Kindle Paperwhite (2018 Model, 10th Gen)
$89.99
$159.99
44% off
Reference Price
Condition: New
Model: 32GB | Twilight Blue
Top positive review
12 people found this helpful
Great Ereader
By pendulum32 on Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2021
Skip to the end for a quick summary! I got this device at a discount through the Kindle unlimited promo, and I was so tempted because I wanted to rekindle (hee hee) my love of reading that has been since beaten out of me through uninspired required reading when I was in school. After graduation, I all but swore I wouldn’t pick up another book. 10 years later, I started reading fanfiction and thought I’d really like to read something more complete and properly edited. You know, like a book. when I got the offer via email, and combined with my love of electronic toys, I had to give the Kindle a shot. Before the device arrived, I have any questions. Is this device going to prove redundant compared to my iPad? Will the battery life be insufficient when a physical book doesn’t have that problem? Can I get a reading flow that doesn’t involve a subscription if I choose? I’ll talk about these more later. When the device came, it was delivered in parsimonious packaging, no larger than necessary to contain the device. No charger was included, but that’s not a problem as I have many charger bricks to go with the included cable. The device is perfectly sized to hold in one hand, and it’s very comparable to holding a book in weight and form factor. I ordered a third-party case in advance which slipped on without difficulty so I could open and close the device in a manner that more resembles a book. leaving the screen exposed seemed unwise. I recommend getting a case to protect the screen and to provide a better reading experience. Don’t underestimate the satisfaction of having a cover with a lid to preserve more of the book experience. My first few books were through the Kindle unlimited program, but I soon discovered that my local library offers a mobile app that can be used to check out books directly to the Kindle. This is become my main source of reading material. Don’t feel like you’re stuck with Amazon. Consider OverDrive or Libby to check whether your public library supports this. I’ve also read I can save files directly to the Kindle through the USB cable for reading, but I’ve never tried, and the popular epub format is not supported. I still enjoy the Amazon integration so I can find and purchase hard to find titles that are instantly available on the device. The saves a trip to the bookstore, and I don’t have one locally. The digital copies are often cheaper than a paperback. I have no room in my small apartment to store a large collection either. I much prefer the Kindle to reading on the iPad for two reasons: no distractions, and superb battery life. On a full charge, I can get through three books over five days, and there’s no temptation to check email nor interruptions from messages received while I’m reading. It helps me dedicate my time to reading. Battery life doesn’t seem to get in the way. There’s a certain peace that comes with reading on the Kindle versus the iPad because I know while I’m using the Kindle that I’m going to be reading and nothing else. I don’t know how to get the same distraction-free experience on a tablet or smart phone compared to the Kindle. The Kindle specializes in doing just one thing, and that’s what makes it so much nicer than a general purpose device. Charge time is an hour or two. I notice almost no battery loss if the device is sitting idle for a few days, but I can’t speak to how the battery performs if you read rarely. Infrequent readers might not appreciate the flexibility of an ereader. Let’s talk about the display. In my opinion, the recent iPads have a better display. I’m not sold on the eink concept. Don’t get me wrong; the display is excellent with plenty of resolution for reading text. I’m not complaining about the display, but I do feel like it’s objectively inferior technology when compared to high end tablets and smart phones. The display is impressive when reading in bright light, but then again, many smart phones can do that too. The display technology really just enables the extremely long battery life necessary to read books without annoyance because, if you’re not using the reading light, it doesn’t take power to keep the display on. I usually use a reading lamp by my bedside, so I don’t use the reading light. The display contrast is comparable to old-fashioned LCD, I think like an alarm clock display. The eink is a unique technology, and it saves power, but don’t expect to be blown away by it if you have used a high-end phone or tablet. It’s more than sufficient, but to me not the selling point, unless you do lots of reading and bright light. Rather, the unique display technology enables low power operation more than anything else. Reading multiple books in a day in bright lighting would absolutely kill my iPad battery. Not so with the kindle. Here, I’ll address a concern of some other reviewers. Some of you have mentioned display imperfections. I believe this is intentional. In the settings, you can have the device redraw the entire screen every time you turn the page. This eliminates visual defects for me, but turning the page became slower. I think Amazon decided to sacrifice some display sharpness for faster