It happened repeatedly: I would pick up a Paperwhite to test it out, read for a while, and then discover that I was holding the device I bought a year ago instead of my review unit. Only the most discerning of readers will notice the differences in hardware here: a slightly changed Kindle logo, a slightly higher-contrast screen. The only obvious change, the only way I could reliably identify one device from the other, is by the logo on the back. Where there was once a subtle, muted Kindle logo, there’s now a glossy black "Amazon" etched into the soft-touch black back.
Otherwise it’s the same size, the same weight, the same months-long battery life, the same everything. It’s still comfortable, easy to use in one hand, and as handsomely understated as ever. It’s sturdy enough that you don’t need a case like the leather folio Amazon sells, but I’ve grown to love the case — with a magnetized flap that turns the device on when you open it, and a nicely rough texture, opening up the case feels like opening up a well-loved hardback. It’s wonderful.
The hardware's better, but it's not really different
The new Paperwhite comes with a new, slightly more even frontlight, and a faster processor. The light is certainly better, a little whiter and spread a bit more evenly around the screen with fewer dark patches; I noticed it more than the higher-contrast E Ink display, but neither changed the experience of using the Paperwhite in any meaningful way. The light is still wonderfully versatile, dim enough to work in a totally dark room and bright enough to kill most of the glare in a well-lit room.
As for the processor, I still can’t tell what’s real and what’s placebo. Page turns do seem slightly faster, especially combined with the more receptive touch screen — I found myself rarely having to swipe multiple times to turn a page, which hasn’t always been the case with Kindles. Nothing else about the Paperwhite seemed more responsive, though. Typing, scrolling through the store, even turning the device on and off all feel the same, though they are a beat faster in side-by-side tests with last year's model. They’re slow because E Ink is slow, flashing the page anytime something complex happens, but it’s never really a problem.
The Paperwhite has always been a great, utilitarian device that does exactly what it’s supposed to. I still hold out hope that we’ll one day see a flexible-display Kindle or a color Kindle, but those are pipe dreams. Right now, Amazon’s built as good a reading device as is probably possible for $119.
This year, Amazon’s focus isn’t hardware. It’s figured out how to build something we’ll read with, so what’s next? Figuring out how to make us read more, buy more, and get others to do the same. That’s what this year’s Paperwhite is all about.
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