Truth be told, there’s a fair number of different types of Kindles devices you can select between. Which one is right for you? Owning a Kindle opens up an entirely new world of convenience when it’s time to crack open the books. Kindle devices hold thousands of ebooks, newspapers, magazines, or audio files.
No time to go to a brick-and-mortar bookstore? Pick a newly released bestseller and download it (for a fee)! No cash lining your pockets to part with? You can download books, newspapers, and magazines for free from your public library.
The options are endless, and so are the different Kindles types. Let’s sort ’em out and pick the best eReader for you.
Different Types of Kindles: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Kindle | Paperwhite | |
|---|---|---|
| Display Size (Inches) | 6 | 6.8 |
| Weight (Ounces) | 5.6 | 7.2 |
| Resolution (Pixels Per Inch) | 1448 x 1072 | 1236 x 1648 |
| Battery Life | 6 weeks | 10 weeks |
| Battery Size | 890 mAh | 1700 mAh |
| Water Resistance | No | Yes, IPX8 |
| Storage | 16 GB | 8 GB | 32 GB |
| Front LEDs | 4 | 17 |
| Page Buttons | No | No |
| Writing Capability | No | No |
| Writing Stylus | No | No |
| Wi-Fi | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz |
| Cellular | No | No |
| In the Box | USB-C charging cable | USB-C charging cable |
| Oasis | Scribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Display Size (Inches) | 7 | 10.2 |
| Weight (Ounces) | 6.6 | Device 15.3 Stylus .49 |
| Resolution (Pixels Per Inch) | 1,264 x 1,680 | 1872 x 1404 |
| Battery Life | 6 weeks | 12 weeks |
| Battery Size | 1130 mAh | 3,000mAh |
| Water Resistance | Yes, IPX8 | No |
| Storage | 8 GB | 32 GB | 16 | 32 | 64 GB |
| Front LEDs | 25 | 35 |
| Page Buttons | Yes | No |
| Writing Capability | No | Yes |
| Writing Stylus | No | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi/hotspots that use the 802.11b, g, or n standards | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz network |
| Cellular | Free Cellular Connectivity | No |
| In the Box | USB 2.0 charging cable | Pen, USB-C charging cable, 5 replacement tips, a tip replacement tool |
Different Types of Kindles: What’s the Difference?
We’d be remiss if we didn’t tell you upfront that we’re a Kindle family. We welcomed our first eReader, the Kindle Keyboard, in 2012. Today, we’re loving the Kindle Paperwhite circa 2019. As a fun tidbit, last year, we turned on the Kindle Keyboard… and it still worked.
Today, you have a lot of choices when it’s time to pick a new Kindle. Having a general idea of how and where you want to use the Kindle will aid you in selecting the best Kindle for you!
Size and Weight
It sounds silly, but how “big” do you want your eReader to be? The physical dimensions of the eReader don’t correlate to the print size. All Kindle Devices allow you to increase, decrease, or set a customer font size.
- 300 PPI display (glare-free, paper-like)
- A single charge via USB-C lasts up to 6 weeks
- 16GB of storage
- Access to Kindle Unlimited with over 2 million titles
The Kindle, Paperwhite, and Oasis models can be “palmed,” or easily held in one hand. These models fall into a “pure” eReader template.
The Scribe model is larger by a few inches and substantially heavier than the other models. Weight can be an issue when holding the eReader with one hand. The Scribe is tipping the scales just shy of 1 pound. The Scribe will absolutely (in our opinion) lead to hand fatigue if you hold it in one hand for several hours.
Resolution
All models are roughly in the same resolution ballpark, so there isn’t a resolution differential big enough to justify one model over the others based purely on resolution. We do want to come back to an eReader’s purpose. Reading, ya?!? If you want to watch movies, this isn’t the device for you. Consider a Kindle Fire for tablet capabilities.
Battery Life/Battery Size
Let’s reanalyze the “most common use scenario” before we dig too far into batteries or their size. How do you plan to use the Kindle?
With some of us being long-distance backpackers, we are often away from a power supply for weeks. We care deeply about maintaining a charge in the device because there’s nowhere to charge the device! If you’re near a power supply on a routine basis, does it matter if the battery charge lasts six, ten, or twelve weeks? Maybe not so much!
- 6.8-inch 300 PPI glare-free display
- Up to 10 weeks of battery life
- Available in three different colors
- Now includes 20% faster page turns
The Kindle Scribe’s battery is three to four times larger than the Kindle, Paperwhite, or Oasis models. The Scribe has a stylus that allows users to add handwritten notes to books, documents, or messages. Pretty slick feature, but the component and the large display screen will consume the battery faster than the smaller screen models.
Water Resistance
Kindle devices are water resistant, not waterproof. Two Kindle models have an IPX8 rating for water resistance.
International Protection, or Ingress Protection
The IP rating stipulates the level of protection a device offers against dust and water ingress. A rating of IPX8 means that the Kindle can be submerged in water for up to 30 minutes in approximately three feet of water and still function correctly.
Sprinkle or Dip?
The Oasis and Paperwhite can handle a short water dunking. (Not that we advise it.) The Kindle and Scribe have no water resistance ratings, so keep it to a light sprinkling.
