Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the original Kindle e-reader. Instead of waiting a whole year, Amazon said, “Screw it,” and updated its basic Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, and Kindle Colorsoft e-readers with unibody designs in plastic and aluminum, bezels that are flush with the e-paper displays, and fresh new colors.
Before I get into what’s new for each device, know this: Amazon isn’t raising the prices. All of the new Kindles cost the same as the previous models… because Amazon already raised the prices in August.
Kindle
Let’s start with the most affordable Kindle and work our way up to the most expensive. The new basic Kindle starts at $149.99 and comes in Ube and Graphite. Ube replaces the Matcha green introduced in 2024. I think #BookTok is going to lose it over the purple shade. It’s bright and just fun to look at. Graphite is there if you prefer your e-reader to look like another discreet gadget.
The body is still made from plastic, but it now feels like one continuous piece with the new flush 6-inch e-paper screen. Previously, the bezels on the basic Kindle were raised. The e-reader is also lighter at 140g versus the 158g on the previous model. And while not something you will see at all, the new Kindle is also 1mm thinner than the old version at 6.8mm.
Amazon also moved the power button from the bottom to the top right side, which is now consistent on all of the new Kindles.
There’s also a more premium version of the Kindle made with aluminum. Its sturdy unibody design reminds me of an iPad mini. This version will cost $189.99 and has 32GB of storage, twice the amount as the plastic version. It’ll be available in Alpine Sky and Seaglass Green. It’s available starting today, Oct. 1.
Kindle Paperwhite
The beloved Kindle Paperwhite still has the same 7-inch screen and quality-of-life features that the basic Kindle doesn’t, like a warm light that shifts the screen from white to amber tones, a higher contrast ratio, a waterproof design, and twice the battery life (12 weeks versus 6 weeks).
The new version gets the same flush display, a sleeker molded plastic design, and a relocated power button, while also shaving a millimeter of thickness and shedding some weight (204g versus the 211g on the old model).
The updated plastic Kindle Paperwhite only comes with 16GB of storage in Graphite for $199.99. A “Signature Edition” swaps the plastic for an aluminum shell, doubles the storage to 32GB, comes with a front light that auto-adjusts based on your environment, and has pogo pins for wireless charging with a dock sold separately. The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition will be available in Graphite and Seaglass Green starting on Oct. 28 for $249.99.
Kindle Colorsoft
Amazon’s Kindle Colorsoft is the same story as the basic Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite. The underlying chip, storage, and color e-paper display technology are all the same as before. It also gets the new flush screen design, the uniform plastic body, and the repositioned power button.
The Kindle Colorsoft will also be offered in a “Signature Edition” with double the storage (32GB instead of 16GB), an aluminum body, and the same extra features on the Kindle Paperwhite, including the auto-adjusting front light and pogo pins for docked charging. The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition also has a “double tap to turn pages” feature, which is also found on the Paperwhite Signature Edition.
The regular Kindle Colorsoft comes in Graphite and costs $289.99, and the Signature Edition model costs $319.99. The latter also comes in Graphite or Fig (a burgundy shade). Like the updated Paperwhite, the new Kindle Colorsoft models will launch on Oct. 7.
Finally, a page clicker and a page-turning cover
In addition to the refreshed Kindle lineup, which also includes Kids versions, Amazon is also selling a Bluetooth page-turning remote called the Kindle Click. The $34.99 clicker has two big buttons for turning back and forward on e-books and two buttons on the right side for adjusting screen brightness. It’s basically Amazon’s answer to page-turning remotes like the Boox Tappy.
The more interesting page-turning accessory is the Page-Turn Cover accessory, in my opinion. The $79.99 case gives the Signature Editions of the new Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft physical buttons. It only works with the Signature Editions of those two e-readers because it uses the pogo pins to connect. It’s a good, simple solution to giving consumers who want page-turn buttons without forcing it onto the device design.
