Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition overview: The finest e-reader. Period. | Engadget

One factor you’ll be able to positively say about Amazon’s Kindle: It’s not the sort of gadget you might want to improve typically, even in the event you’re an avid reader. I’ve been utilizing the identical one since late 2015, and it’s nonetheless going robust. But Amazon caught my consideration with the 5th-generation Paperwhite. For the primary time for the reason that authentic got here out, Amazon elevated the show measurement to six.8 inches from 6 inches, and it has narrower bezels than earlier than. It additionally now makes use of 17 LED backlights (up from solely 5) and an adjustable “warm light” to scale back eye pressure at night time. Amazon has additionally lastly switched to USB-C for charging.

Those are some notable new options, however Amazon can be providing a “Signature Edition” (SE) this 12 months, which has 32GB of storage (the usual mannequin solely has 8GB), an robotically adjusting backlight, wi-fi charging and no adverts on the lock display. And it is nonetheless waterproof, can play Audible audiobooks over Bluetooth and has great battery life. At $190, it’s not low cost; nor, at $140, is the usual Paperwhite. But, in the event you’ve been utilizing yours for as lengthy than me (or longer), there’s rather a lot to love right here. It doesn’t transform the Kindle expertise, however does make it rather a lot nicer.

If you’ve used a Kindle in any respect within the final decade, you’ll be aware of the brand new Paperwhite’s design. Like different e-readers, the Paperwhite is dominated by an E Ink touchscreen that has mild backlights you’ll be able to activate or off and regulate to suit your studying circumstances. Like earlier Kindles, the remainder of the gadget is soft-touch plastic that picks up fingerprint grease a bit of too simply.

Also just like the 2018 Paperwhite, the display right here is flush with the entrance of the gadget, fairly than being barely recessed prefer it was on earlier fashions. Coming from an older gadget, I liked this alteration. It makes swiping the touchscreen to show pages way more nice, and having the show a bit of nearer to your eyes feels higher, too. It’s merely a higher-quality expertise – however when you have a 2018 Paperwhite, or the dearer Kindle Oasis, you already know this already.

More important is the bigger display measurement. Amazon saved the identical 300 pixel-per-inch density right here, so the show seems to be as good as ever. There’s simply extra room to your books and navigating the Kindle UI. Between the additional display area and a few adjustments to the interface, utilizing the gadget is way more snug than it was. It is value figuring out that the brand new Paperwhite is ever so barely wider and taller — so when you have small palms or already discovered the Kindle to be a bit of too massive, this is perhaps a difficulty. But, for me, the bigger display is a large enchancment, and it isn’t diminished within the least by the marginally larger physique.

The display bezels are additionally considerably smaller as effectively. The backside bezel is on the big facet, presumably so you’ll be able to relaxation your thumb on it whereas studying, however the ones on the highest, left and proper are all very skinny. The smaller bezels, bigger show and lack of a recessed display all mix to make this {hardware} really feel extra premium than earlier Kindle Paperwhite fashions.

A much less impactful change is the brand new LED entrance lighting system. There are 17 particular person LEDs that give the Paperwhite its mild glow that permits you to learn in poor gentle, up from 5 that had been within the earlier mannequin. That feels like an enormous enchancment, however I can’t say I discover a serious distinction. The Old Paperwhite already had a really easy entrance lighting system, and it seems to be nice on the brand new mannequin, too, simply not dramatically higher.

These LEDs do have a brand new trick, although: “adjustable warm lighting.” It’s just like the Night Shift characteristic Apple added to its merchandise a number of years in the past; it adjusts the colour temperature of the show lighting to a extra amber hue. The Kindle’s blighting system by no means felt too blue to me, and since we’re not coping with a glowing LCD, they’ve at all times been much less prone to disrupt sleep. But having the ability to regulate the display’s colour temperature remains to be helpful.

As with different gadgets, you’ll be able to set two completely different colour temperatures, one for throughout the day and a hotter setting for after the solar has gone down. There’s additionally an automated schedule that makes use of location companies to robotically and regularly change the colour temperature based mostly on dawn and sundown in your present location.

I admire the a number of methods you’ll be able to customise the heat of the Paperwhite’s display, but it surely’s additionally a bit of complicated. When you pull down the settings shade, you’ll see sliders for each brightness and display heat. Then, once you dive into the part the place you’ll be able to set a schedule, there’s one other slider to set the heat for the scheduled time. It took me a bit to appreciate that one slider lined the heat outdoors of the scheduled time and one other was solely in impact throughout the schedule.I ultimately I acquired the whole lot sorted out, although. And in the event you don’t care about scheduling the display’s colour temperature, you’ll be able to simply choose a setting that appears finest to you and neglect about it.