response, but you can adjust the setting to your liking. I use the device with the default settings. Sometimes, there will be a spec or two of eink left behind when I turn the page, but it’s not a distraction to reading. I much prefer the device responds quickly when I touch the screen. I chose the version discounted with ads. The ads don’t bother me, and sometimes I find them useful as I’ve only ever seen it advertise books I might be interested in reading. I like it. The display bezels make the device feel less sleek then newer models, but the space doesn’t feel wasted as I imagine the edge space as page margins when I’m reading. Finally, I’d like to talk about the software experience. I’m fascinated that the device cannot be shut down. No really, you can’t turn it off. You can restart the device or turn off the screen, but the device does not support being turned off. It’s always on. This isn’t a problem if you use the device regularly. It uses very little power when you’re not using it. Almost nothing. But, it’s still there, so consider this if you are an occasional reader. EPUB support would be nice, but it is absent. It’s glorious to be able to find uncommon books on Amazon and purchase for reading instantly without leaving my chair. It’s also nice that my library lets me check out books to my Kindle, and there is a large collection in my case. There is noticeable lag when you touch the screen. While there is a notetaking feature, I don’t think the device is responsive enough to take long notes. Typing isn’t nearly as pleasant as it is on a smart phone. Highlighting works with some patients, but again there’s some lag. I believe the lag exists because drawing the display takes time and not because the device is slow, but I’m not sure. It doesn’t get in the way of reading. Software updates happen automatically overnight. I enjoy the built-in dictionary feature and vocabulary builder. The device supports Goodreads account integration, but I find it doesn’t often accurately update my book progress. Quick Summary Works best with Amazon, but you’re not limited. Works with plain files and some public libraries. No EPUB support. Fewer distractions compared to smart phones and tablets. Display is satisfactory. I’m not sold on the concept, but it enables long battery life. Black and white only. I recommend a case for the tactile experience of opening and closing the Kindle like a book. Battery life is perfectly adequate, especially for someone who would rather not drive to the bookstore. The software is adequate. I like it. It’s fun! I’m reading much more now. I hope that as the novelty wears off I’ll stick with the new habit.
Top critical review
2 people found this helpful
Not sure if problem with device or service
By Mike J on Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2019
Update new Not sure if the device is having problems or the kindle delivery service. I frequently have to manually request that a book be delivered to device. It use to be that when borrowed (Kindle unlimited or from Public library) a book, I could just request that it be sent and it worked fine. Now I always have to go into my content and have it sent even though it shows that it is there. Not a deal killer, but very aggravating. They go to my Apple iPad with no problem. I have had the device for a bit over 2 years and battery life is way down. I get about 10 hours of reading or 3 or 4 days of sitting idle and the battery is down below 20%. (have never found battery life on this version to be as good as previous, it is still better than an iPad when it is in use), I have never found the Kindle easier to read than an iPad so am finding that unless I am in an environment where there will be glare, I am using my iPad a lot more for reading. This is my 3rd iPad and I have found they generally seem to last about 3 years before they start having problems (battery, wifi, software update issues, etc). Update After using the Kindle for a bit over a month I wanted to update my review. The button on bottom IS a problem. It was on the bottom on an old kindle and was not an issue. At least with the case I got, the cut outs are fairly big and the button is VERY sensitive to touch and it is easy to turn off. One very annoying characteristic is that the device actually shuts down after not being used for a while (haven't been able to figure out the cutoff, but it's not long). This happens even when the cover is closed on the case rather the old where it always went into sleep mode. Not a huge deal, but it just means another couple of second delay in opening the device that is already slower than the old one. I was hoping that if the device actually shut off that battery life would be better, but I haven't seen any change. With light reading or in standby mode, battery life is a week or more. But if you are reading consistently it goes down to a day or two (10-14 hours of reading time). Generally at a brightness of about 18 out of 24 the screen is warmer than my old Kindle, but at full brightness it turns just as blue. The lighter weight is definitely noticeable unless you get a heavy duty case. It would nice if there was a "to be read" category for books to make it easy to find books that are on your list to read soon. This is sort of possible under "categories" but it's just too complicated to do much. I didn't notice it at first, but while battery life is