The time has come! After owning my Kindle for a little over 6 months, I think it’s finally time to give you my honest review.
To start, let me give you a little introduction about my reading journey. Before 2022, I read maybe 2-3 books a year…max. It wasn’t until the start of 2022, when I traded self-help books for fiction novels, that I really got into reading. Since then, I’ve read just over 26 books, 11 of which books I read on my Kindle Oasis. Which equates to over 5 thousand page and almost 80 hours spent using my Kindle. To keep up with my ever growing list of book recs, you can follow me on Instagram or GoodReads.
I’m by no means an expert and like mainly I’m fairly new to reading on a consistent basis, but I will say, do know my around the kindle! So here it goes…
First Off
The Kindle is obviously the go-to tech product when it comes to reading digital books & magazines. it gives you that convenient portability we all desire, while also capturing the essence of reading a book with its paper-like screen. Now, knowing which Kindle to buy depends on your budget and your reading preferences. That’s where this guide comes in.
The Pros & Cons
When it comes to the Amazon Kindle, the list of pros far out way the cons if you’re an avid reader.
PROS
- Lightweight and convenient for traveling
- Screen looks like the pages of a book
- Long battery life
- Ability to change font sizes
- Ability to download samples before buying — aka you can get the first 10% of the book to read
- Connects to GoodReads
- Ability to highlight quotes — it will even sync your highlighted quotes to your GoodReads accounts
- Personally, I read a lot quicker on a kindle
- Free books, using your library card
- Dictionaries and translations can be very helpful, but they do require internet access
- No book light required — you can adjust the brightness and warmth settings to your liking which is really helpful when reading in the dark or on planes.
- Easy and Immediate purchasing, as long as you have WiFi there’s no waiting for deliveries in the mail
CONS
- No ability to share books — there’s something about passing around a physical book between all your friends to read that gives you a sense of community
- It’s electronic, which means that it can break and will inevitably need charging
- It’s pricey — for an item that only service one purpose, its definitely a luxury expense
- Storage limit — while you can store hundred of books on the 32 GB version, if you’re an avid reader who plans on owning the kindle for years to come you may have to start removing books from your library
- Wi-Fi dependent, while you don’t need Wifi to read a book, you will need it to download books, search amazon & use the dictionary feature.
- It’s just not a book. the smell. the pages. the ability to share. growing a collection. the going to book shops. you just don’t get those with a kindle.
The Paperwhite vs. The Oasis
While both are prefect for everyday use and convenient for traveling, the Oasis comes out of top in terms of luxury and performance. My personal rule of thumb is if you’re an avid reader – reading 30 minutes or more a day and over 12 books a year, the Oasis is worth the extra splurge. However, if you find yourself more of a leisurely reader – reading a few books a year or just on vacations, the Kindle Paperwhite is everything you need at a more affordable price point.
Which one do I prefer? The kindle Oasis. If you can afford the splurge, the overall design and aesthetic just feels superior to the Paperwhite. Some may argue thats not worth the additional $90 increase in price, but it goes back to your personal spending preferences.
The Paperwhite
- Price: Starting at $139
- Smaller Screen : 6.8-inch glare-free E Ink display
- Heavier : 205g
- Plastic Body
- Newest modle
- Adjustable Warm Lighting
- Significantly more affordable
- Longer Battery Life : Up to 10 weeks (based on reading 30 minutes a day)
- Available in 8 GB or 32 GB memory
- IPX8 water-resistant (up to 2m of fresh water for 60 min)
- Wi-Fi (2.4GHz)
The Oasis
- Price: Starting at $249
- Larger screen : 7-inch glare-free E Ink display
- Lighter & Easier to hold : 188g
- Buttons to turn pages
- Ergo-dynamic shape, making it easier to hold with one hand
- Aluminum body
- Adjustable Warm Lighting
- Faster navigation & page turning
- Shorter Battery Life : Up to 8 weeks (based on reading 30 minutes a day)
- Available in 8 GB or 32 GB memory
- IPX8 water-resistant (up to 2m of fresh water for 60 min)
- Wi-Fi (2.4GHz)
- Optional cellular connectivity
Is Kindle Unlimited it worth it?
First off, what is Kindle Unlimited? It’s a
Let keep it simple, Kindle Unlimited is $9.99/month and given that books are typically between $13-$15 on the kindle, if you’re reading 2 or more books a month it basically pays for itself.
The catch? Not all books and authors are apart of the Kindle Unlimited plan.
You can find a full list of available reads and authors here, but some of my personal favorite Authors included in Kindle unlimited are Colleen Hoover, JK Rowling, Lucy Score and Meghan Quinn.
My suggestion? Start with the 3-month trial of Kindle Unlimited and see just how much use you get out of it! If you don’t find yourself reading 1-2 books a month it’s quick and easy to cancel or pause whenever you want.
Are books really that much cheaper?
Honestly, no.
You might save a few bucks here or there on books, but compared to the price you’re paying for the kindle itself, it’s not necessarily a money saving hack. The Kindle is worth it for its convince and luxury.
How to get free books on the Kindle?
Now, if you want to rent books. Meaning you can download books, read them for a month, then return (or undownload) them. You might want to try adding the Libby app to your Kindle. The Libby app is basically a digital library, giving you access to thousands of free books at the touch of your fingers, all you need is a library card.
HERE IS THE STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO GETTING FREE KINDLE BOOKS.
The catch? There are often times waiting periods for popular books and time limits on rentals.
The Verdict?
Do it.
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