Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16 GB) – Now with a larger display, adjustable warm light, increased battery life, and faster page turns – Agave Green

I absolutely love this Kindle Paperwhite. The Agave Green color looks really nice in person and gives it a fresh, clean feel. It’s lightweight and easy to hold for long reading sessions, and the size fits comfortably in one hand without feeling bulky. The screen quality makes books look sharp and easy on the eyes, especially with the adjustable warm light. Battery life and overall durability have been excellent so far, and the huge book selection makes it easy to always have something new to read. Overall, a fantastic reading device that’s comfortable and reliable for everyday use.

The first thing I thought of when I saw an e-reader was AWESOME! But that was before they introduced the paperwhite models. In essence, they were amazon branded android tablets. They were slow and clunky and incredibly cheap. I'm further embarrassed to admit my first e-reader was actually a Barnes & Noble Nook. Which - if anything - was worse than the original Kindle's. I also discovered that I just plain missed holding a book. I couldn't explain it but I know a lot of people understand what I'm talking about. There is just something about being able to physically hold that book in my hands that just felt "right" and the e-readers just did not provide that. Finally amazon introduced the paperwhite and that was an absolute game changer. The ability to read a Kindle in direct sunlight was just unheard of. The older color versions were essentially useless in direct sun, or even marginally cloudy days as well. I still preferred holding a book in my hands though. But that all changed one night when I couldn't sleep and I tried to read at 1am and couldn't get ANY light to work well enough while also trying to hold my hard back book and not wake up my wife. It became a challenge of monumental proportions (at least for me it was). Slowly, over the course of the next 6 months, I began to warm up to the idea of giving the Kindle another try. This is where I made a big mistake however. Instead of buying it new, I went with a reputable company that sold reconditioned electronics for a deep discount. My reasoning seemed solid (at the time), if I ended up not truly enjoying my Kindle, at least I hadn't wasted too much $$ on buying a new one. Unfortunately, the model I received was tied to the account of the former owner, and I wasn't able to correct that with a simple master reset. It took several days to work thru that problem, but once I did, I was off and running. I got a slightly smaller model (6" screen) and while it functioned, it stuttered so often I forgot just how smooth it really should've been. But still, even with the issues, the hiccups and stuttering, I grew to really enjoy using it and more importantly, I loved the battery life it offered. I decided it was time for an upgrade, and this time I was going all-in. I got the 6.8" screen, which isn't that much bigger, but it DOES make a difference. Since I ordered directly from amazon this time, imagine my absolute surprise when I turned it on I was worried that it was going to take forever to link up to my WiFi and have to add my amazon account information...but that did not happen. Not sure if amazon pre-programmed it, but as soon as I turned it on it said, "Welcome Jeff" and I was stunned. How did it know??? Well, no matter, the set-up was a friggin' breeze and I was thrilled how seamless it was. Operation was so much easier and while it still offers a little stuttering (which in all honesty is simply due to the black & white screen and how it operates) but it was decidedly better than the older model. Battery life is stellar, though not as good as amazon claims. I think what they say is almost absurdly optimistic. But, the truth is, a paperwhite will give you pretty great life on a full charge. It operates well, and I love how I can invert the screen so more of it is black. Not sure if that uses less battery like it does on an amoled phone screen, but I'm going to see and test it just in case. My old Kindle did not have this option. All in all, reading is fun again for me and I love how I don't need a special light to read in the middle of the night like I did with a hard back. Kudos to amazon, I love my Kindle.