very good, charging times are not. Even with a USB C connection, it takes more than about 4 hours to charge from 20 to 80%. Since my old kindle was having wifi issues and I did not want to have to depend on using usb to transfer books, I had no choice but to get a new device. But for the most part I liked my old kindle more. Original review Compared to my old Kindle (which was having wifi issues) the 2018 version 4th gen has some improvement compared to the 2013 2nd gen. The screen is slightly warmer (though I see that some people complain of it being bluer so this may not be consistent within the devices) so reading is easier on your eyes. In addition, the back lighting is more even compared to my old 2013 version. But I really wish that the Kindle had the ability to invert the color so you had a bark screen with light text, for this reason (as well as the crisper text) I find that it is easier to read on a tablet, but then have to deal with the weight. Also wish that the brightness of the screen would auto adjust. I don't read much n a dark room or out in the sun, but when I do I need to manually adjust the brightness. As mentioned before, I find the text crisper on a tablet and slightly disappointed that text has not improved in sharpness (especially if make the text bold) much over the years on a Kindle. The screen is basically glare free. The lack of raised bezels is nice, especially if that is where you rest your finger, but you now need to be very aware of where you are attempting to turn pages. It is disappointing that the bezel (black area around the screen) is still so large. You need some because you need to rest your finger somewhere, but would be nice if they were reduced slightly, especially at the top and bottom where you would never hold the device. The water resistance is nice, but in the 7 years + I have been using a Kindle that has never been an issue, but I don't take to beach or the pool so this may mean a lot to some people. The responsiveness is the same which means there is a slight lag when opening books or returning to the home page. It makes no sense, but books are staying queued for download longer than my 2nd gen model. I have only had the device 2 days, so this may be a fluke but I have attempted to download the same books on both devices and while the actual download time was the same, the queued time was about 2-3 seconds longer on the new version. Be aware that it does NOT ship with a charger, just the cable (which is a nice heavy cable that looks to be durable). At this point most people probably have a charger laying around, but if not you will need to buy one. Some people have complained about the micro-usb plug being difficult. I have not found it to be any worse than any other micro usb which is to same it can be slightly difficult and it is hard to know which way to turn the plug. The "special offers" are not at all annoying, especially since you can have the kindle default to opening to your list of books. I was surprised that the device did not ship with the latest firmware. I was thinking about returning because the device had become unresponsive, but then got the notice that there was new firmware to install. So be aware that this may happen to you also. If you are reading audio books (I don't and don't think I ever would), the increase to 8 GB may be important. I normally keep most of my books in the cloud and "only" about 200-300 on my device. I have never used more than 1 GB of storage (remember though that of the 8 GB the user only gets just over 6 as the rest is allocated to the O/S. If you download books with pictures they will greatly increase the size of the book, but you really don't want to look at pictures on a kindle. I haven't had long enough to test battery life, but in previous version I have found that "battery lasts weeks" is not true if you are a heavy reader. I am sure that if you read audio books you should probably look at hours of battery life. Some users have complained about the switch being on the bottom and turning on or off accidentally. I had this on my previous one also and don't find it an issue, especially once your get a case. Maybe their switch is more sensitive. I find the bigger problem to be, once you DO get a case that is can be hard to turn on. The new kindle is lighter than the old one by about an ounce. Not much, but enough to notice if you are holding the Kindle. But if you get a heavy case, the weight of the device will be a small part of the total weight and the improvement in the device weight won't mean much. Navigating to suggested books to read or buy is not bad, but if you have to try and find one its difficult, though not as much as the "experimental browser" which is painful beyond belief. I see in the reviews that some people complain about the lack of ability to change font size or brightness. I think they are just not looking at the right menu options I upgraded while Amazon was offering a special price for Prime members and a trade in for old devices. WIth this, I think the upgrade was worth it (the warmer screen is most important to me though others complain of the blue to the screen). I would not have upgraded at full price nor do I think its worth it unless you intend to read audio books (remember that battery life will decrease) or that the water resistance is important.
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