has raised the Kindle Paperwhite’s price by $10. The standard Paperwhite now costs $160 ($180 without lock-screen ads) while the Signature Edition is $200. The regular Paperwhite is more than enough—especially if, like me, you don’t care for auto-adjust brightness or wireless charging. But if you’re going for the model without lock screen ads, you may as well upgrade to the Signature Edition for an extra $20.
If you’re new to the Kindle universe and are either tired of carrying physical books around or want to read more, all the bells and whistles of the Paperwhite are worth it over the basic Kindle. It’s waterproof too, with an IPX8 rating, so you can read without worry by the pool, while taking a bath, or on the beach.
The Paperwhite is an ebook reader I don’t want to put down. I carry it with me everywhere—even while running errands in case there are long lines at Target or the grocery store, so I can read while I wait. The proof is in the numbers: I’ve read 225 pages in less than two weeks. It took me months to get that far with the basic Kindle. That’s not to say the new entry-level Kindle isn’t worth considering, but it’s not as comfortable or as nice to use for longer reading sessions. If only I had made the switch years ago.
I wish there were page-turn buttons, but I’m otherwise satisfied with the Paperwhite. If the price is too steep, it’s worth remembering that Amazon always slashes prices of its own products during major sale events like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day, so try to wait for one of those.