Amazon Kindle (2022) 11th gen review: Who needs a Paperwhite?

(Pocket-lint) – As every new technology of Kindle is launched we begin see a few of the higher-end options trickle down the vary to the most cost effective mannequin. That is undoubtedly true of the most recent bog-standard Kindle for 2022. 

With a price ticket that is nonetheless comfortably underneath £100 at £84.99 ($119 within the US), and with an up to date show and entrance gentle, the most recent Kindle affords a variety of options for the cash, and may persuade you that you do not want the Paperwhite in spite of everything. 

Mild and compact 

• 157.8 x 108.6 x 8.0 mm – 158g 
• Obtainable in Black or Denim Blue
• USB-C charging port

Not like the earlier Paperwhite improve, Amazon resisted the urge to stay an even bigger display screen within the entry-level Kindle, and we predict that is an excellent choice. If solely as a result of it offers the essential model a smaller, lighter really feel. It is sufficiently small to carry fairly comfortably in a single hand, and it is solely 158 grams, so it is not heavy both. 

Pocket-lint

It means you will not actually really feel it when carrying it round in your day by day bag, and you may maintain it for lengthy intervals with out your hand or wrist getting drained. It is simply that bit extra handy than an even bigger Kindle is. 

It is nonetheless very a lot the entry Kindle in relation to design supplies and styling. In different phrases: it is fairly fundamental. The physique has the identical black (or blue denim) plastic round the back and front, with out the tender silicone-y texture that comes on the Paperwhite. Plus, the bezel across the show is raised, and acts as a useful little area for mud and fluff to gather. It is also not waterproof, so you’ll be able to’t take it within the tub or close to a pool, except you are assured you will not drop it. 

There are not any bodily buttons on the entrance for turning pages, so this mannequin is touchscreen solely, making it fairly easy to function. The ability/wake button on the underside wakes it up, or places it in standby. You choose a e-book out of your library, after which faucet on the best aspect to show to the subsequent web page, faucet the left to return. Straightforward. 

Pocket-lint

One other added comfort – in the end – is a USB-C port. No extra microUSB on the lavatory commonplace Kindle, and which means you should utilize the identical cable and charger you might have for just about each different gadget you might have in the home. And it prices fairly shortly too. 

Not that you will must cost all of it that usually, as a result of it will final about 6 weeks on a full cost. That is a determine based mostly on studying half-hour a day. So for those who’re an avid reader who reads for greater than an hour each evening, you might discover it is extra like as soon as each 3-4 weeks. After studying it each evening for every week, generally a few hours in an evening, we nonetheless had ample battery remaining. Compared to the opposite costlier fashions, which means it will last more than the Oasis, however not so long as the Paperwhite.  

In fact, your precise mileage is determined by a variety of issues. Like, how vivid you set the entrance gentle, whether or not you are utilizing Darkish Mode, when you’ve got Wi-Fi enabled otherwise you’re listening to audio books. In fact, the sooner you learn – and switch pages – the extra the display screen has to refresh and the sooner it drains the battery. Nonetheless, it is not one thing to fret about, even essentially the most avid readers ought to nonetheless get weeks from a full cost. 

Upgraded studying expertise

• 6-inch E Ink show
• 300 pixels per inch
• Darkish Mode and 4 LED entrance gentle system

The most important replace on the 2022 Kindle is undoubtedly the show. Amazon has moved away from decrease decision 167 pixel-per-inch E Ink display screen that was on the earlier mannequin, and upgraded it to 300 pixels-per-inch. It is virtually twice as sharp, and simply as detailed because the screens on the way more costly Kindle fashions just like the Oasis and the Paperwhite. 

Pocket-lint

Meaning textual content is way crisper and finer strains and curves look smoother and extra clear than earlier than. It is a no-compromise studying floor, providing a close to ink-on-paper expertise and – though it is lacking a few of the extra superior components like auto-brightness and adjustable heat – it means you do not have to endure with legibility for those who like smaller font sizes. This, in flip, means you’ll be able to alter it to have extra textual content on the display screen. 

There are 9 font households to select from, together with the favored Bookerly, Helvetica, Baskerville and Futura, in addition to the OpenDyslexic font designed to make it simpler for these with dyslexia to learn textual content. For all of these fonts you’ll be able to alter the scale, with 14 levels of dimension to decide on between, plus 5 ranges of boldness. What’s extra, you’ll be able to alter how spaced out the strains are, how they’re aligned, how huge the margins are and whether or not you learn in portrait or panorama. There’s a variety of customisability right here. 

The brand new show – mixed with a 4 LED entrance gentle system – has additionally lastly bought Darkish Mode as an choice. You possibly can toggle it on manually at evening time to cut back glare, providing you with a extra enjoyable view. 

As at all times with a Kindle E Ink show, you do not at all times want these LEDs to gentle it up. Its energy is that it displays exterior gentle and is clearer to learn the extra gentle you might have in your atmosphere. The entrance gentle system simply means you’ll be able to learn it at evening time too. 

Being E Ink does imply the refresh charge is not tremendous speedy, there’s a quick delay between tapping the display screen and seeing the web page flip or interface change, however it appears faster than older variations of Kindle. These moments of delay appear to be getting shorter as Kindles get upgraded. 

Options and software program

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
• 16GB storage (13GB out there)
• Audio e-book help

From a software program and have perspective, there’s nothing actually new right here, since Amazon rolled out an up to date person interface to most Kindles over the previous 12 months. It affords straightforward navigation, so you’ll be able to shortly get to your library or Residence Display screen. And, for those who like studying books from the identical sequence, it will probably stack these collectively to make it higher organised. 

Different useful options embrace the flexibility to focus on sections of texts, or save phrases to your individual private dictionary in an effort to return, discover definitions and even translations for particular phrases and phrases everytime you like. Or, for those who simply need to save quotes you actually like, you are able to do that too. 

Pocket-lint

Amazon’s energy, in fact, is the ecosystem. It has hundreds of thousands of books available for purchase in its Kindle e-book retailer. However greater than that, for those who’re a Prime subscriber you get entry to a rotating assortment of books and magazines with Prime Studying, or you’ll be able to subscribe to Kindle Limitless and get entry to even bigger library of books at no additional price. 

Once more, like most of its latest Kindles, it may be used as an audiobook reader too. You possibly can obtain books from Audible, join a pair of Bluetooth headphones, and hearken to your favourites books for those who favor to eat literature that means. Plus, with 16GB of storage (13GB of which is definitely out there), there’s double the area for downloads than what was out there on the earlier mannequin. 

It does help extra than simply Amazon’s personal Kindle e-book format too, so if you wish to load open supply e-books on to it, you’ll be able to. 

Writing by Cam Bunton. Modifying by Verity Burns.