Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review

The new Paperwhite is the default choice for anyone whose books already live in the Kindle Store. Amazon redesigned it to be thinner and lighter, kept the 7-inch 300 ppi glare-free screen and says it now has the highest contrast of any Kindle reader. An adjustable warm light moves from crisp white to amber for night reading, the body is IPX8 waterproof, and Amazon rates the battery at up to 12 weeks per charge. A new detail is a replaceable battery: the back panel opens if the battery ever needs a swap. Storage is 16GB, and a Kindle+ subscription can add a catalog of books to read. For library loans, OverDrive says it is the exclusive provider of Kindle-compatible ebooks to US public libraries, so US readers borrow through Libby and send books to the device. Outside the US that route is not offered. Amazon sells a lockscreen ad-supported version, and the standard model has no page-turn buttons. Its US price could not be checked from our location.

Who it is for

Readers who buy from the Kindle Store and want the longest battery life in a waterproof 7-inch reader.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• 7-inch glare-free 300 ppi display that Amazon calls the highest-contrast of any Kindle reader
• Adjustable warm light that shifts from white to amber
• Up to 12 weeks per charge, per Amazon
• Waterproof to IPX8, tested in 2 meters of fresh water for 60 minutes
• Replaceable battery behind an opening back panel

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Longest rated battery life among the 7-inch Kindles
• Strength: Kindle+ subscription and Kindle Store access built in
• Strength: OverDrive says US libraries lend Kindle Books through Libby
• Weakness: Sold in a lockscreen ad-supported version
• Weakness: No page-turn buttons on the standard model
• Weakness: Kindle Store books do not move to other brands of reader

Key facts

• Display: 7 in glare-free, 300 ppi
• Storage: 16GB
• Battery: Up to 12 weeks
• Waterproof: IPX8
• Battery design: Replaceable

Where it ranks

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is No. 2 in our Best E Readers verdict.