So I came into possession of this little guy due to a late night Amazon impulse buy a few days before leaving for vacation. I was going on a weeklong trip with my family and didn't want to have to bring my ipad (what I usually use to read) or any actual books with me on the plane. Let me preface this by saying I am an avid reader, spending the majority of my free time reading...and have been for most of my life. My siblings lament to anyone listening about the horror of summer road trips, riding in the back of our family sedan, fighting for leg room because I always had at least 5-6 books at my feet to read during our travels. You should hear the way my sister grumbles at even the mere mention of a car ride with me (She horribly dramatic) but I digress. I also used to have a nook e-reader, an original model Kindle from way back in the day that no longer works, and have the kindle app on my ipad which I use to read most days. So I am familiar with e-reading. This kindle is quite possibly the best purchase I've ever made. It's basically pocket sized so it was extremely portable. I brought it with me everywhere; On the plane, in the car, in my bag to restaurants...I even managed to fit it in a particularly spacious pocket of an oversized jean jacket I wore on cooler nights. It's amazing. It was comfortable enough to hold in one hand, or two, depending on what I preferred at the time. The various light options on the kindle, including the warm light feature makes it easy to read regardless of where I was and what kind of lighting is available, without eye strain. I shared a room with family for a couple of nights and the dark mode feature barely emits light past my immediate person, so I was able to read into the wee hours of the morning if I wanted to without disturbing my family sleeping in the same room, or sacrificing my precious reading time. ( I get particularly sassy if I'm interrupted in the middle of a discovering a plot twist in a juicy novel, i'm just saying). You are able to customize lots of the settings, such as the fonts, size, spacing and layout, so that the books look however you want them to while reading. (I definitely used that feature to make the font smaller and more compact while I read an embarrassingly cringleworthy, but suprisingly emotional and fantastic, harlequin romance novel while on the plane. It's nobody's business why I was practically sobbing into my complimentary pretzels after the protagonists romantic interest declared his love to her for the first time, thank you very much) I also may, or may not have had a TINY accident in which I spilled my entire 32oz water bottle full of water all over my pants and my kindle. After squealing in alarm at how cold the water was, I was able to get my bearings, wiped the water off the kindle, changed my pants and continued reading. I have noted no damage whatsoever to my kindle and that was at the beginning of my trip well over a week ago now. After reading every day for at least 4-6 hours per day/night for 7 days straight I had 57% battery left over. I think the battery is supposed to last for 2 weeks maybe? IDK. Basically it lasted a long time, long enough for me to be impressed. Also, I downloaded at least 15 new books on there, not to mention the impressive collection of books I already owned and was able to sync to the device, and I still have over 4GB of space available to use. I have since named the kindle Kurt, as I feel emotionally connected to the device after our adventures together these past weeks. If you are a super bookworm like me, or are just trying to finish a whole book for the first time, I highly recommend this device for purchase. I think it was worth the money a thousand times over. And if after reading this you do decide to purchase it, I hope you love it just as much as I do.

