The Amazon Kindle has set the standard in the e-reader market for years, seeing off rival manufacturers with its combination of high-quality hardware, broad choice of content and low book prices. It’s reached the point where the only choice you’re likely to face when it comes to buying a new e-reader, is which Kindle to buy, and Amazon offers plenty of choice. The Amazon Kindle 2016 is one of four e-readers on sale at the online retail giant, with the Paperwhite costing $ 189, the Voyage is $ 269 and the Oasis $ 550. That means it’s the cheapest in Amazon’s range by some distance.
As befits a product costing a quarter of the price of the top-spec Kindle Oasis, it isn’t as slender or as well knitted together. In fact, the new Kindle feels surprisingly low rent. The matte-finish plastic is available in white or black, but whichever you choose, its lightweight construction means this Kindle has a disposable air. Tap the rear of the device and it sounds hollow; apply pressure and it turns disconcertingly; the plastic power button as far from hard-wearing.
I wasn’t impressed with the finish on the white version I was sent for review, then. After only a few days of being carried around in my bag, it was already looking dirty and muddy. In fact, overall, it appears to be less well made than Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet.
Once you’ve switched it on, there’s every chance you’ll forget about the cheapness, and that’s mainly down to its excellent E-Ink Pearl screen. Sure, its 600 x 800, 167ppi resolution isn’t as high as the Paperwhite, Voyage and Oasis – all of which have the latest, far sharper, 300индекс producer price E Ink Carta panel – but you’d need pretty sharp eyesight for the lower-resolution screen to disturb you. And the contrast between page background and text is almost as good. Set alongside the far more expensive Oasis with its light turned down, I found it tough to separate the two.
What’s more likely to cause irritation is that the Amazon Kindle 2016 comes with neither light nor an alternative to the touchscreen for turning pages. The latter isn’t something that bothers me, but some folk simply prefer pressing buttons. I’d recommend you learn to live with this if money is tight, though, since you’d have to spend more to get a Kindle with buttons (the Kindle Paperwhite is also touchscreen-only).
Elsewhere, the basic Kindle is all but identical to its more expensive counterparts. The touchscreen is optical rather than capacitive, but it works perfectly. Performance is slick, and Amazon claims its battery life is "up to four weeks" – although note that this is with wireless turned off and reading limited to 30 minutes a day.
The Kindle also benefits from the same interface update that Amazon recently rolled out across its more expensive e-readers. That means noticeable improvements to Page Flip, which gains a thumbnail overlay, making it easier to flip back and forth through your books. Social network integration and family sharing are also much-improved.
there’s even Bluetooth audio connectivity, so those who need a screen reader can navigate both the Kindle interface and have their ebooks read out to them through headphones.
This is a basic e-reader, that much is men, from the design and build of 2016′s Kindle. If you crave high-quality construction, shift your sights higher to the Paperwhite, Voyage or Oasis. Those devices benefit from better build quality and more features. You’ll almost certainly enjoy having them more than this functional, standard Kindle.
Once you look past the basic features that the Kindle lacks, however, a highly capable e-reader emerges. It’s responsive, lightweight, reads well, and when it comes to the most important things is usability and content – it’s just as good as any of its pricier rivals. If you don’t wish to spend a three-figure sum on an e-reader, it’s the best you can buy.
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