Amazon’s new Kindle Paperwhite is a must-have for serious readers
I was probably one of the first people in all my circles to move away from real books and start moving to electronic books, or ebooks, as they have been known for a while. It was quite a daunting task at that time, given the myriad of challenges and pitfalls awaiting me. The phones on which I used to get my reading done had diminutive displays with giant pixels, capable of viewing only a few lines of text at a time. The software I used for reading ranged from bug-ridden to downright unusable. And, worst of all, ebooks were not readily available anywhere aside from the seediest of piracy havens. It was painful, but the convenience of being able to read a book without having to carry around a paper brick was more than enough to keep me interested in it.
Fast-forward a dozen years, and ebooks are now all but ubiquitous. Services like Amazon’s Kindle eBooks and Apple’s iBooks have not only managed to turn ebooks into a mainstream and legitimately profitable enterprise but have also actually managed to put a sizable dent in the paper book publishing industry. Additionally, reading off screens has never been more comfortable, with even an average Chinese smartphone being endowed with a giant screen that was unimaginable in the times when I had first taken up reading ebooks. Tablets are also great for reading on the go, offering even more visual real estate. However, nothing feels more like reading a book than a dedicated ebook reader with an E Ink screen that emulates the glare-free appearance of paper to near-perfection. And in that department, Amazon’s 2018 iteration of its popular Kindle Paperwhite line of ebook readers is proving to be a smashing success in every regard.
The Kindle Paperwhite 2018’s biggest new feature is its new IPx8-rated waterproof design. This is a boon for voracious readers who don’t want to pause their reading just because they are chilling in a pool or a bathtub or soaking up some sun on a beach. The waterproofing not only ensures that the device can take its share of dunks and splashes (according to official announcements, it can survive being immersed for an hour under two meters of freshwater), but it also shows that the device is rugged enough to brave a bit of rough use.
The Paperwhite has a remarkably small form factor and weighs less than most modern smartphones at only 182 grams. At barely 8 millimeters thick, it can be slid into most bags or backpacks with ease and can be held up with minimal effort without straining the wrists. In fact, for people who enjoy reading while lying down, this ensures that accidentally dropping the Kindle on one’s face would not result in a smarting nose. However, given how well the Paperwhite feels in the hand and how easy it is to grip, it is not very easy to simply drop it by accident.
The six-inch touchscreen display of the Paperwhite has a pixel density of 300 PPI (pixels per inch) and is also capable of displaying up to 16 shades of grey, which means that any text being displayed on the screen will be wonderfully crisp, and the individual pixels would not be distinguishable unless the device is held very close to the eyes. As is the case with E Ink-based devices, the screen is devoid of glare, and it can be enjoyed to the fullest under bright sunlight or indoor lighting without having to worry about annoying reflections. The device is also perfectly suitable for reading in the dark, with its screen being evenly backlit by five white LEDs.
For some reason, however, the Paperwhite still makes use of a microUSB port for computer connectivity and charging, and it is a bit of a mystery as to why Amazon would go with microUSB as a connectivity option instead of adopting the new and rapidly spreading USB-C reversible connector. However, microUSB is still quite some ways away from becoming extinct, and finding a proper cable for the device should not be a huge problem.
On the wireless side of things, aside from the usual Wi-Fi connectivity (and cellular connectivity on certain models), the Kindle Paperwhite 2018 also brings Bluetooth to the table, allowing users to enjoy Amazon’s Audible audiobooks over Bluetooth earphones. The Paperwhite comes in two flavors when it comes to storage options, 8 GB or 32 GB. For users who prefer Audible audiobooks, the 32 GB variant is definitely a better buy, but for most regular readers, the 8 GB version (starting from USD 130) contains more than enough storage for hundreds of books.
Amazon sells a wide range of accessories for the Kindle Paperwhite, among which screen protectors and flip covers would go a long way to enhance the durability and preserve the physical integrity of the device.
Thanks to the superb efficiency of E Ink technology, the Paperwhite 2018 has remarkable battery life, lasting for several weeks on a single charge. E Ink displays drain the battery only while rendering a new page of text (e.g. when a book is loaded, a page is turned, or a menu is opened), but no charge is expended while a static page is being displayed. This has been a defining characteristic of the Kindle line of ebook readers, and the Paperwhite is no exception. The only downside to this is that it’s often far too easy to forget to charge the device on time, given that it is required so infrequently.
The software on the Kindle is simple yet elegant. Fonts, text size, margins, character spacing etc. can be adjusted quickly and easily to suit the preferences of individual users, and combinations of settings can also be saved as preset themes, giving the reader total control over the look and feel they prefer. Pages can be ‘flipped’ or ‘turned’ by simply swiping across the touchscreen. The device’s simplicity and no-nonsense approach toward reading and reading only is further enhanced by an absence of any superfluous input options aside from a wake-up button on the bottom.
While the Paperwhite 2018 isn’t the first waterproof Kindle, with last year’s Kindle Oasis being the first, it is the first truly affordable one of its kind, and it offers a distraction-free reading experience like no other. For people who cherish their reading time and want to make every second of it worthwhile, there is no better option for it for the price.