As you probably know, the kindle paperwhite is black and white and is used as a dedicated e-reader for books and other reading material. This device acts like printed media rather than a tablet -- once your book is open there are no ads and no distractions, simply fast reading on a comfortable device. I've upgraded to several generations of kindle paperwhites over ten years. This review is for the 11th generation that came out in 2021. The idea of within a minute retrieving any book in my library or getting a brand new book is simply irresistible. The kindle paperwhite is a great e-reader. Note that it frequently goes on sale so try to time your purchase so you can save $$. These are the things I like about it: * PORTABLE The kindle paperwhite is small and light and fits easily into my purse, even with a cover. By the way if you get a kindle definitely get a cover as well to protect it. As an added bonus, the cover makes the kindle feel like a slim book while you're reading. There are many attractive covers in addition to the official amazon ones. * WATERPROOF The kindle paperwhite is waterproof. Indispensable for the pool or bathtub. * EASY ON THE EYES The screen lighting of the kindle paperwhite is adjustable and reading is pleasant. I prefer to read with black background and white letters. (Settings > Accessibility > Invert Black and White). You can change the brightness by swiping down from the top and finding the "Brightness" setting. And don't forget you can change font and text size as well. When your book is open simply touch the top of the screen, select Aa > Font then adjust as you want. Print on the screen is quite clear both in bright sunlight and in a dark room. You can even make the lighting warmer (more yellow) for nighttime reading by swiping down from the top and finding the "Warmth" setting. * READ TO YOU EVEN IF YOU DON'T USE AUDIBLE The text to speech (TTS) feature is my very favorite :-) I love having my kindle read to me so I can do other things like needlework or driving at the same time. TTS works even if you don't have audible books, alexa, or a phone app. Simply connect your bluetooth device to the kindle (Settings > Wi-Fi & Bluetooth > enable Bluetooth > select your device) then turn it on (Settings > Accessibility > VoiceView Screen Reader). You can adjust the volume and speech rate to your liking. * LONG BATTERY LIFE Yes, the battery really lasts for days or weeks. Things like bright screen level, wifi on, and TTS may drain the battery at a faster rate. The kindle uses a C adapter. * PLENTY OF SPACE FOR ALL YOUR BOOKS The standard kindle paperwhite has 8 GB storage which can store at least 2000 or 3000 ebooks or roughly 35 audible books. You can also get a kindle paperwhite with 16 GB or for even more space for audible books you can get a Signature paperwhite with 32 GB. ______ As I've gone through several generations of the kindle paperwhite I've noticed that while the physical device continues to get better, I don't like the software as much as previously. Here are three things in particular: * NO GAMES I really really miss the games. These were so fun to play for me and to entertain young ones. Please can we bring supportive software for games back? * KINDLE DEVICE HOME AND LIBRARY SCREENS I hate the Home screen because most of the screen is taken with book recommendations rather than your own library. The top ribbon shows the book covers in order of last opened. You can only see three and a half books so you'll be doing a lot of scrolling if you're looking for a book you read a while ago. The Library screen is a bit better because you can list your books by title or author (three lines at top right screen give you "Sort by" screen), but the listings still include book cover thumbnails that take up room. I admit I'm fussy but I like to have a compact list that I can scan quickly rather than needing to scroll through page after page and/or removing books from my device. (The books are still accessible in the cloud but will need to be reloaded if I want to read them again). * COLLECTIONS IN AMAZON CLOUD Since the beginning until now, Amazon cloud storage uses only one layer of folders. If you have, say, science fiction books and mysteries, you either jumble them together in "Fiction" or else you have to make two separate folders that don't link. Please, Amazon, fix this. _____ Overall while the kindle paperwhite isn't *perfect* it's pretty darn close and lovely to read for books with plain text and images/photographs. PDFs and more complex images like maps are difficult to see on the small screen and may do better with the Kindle Scribe which is larger. If you want a reader with color and web browser capabilities you may want to consider getting a kindle Fire rather than paperwhite. The kindle paperwhite is a great device for what it is meant to do -- read books -- and for that I will give five stars, although I am keeping my fingers crossed for software updates to make the experience even better.

