In 2007 Amazon launched the original Kindle, achieving great success. Now more than 10 years later, the Kindle range continues to lead the way and dominate the market. With both the original Kindle and All New Oasis now supporting
audio books through audible, they are looking more attractive than ever to digital book consumers. There are various types of Kindle devices available from Amazon, including their single-purpose e-readers and Fire tablet range. To find out which one is best for you, take a look at the comparison table below.
| | | | | | | |
| Device: | Kindle | Kindle Paperwhite | Kindle Voyage | New 7” Kindle Oasis | Kindle Fire 7 | Kindle Fire HD 8 | All-New Fire HD 10 |
| Screen Size: | 6" | 6" | 6" | 7” | 7" | 8" | 10.1"
|
| Resolution: | 167ppi | 300ppi | 300ppi | 300ppi | 171ppi
| 189ppi | 224ppi
|
| Built-in Light: | No | Yes - 4 LEDS | Yes - 6 LEDS | Yes - 12 LEDS | Yes - LCD screen
| Yes - LCD screen
| Yes - LCD screen
|
| Waterproof: | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Weight: | 162g | 205g | 180g | 194g | 295g | 369g | 500g |
| Touch: | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Life: | Weeks | Weeks | Weeks | Weeks | 8 hours | 12 hours | 10 hours |
| Storage: | 4GB | 4GB | 4GB | 8GB or 32GB | 8GB or 16GB | 16GB or 32GB | 32GB or 64GB |
| Audible: | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price:* | $79.99 | $119.99 | $199.99 | $249.99 | $49.99 | $79.99 | $149.99 |
| Buy from Amazon | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Amazon |
*All prices at the time of publishing
To see how Amazon Kindles compare to other brands, see our best eBook reader comparisons.
For the price, the original Kindle can’t be beaten. Even though the screen resolution isn’t as high as the other models, it’s sufficient for the average reader. What’s more, it now supports audible. And with audio book popularity on the rise, this is a welcome new feature. However, the device doesn’t have a headphone jack or built-in speakers, so you’ll have to rely on an external Bluetooth audio device. There is also no backlighting, but this can be solved with an attachable external light if you want to read in the dark.
The popular Kindle Paperwhite is a step up from the original Kindle. The price is still affordable and is worth it for the extra features. The Paperwhite boasts a superior reading experience with its 300ppi screen and LED light for night reading. In addition, for a bit extra you can purchase the 3g model. It allows you to download books anywhere in the world free of charge as long as you have a signal. This is a great feature if you travel a lot. Unfortunately, the Paperwhite does not yet support audible.
The next kindle in the range is the Voyage. It is very similar to the Paperwhite but is thinner and lighter, plus it has a couple of extra features. The PagePress buttons are an alternative to the touchscreen, and the adaptive light sensor automatically adjusts the lighting depending on your surroundings. If you already own a Paperwhite, however, the Voyage won’t offer you much more in terms of reading experience, and it also doesn’t support audible. However, there is no doubting that it is one of the best e-Readers on the market.
Amazon has recently revamped their top of the range e-reader, the Kindle Oasis. The metallic design looks and feels expensive, as it comes in either graphite or aluminium black. The Oasis now has a bigger 7” screen and is the first waterproof Kindle. This will go up against competitor devices such as the Kobo Aura H20, which has been supporting these features for a while. And if the 8GB storage isn’t enough, you can opt for the 32GB model to store your thousands of books. Like the basic Kindle, the Oasis also supports audible, which allows you to switch between eBooks and audio books. Overall this e-reader won’t give you much more of a superior reading experience, but that’s not the point. The All New Kindle Oasis eReader is all about style, and it has that in abundance.
If you’re looking for a more versatile device than a single-purpose e-reader, then Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets offer the perfect solution. The bottom of the range Fire 7 is cheaper than a Kindle e-reader, relatively light, has an acceptable battery life, and supports all Amazon services. The screen resolution is quite low, which makes reading at length difficult. The advantage of an LCD screen however makes it more suitable for magazines, comics and other image-heavy publications. All Fire tablets have full audible support, although the Fire 7 is let down by its poor speaker. There are other sound options as it does include an audio jack and Bluetooth.
The slightly bigger Fire 8 offers a full HD display and unlike the 7 has stereo speakers, which make a big difference when listening to audio. It also has the best battery life out of the Fire tablets. On the downside, the screen resolution is still quite low and small fonts can become pixelated. Also at 369g, it’s a bit on the heavy side and becomes uncomfortable to hold for long periods. For the price, however, the Fire 8 HD is a very affordable choice in the tablet range and is the most stylish.
The All-New Kindle Fire HD 10 performs fast and has a superior screen. The sharp display makes text easier to read, and the higher resolution makes images and video playback appear clean. One of the best features is the ambient light sensor, which adjusts the backlighting of the screen automatically. The speaker is also louder than the other Fire tablets, and Alexa’s hands-free support is a welcome addition to the device. The size and weight do make it awkward to hold, and it’s not as convenient as the smaller Fires. But as a multi-purpose device, Amazon’s top of the range tablet performs well and is a lot cheaper than a Kindle Oasis.
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