Books. They have always been a hiding place for people – a reprieve of sorts. They can declutter the mind – rid it of the thousand voices screaming what I need to think about next. There is nothing like a good book to help with the great escape.
I seem to go through reading “phases” where I read a TON and then forget about it for a while. I nearly forgot about my suppressed passion for reading to escape the chaos of life, until recently. Amazon graciously let me test out the new 2021 Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, and my passion is slowly being restored. Now, thousands of books literally lie at my fingertips – and I can take them with me anywhere.
When I say I can take them anywhere, I literally mean anywhere. Feel like reading in the bath? Go for it. This Kindle is waterproof, and I learned firsthand if it gets submerged it will be okay. I accidentally knocked it into the tub while filling it up and panicked a bit. There was a moment of panic, but for no reason. I simply took it out, wiped it off, and I was reading away with no issues whatsoever. Now the best place to relax can be enjoyed without the worry of ruining a book due to waterlogging the pages.
The Signature Edition features 32GB of space while the normal Paperwhite has 8GB worth of data. This is a ton of space, especially if you are just looking to read books. I personally only use mine for books, but it does feature bluetooth for audiobooks via audible as well. I tend to just listen to those using the app on my phone with wired earbuds, but the ability to do so on Kindle is pretty awesome and it works well.
Amazon also upgraded the size of this Kindle. It is a noticeable difference too. The previous paperwhite measured in at 6 inches and where the newest upgrade is 6.8 inches (Though the Oasis does have a 7-inch screen). This is a worthy upgrade and overall it just feels better in my hands. I also notice the screen gets a bit brighter than my old paperwhite as well.
The brightness also automatically adjusts to the light available in my room (only available on the Signature Edition), and there is still the option for a “warm” view. Basically, this view makes my Kindle screen look slightly more like the page of a book.
My favorite improvements overall have to be the addition of the USB-C charging port (finally!) and the ability to charge the device wirelessly (only the Signature Edition). I have a wireless charger sitting next to my bed, and now I can simply set the kindle down on it during the day when I’m not using it.
This makes battery life a non-issue for me. If you are interested in knowing the overall battery life, Amazon reports you can get up to 10 weeks of use in Power Saver mode. That is plenty of battery for the average user, and charging it really shouldn’t be an issue anyways. Most of us have chargers everywhere now, and the device itself charges relatively quickly.
The 2021 Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is worth the upgrade from prior models – if not for the screen size, then for the wireless charging capability and automatic light adjustment. In my testing though, I could not help but feel like something was still missing. I have used a Kindle Oasis in the past, and I fell in love with the idea of having buttons to move forward and backward.
Call me crazy (or lazy), but it is a huge peeve when I am reading on the couch with blankets and I can’t always reach the edge of the screen to page forward with one hand (I need to keep my other hand under the blankets right?). Sometimes I use my nose (I know I’m weird). The buttons on the Oasis fit perfectly under my thumb and make it so much more convenient. I will say I miss the beveled edge too, but I would settle for buttons.
Otherwise, Amazon continues to improve on an already great product. It will be interesting to see if the Oasis makes another comeback this year with its own upgrades, but until then, the 2021 Paperwhite is awesome, and if you can fork over an extra $50-$70 the Signature Edition is even better. Feel free to comment on recommended books below!