You’ve been in a position to set completely different brightness ranges on the Kindle for years now, however the Paperwhite Signature Edition can robotically regulate to the ambient gentle. Smartphones have had this characteristic for years, and the dearer Kindle Oasis has had it for some time, too. Here, it really works fairly shortly and reliably. I first manually set the brightness to a cushty degree for the room I used to be studying in, after which put my belief within the auto brightness characteristic. I might positively discover it kicking on in brighter rooms and turning issues down in my dimly lit bed room after I was on the point of crash for the night time. It’s not an important characteristic, however it’s good to have.

Come to think about it, “nice to have” describes many of the distinction between the usual Kindle Paperwhite and the Signature Edition. The normal model comes with 8GB of storage, versus 32GB within the SE. The SE additionally has wi-fi charging, which works fairly effectively – I dropped the Paperwhite on a number of Anker chargers I’ve round the home, and it charged up shortly and reliably. But given how lengthy the gadget’s battery lasts, most individuals can be fantastic charging it with any outdated USB-C cable as soon as a month or so. (I haven’t talked about it but, however the Paperwhite has a battery that lasts weeks, similar to all the opposite Kindles.)

The SE additionally has an ad-free lock display. The indisputable fact that Amazon has lengthy charged a premium to get a tool with out adverts on it that attempt to promote you extra stuff from Amazon is about probably the most Amazon factor ever. And my want to not have adverts shoved in my face makes the Signature Edition fairly interesting. A $50 value distinction is critical – however given the truth that I usually use a Kindle for 5 years or extra, why not do away with these adverts and get a number of additional options whereas I’m at it? Given that the usual Paperwhite with out adverts is just $30 cheaper than the Signature Edition, that is an upsell that I’d in all probability go for.

Things like storage capability, the variety of LEDs, wi-fi charging and so forth solely actually matter in service of 1 factor: studying. Fortunately, the brand new Kindle Paperwhite is the most effective e-reader I’ve ever used. I’ve by no means had an enormous situation with how E Ink screens must refresh once you flip the web page, however the Paperwhite refreshes so shortly and easily that this gadget feels extra nice to make use of than my 2015 mannequin.

Beyond the refresh charge, the touchscreen is extraordinarily responsive; I hardly ever had my faucets or swipes go unrecognized. When I take advantage of the keyboard to seek for books, I simply plow forward and don’t get caught up ready for a key press to register. There are nonetheless occasions the place you might want to anticipate the display to catch up, although. That’s principally once you’re navigating extra complicated layouts, just like the Kindle Store.

In some regards, the brand new Kindle Paperwhite adjustments nothing; Amazon has had a stranglehold on the e-reader marketplace for years, and the earlier Paperwhite was the gadget to get. The new Paperwhite remains to be Amazon’s finest e-reader. It’s not as costly and fancy because the Kindle Oasis, but it surely affords a much better expertise than the fundamental $90 Kindle. The larger display and better decision are causes sufficient to decide on the Paperwhite in the event you’re something greater than probably the most informal of readers.

The different query is whether or not the $190 “Signature Edition” is definitely worth the $50 premium over the usual mannequin. For most individuals, the reply might be no. The two gadgets are basically the identical in each important approach. Wireless charging is a bonus, however given how sometimes the Paperwhite must be charged, it’s not an enormous improve in comfort. More storage isn’t a foul factor, however 8GB can nonetheless maintain actually 1000’s of books. The additional area is admittedly solely essential in the event you use Audible on the Kindle, as a result of audiobooks can shortly eat by way of your storage.

The auto-adjusting gentle might be my favourite of those Signature Edition options. Almost each different show in your life can do this, And having it right here is sensible, particularly in the event you energy up your Paperwhite in the course of the night time. Plus, it’s exhausting to overstate what a reduction it’s to not need to see an advert each time you choose up the gadget.

Ultimately, if I had been buying the Kindle Paperwhite for somebody as a present, I’d in all probability get the usual version. If I used to be shopping for for myself, I’d get the Signature. But both approach, I’d be shopping for a Kindle Paperwhite. It stays the most effective e-reader available on the market.