This is my second or third Kindle Paperwhite. I got my first one, after researching for my specific needs, many years ago. Got a most wonderful actual leather cover with magnetic closure. I used it for years, then they came out with a larger format. So I traded mine in. Ordered what I thought would be the same leather cover, just sized for the larger Kindle. Instead receiver the most awful synthetic something, but it did the job. Eventually gave that to a family member. Got my nre Paperwhite with the cork cover. I like the "hand" of the cork, and a couple of years in, it's holding up well to frequent use. Originally I wanted a Kindle to take when I was out of town and didn't want to transport books. This gave me more freedom as when i was finished with a book, I could either access one I'd already purchased from my library, or I could shop Amazon's vast collection at any hour or weather or location. It was small and light enough that I could easily carry it in my purse. If my flight was delayed, it was right there with me, easily accessed. I still like holding a book in print, but for convenience I think this is hard to beat. Also, the Paperwhite seems to be more easily read in most light. My Fire has color and is not as versatile, especially in the sun. Battery seems to last forever, both while reading, and for the life it - I've never had a battery go bad or die as charges last and last, but the last I was aware, you could send your dead Kindle back to Amazon and they would replace for a minimal fee (may not still be available but never had to use). All in all, I'm extremely pleased with my Kindle.

PROS: Well, I REALLY like the 11th Gen over my 7th Gen. I'll do it in 4 points: 1-Larger Screen.. Nice 2-Color Temp adjustment for the screen. My background is photography so to me the new screen goes from say 8000 degrees Kelvin to about 2500 degrees Kelvin. I'm happy around 4700-5000 3-LONGER battery life.. like 2 months vs 3 weeks 4- USB-C!! YES! (my old microUSB was always getting wobbly. I did not mention the increase from "4"GB to "8"GB..because ..well. in the 7th Gen the 4GB is actually 3.1GB with the rest taken up by the OS on the new one.. it's actually...wait for it.. 6.25GB! Yep the OS went from .9GB to 1.75GB! A bit piggy for me. I made a joke with a few of the Kindle Tech people that they got ideas from Windows Vista!. Most got the joke. CONS: Now onto issues..several which are really for how I use my Kindle: 1- ok the not quite 8GB issue. Hey I understand the increase in size..but how about making Audible a CHOICE.. you can add it or make it optional. If you take away Bluetooth support and Audible..maybe we might gain some space back. (Personally I use nice plug-in headphones. I really only see Audible BT when on a long drive in the car..like music. But then again, you can just put it in a format like MP3 and play it thru the car. I have the entire Hitchhiker's Guide Radio Broadcasts like that) 2- BIG (to me ) BUG the issue? as in the photograph.. I use Amazon Cloud Collections. I organize my ebooks (most I got before I got the kindles) using Calibre. So when I set up series, I use the Series name, or I use the Author, or Subject as a title for the Collections. sometimes, (as in the case of the Dune series), books are added that happened in-between earlier books that came out. So when that happens I will add the book. And when you have a series of say 11 books, 9 of which came out years ago, I'll add the book as the following: 01-Dune 02-Dune Messiah 03-Children of Dune then 3 books were added.. Tales of Dune. Paul of Dune, and The Winds of Dune. In my older 7th Gen PW it showed like this: 00-Tales of Dune 01-Dune 01.5-Paul of Dune 02-Dune Messiah 02.5-the Winds of Dune 03-Children of Dune BUT, As the photograph shows, the new 11th Gen PaperWhite has a bug! 00-Tales of Dune 01.5-Paul of Dune 01-Dune 02.5-the Winds of Dune 02-Dune Messiah 03-Children of Dune This should REALLY be addressed! 3-This is not so much a Kindle PW issue, as so much it's an Amazon issue. and it deals with the Amazon Cloud Collections. As I use Calibre, and I have a LOT of books that were originally Epubs, I used Calibre to convert them and organize them into series. And after various different methods, including sideloading from the computer, I decided to use the Cloud Collections. So I sent ALL of my converted epubs (now mobi files) to Amazon and used the website to organize them into the collections. Which went very well ....at first. First..about 2-3 years ago, Amazon removed the ability to send the Collection to Device. So now I HAVE to use the actual PW to get my Collections onto my Kindle. Recently, Amazon changed the display format on the pages on how they show books and doc files. And if you want to add a book or doc to a collection, it's now incredibly tedious! Formally when you did a box would open that would let you start typing the name of the collection, or make a new collection. All in one box. NOW, a box open which shows 2 or 3 collections.. not in any order other than Recent..with a check box! You can't find the collection by typing the title.. you can only scroll..and it only shows 2 collections at a time. That's fine if you have 6 collections.. but I have 49 page of 5 COLLECTIONS EACH!!! PLEASE PLEASE PUT BACK THE OLD WAY OR ADD A SEARCH OPTION!! You've actually found a way that is so much more tedious than the actual Paperwhite!!!!! you can't even make a new one on there.. you have to go back to the collection Tab.. THEN go back to the doc or book tab and start all over! Please go back to the old way !!! 4- the new Library Series option. It only works for purchased books, not docs. also, I had to call up because it grouped two books together, in a series..(nice), but then stuck on e of the GRAYED OUT, above the first collection.. only in Download. I found out I had to do a Reboot after turning Library option off. (I ended up putting the two books in a collection.. like I like. Well that's about it. btw I ALWAYS use the LIST vs GRID option.. and using HOME is no longer a nice choice. I prefer when HOME was the same as LIBRARY .. in my case..the first collection, and all the collections after which comes the books in Recent order now... waiting for a dark brown cork case. ______________________________________ Slight update or comment on the software version. My wife and I both upgraded to the 11th Gen. Her's came with her case..Amazon Black Leather, while I wait for the cork. Her 11th gen came with 5.14.1 1, while mine came with 5.14.0 . I was a bit surprised since both were ordered at the same time. And arrived together. But, not a big issue, since eventually all units will be on the latest software. So? What to do? I've read a LOT on here about complaints it's so hard, I know. Since my "update" was grayed out, I just downloaded the latest version and put it on my 11th gen, and rebooted..and BINGO! No problem, I now have the latest software. Now fix the real BUG I addressed and fix the "Manage Your Content" pages regarding using Cloud Collections. Oh, while you're at it, fix the damn Amazon Android App so I can work with Cloud Collections via the App. And not just my tower. Thanks UPDATED 1/13/2024 Well..woth the November 2023 Firmware, v5.16 5, they FINALLY got List to work with the Collections! BUT.. with the January 2024 ipdate, v5.16.6, they updated the system menu...and the SYSTEM FONT SHRUNK!!!! Making the system menu almost unusable. PLEASE FIX THIS ASAP!!!! If you have to scroll up for the complete menu, fine. Yes, it's vetter than multiple sub menus, except due to the font size reduction, it's incredibly hard for people with vision issues to use. I know you were working on a way to adjust system fonts, but never completed it. Please get that working, or just release a 5.16.5.1 with increased font size for the system menu. PLEASE!!!!!

