Amazon unveiled next-generation Kindle e-readers on Oct. 1, refreshing the base Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft with thinner bodies, faster performance and a broader palette of colors. The new models are a millimeter thinner and open books 30 percent faster than before, and their power buttons have shifted from the bottom edge to the upper right side. The devices ship with soft-touch plastic casings in vibrant colors, and Amazon is offering aluminum options for the first time.
The aluminum versions carry a higher-end feel and double the storage to 32GB, compared with 16GB for the plastic models. Kevin Keith, Amazon's vice president of Kindle, told The Verge that all the new models have user-replaceable batteries to comply with European Union regulations. The display specifications for the Paperwhite and Colorsoft carry over unchanged, though the color choices now extend across the entire body of each device rather than just the back. Keith attributed that to a new technique that applies a black layer between the panel edges to keep the casing color from visually bleeding onto the screen.
The updated base Kindle starts at $149.99 and is available today in a new purple shade called ube, along with graphite. That model includes 16GB of storage and lockscreen ads. A seamless transition from frame to screen replaces the recessed display of the previous generation. Buyers who choose the aluminum base Kindle pay $189.99, which doubles storage and removes ads. Amazon also offers a magnetic folio case for the aluminum model at $49.99, bringing the combined cost to $239.98, which places it near the $199.99 Paperwhite and its denser, auto-dimming display.
The Paperwhite and Colorsoft aluminum configurations are sold as Signature Edition models, priced at $249.99 and $319.99. Each has pogo pins on the back that work with a $79.99 magnetic page-turn case, which adds physical page-turning buttons similar to those on the Kindle Oasis. The Signature Editions do not include wireless charging. Amazon will sell a $59.99 charging dock that holds the e-reader upright and connects through the pogo pins.
Amazon is also introducing a Bluetooth remote called the Kindle Click. Priced at $34.99, it allows users to turn pages from a distance and includes side-mounted buttons for adjusting screen brightness. The remote's main buttons are soft and quiet, and the device is lightweight with a wrist strap. It recharges over USB-C and works with Kindles from 2024 or later.
The Kindle launch comes during a busy stretch for Amazon hardware. In the past week the company also introduced a new Fire TV Stick 4K that draws power directly from a television's USB port instead of requiring a power brick. The announcements arrive as Apple remains in the middle of its own hardware launch season.
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