- 7-inch, 300 PPI flush-front display
- Waterproof (IPX8)
- Ergonomic design with page-turn buttons
- E Ink technology
- 64GB storage
We’ve been known to stick our Kindle into a Ziplock bag for wet weather protection when backpacking, sailing, or mucking around in a tent. Different types of Kindle devices will provide water resistance or no water resistance. Choose wisely!
Storage
There’s a lot of storage on each device type. Remember, though; these are eReaders, not tablets. You’re not going to store your 4K movies on here. A Kindle is primarily concentrated on ebooks. How many books will each size eReader hold?
- 8 GB: approximately 3,000 to 6,000 books can fill up the hard drive
- 16 GB: holds about 6,000 to 9,000 books
- 32 GB: contains roughly 9,000 to 13,500 books
The caveat: graphic novels (AKA comic books) and audio content (Audible) will consume much of your drive space if you don’t stay aggressive in your deletion methodology.
- A Graphic novel will consume about 650 MB to 1.4GB.
- An Audible book is roughly 25 MB per hour of audio content. If each book is about 10 hours, that’s 250 MB per book.
- Different types of Kindle devices have differing amounts of memory. If you don’t download music, spoken words, or graphic novels, your drive will stay relatively empty.
In our puny 8 GB Kindle, we have precisely 93 books downloaded. We read and delete content from our devices. Searching through the Kindle library is a bit tedious to find an exact book if we don’t recall the precise title.
Yes, you can search for a book, and you can create Collections to house certain books. We just found that we’re lazy and end up scrolling endlessly, searching for content. It’s easier to leave content on the device that we’ll read again sooner rather than later.
Page Buttons
The Oasis is the only model to have page buttons. These are physical buttons you press to advance the book one page forward or one page back. The Oasis is a throwback to earlier Kindle models that included physical page buttons.
- 10.2”, 300 PPI glare-free display
- Take notes with the included Basic Pen
- Four brush types to write and sketch
- A single charge via USB-C powers months of reading and weeks of writing
The Kindle, Paperwhite, and Scribe allow book navigation based on a touch screen methodology. Use a finger or thumb to gently touch the right side of the display screen to advance to the next page. Touch on the left side of the screen to return to the previous page.
Writing/Stylus
In an effort to catch up to tablet capability, Amazon introduced the Scribe. The Scribe model is the only Kindle model to have a writing option.
A basic rechargeable pen is included in the purchase. An upgraded pen is an option. Use the pen to mark up documents, write on a pre-defined template, scribble notes, and draw a picture.
Different Types of Kindles: 5 Must-Know Facts
- There are different types of Kindle devices of varying costs and sizes.
- The newest Kindle model, the Scribe, includes a stylus and the ability to handwrite notes, memos, etc. Written material is automatically synced, and you can edit and review material on a laptop or tablet.
- All Kindle devices display personalized screensavers when your device drops into sleep mode. You can pay a higher purchase price (approximately $20) to have the option disabled. If, at a later date, you decide that you don’t want to see screensaver advertisements, you would need to pay the discount that was applied to your Kindle when you purchased it.
- The size of the hard drive required is a personal preference. An 8 GB drive will hold thousands of books but only a few graphic novels.
- The Oasis model offers (free) cellular connection for downloading.
Different Types of Kindles: Which One Is Better? Which One Should You Use?
Selecting a Kindle device is a highly personal decision. There are many different types of Kindle devices to choose from. The best Kindle choice for us may not be the best for you. Owning a Kindle is about freedom and flexibility in how and when you consume written continent.
If you’re on a tight budget, a “standard” Kindle is several hundred dollars cheaper than the most expensive Kindle. The base model Kindle has enough memory for thousands of books.
The Paperwhite and Oasis models are great poolside, riverside, or bathtub eReaders. Both models are water-resistant and can handle a quick drop into the water.
The standard Kindle and the Scribe model are not water-resistant. The former is a good choice for readers seeking basic eReader functionality. The Scribe is the largest-sized Kindle available, and it’s geared toward reading, writing, note-taking, annotation, and doodling.
- $99.99Buy Now on Amazon
- 300 PPI display (glare-free, paper-like)
- A single charge via USB-C lasts up to 6 weeks
- 16GB of storage
- Access to Kindle Unlimited with over 2 million titles
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
11/29/2023 09:42 pm GMT - $139.99Buy on Amazon
- 6.8-inch 300 PPI glare-free display
- Up to 10 weeks of battery life
- Available in three different colors
- Now includes 20% faster page turns
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
11/30/2023 08:29 am GMT - $249.99Buy Now on Amazon
- 7-inch, 300 PPI flush-front display
- Waterproof (IPX8)
- Ergonomic design with page-turn buttons
- E Ink technology
- 64GB storage
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
11/30/2023 08:33 am GMT - $339.99Buy Now on Amazon
- 10.2”, 300 PPI glare-free display
- Take notes with the included Basic Pen
- Four brush types to write and sketch
- A single charge via USB-C powers months of reading and weeks of writing
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
11/29/2023 08:26 am GMT
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