I am someone who believes that there is something profound and special about a physical book. My favorite part about a book is its smell. It's not wrong to describe the smell of walking into a Barnes & Noble as pure euphoria. New books smell like potential, beginnings, and the possibility of something grand. Old books smell like legends, ancient wisdom, or forgotten secrets. Books have a weight to them as well. It's reassuring to know that this book you're holding is real — it takes up physical space in the world and this makes it undeniable. It's as if the power of the stories and ideas within are so strong that they have materialized into matter out of the aether. It's hard for me to hold, say, a Bible without a sense of reverence and awe. Even today when I walk into a large library I can't help but feel like I have walked into a holy place — a place of worship. Being surrounded by books has the same effect on me that a Xanex has on others. Books have an impact on me. I love them. This is why, when I started reading on a Kindle over a year ago, it felt like I was committing adultery. This nasty little plastic screen inspired none of the feelings that books gave me. It took the magic of books and sacrificed it on the altar of consumer electronics. Despite these feelings, I continued to use it. Now I have read a little over fifty books using my Kindle. I still believe that the Kindle kills the magic that physical books have, and it does. But for the first time in a year, I decided to pick up a book in paperback and read it. This experience of going back to real books has made me realize a few things about the Kindle and myself. First off, I realized with horror that I am addicted to my Kindle and its features. The people who designed the Kindle did so with intent. The Kindle's sole purpose is to read books — there are no other apps on it, there are no intrusive ads, and there is nothing to distract you from reading. Honestly, the device is relatively primitive compared to other consumer electronics, but that is a design choice and not a flaw. I would argue it is even easier to get lost in a book using the Kindle than it is with a physical book. And then there are the features — the glorious features. My favorite feature by far is the built-in dictionary. When reading a physical book and coming across a word I didn't know the meaning of, assuming I couldn't intuit the meaning from context, I would have to mark my place in the book, put it to the side, pull out my phone, and Google the word. This is tedious. It also breaks my train of thought and forces me to use my dreadful phone with all of its notifications and apps and stuff that sends me into a panic and introduces into my reading time the potential to sidetrack myself. I hate that. With my Kindle, all I have to do is touch the word and a popup with the definition appears and is dismissed just as easily, and then I'm off reading again — an interruption that is barely even noticed and my attention remains intact. Even better is the fact that my Kindle keeps a list of all these words that I've looked up over time, and I can review them anytime. I look at it occasionally and quiz myself — this is my idea of 'fun'. Now I'm a big fan of writing in my books — I underline, highlight, and write in the margins constantly. If I ever need inspiration or if I'm trying to remember something I've read, I will thumb through the book I found it in until I eventually find it. Sometimes when I get bored I will sit in front of my bookshelf and go through the books I've read looking at all the passages I highlighted to refresh my memory on all those inspiring things that I read in years past. It's a little tedious but not too bad. This habit of highlighting is not lost to me while reading on my Kindle. You simply press and drag your finger across the passage which will highlight it. But that's not the best part: Kindle will keep up with everything I have highlighted and organize it all for me by the book it was found in. So at any given time, I can see all of my highlights in any of the books I have read, and I can even share them to my Goodreads profile! This gets me visibly excited. The last feature I want to talk about is the backlit screen. If you do any of your reading in bed then you probably have a bedside lamp or a flashlight or some other novel light source designed for books. Maybe it's just me but I find it difficult to get comfortable in bed and read a paperback at the same time. Either my spouse is annoyed by the light while she is trying to sleep or I can't find the perfect position that makes it both comfortable and easy to read. The Kindle has a backlit screen with adjustable lighting and a "warm" light setting. This means all other light sources in the room can be extinguished and I can still get my reading done. No book-light required. The Kindle is so lightweight that I can lay or recline in any position comfortably. No more fighting with those books whose binding is stiff and unyielding. So now we come to the point of this post. A confession. It's a confession to myself and the world. As much as this pains me to say: The Kindle offers a far superior reading experience over books. I said it. I don't like it any more than you do, but it is simply true. The onboard dictionary, the highlights, the backlit screen, the insane battery life (I charge this thing once a month), all of it together creates the most consuming and productive reading experience available. I still feel subtle pangs of guilt when I look at my bookshelf. I don't think that will ever go away for anyone who truly loves books. But now my bookshelf has become a kind of "greatest hits" display. I still buy all the best books I read, and I now consider my bookshelf as a place of honor for all the greatest books. But I think of my Kindle as another appendage on my body — I never go anywhere without it. I love books. I love my Kindle. To my fellow book lovers out there who are still opposed to the idea of a Kindle, I say that you can love both. It will be okay. The Kindle isn't evil after all.

The Kindle Paperwhite is a staple in any readers collection. It has thousands, upon thousands of books, including more indie authors (which is a huge plus!). While most books are behind paywalls, not all are. Some good options for this are either purchasing Kindle Unlimited for $11.99 a month or getting registered with Libby, for free! All you need is a library card. It's lightweight, small, has a silky smooth screen texture, good brightness levels (especially at night, it isn't bright and you can do a warm filter), and is durable. I've carried it around in my bags for months, with all of my other things, and hasn't gotten ruined at all. It can also handle a tumble. It is also very customizable, and I love that aspect. You can get so any different types of covers, charms, and keychains. It really is the perfect buddy for any avid reader!!