Amazon's newest low-cost Kindle is thin, light, sharp, fast, and... affordable
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Because they can only do so many things, e-book readers are generally not refreshed quite as often as full-featured tablets, let alone your everyday Android smartphone.
Amazon's always popular entry-level Kindle, for instance, got a sleek new design all the way back in 2016 and a nice and cool front light in 2019, which made many of the company's hardcore fans expect another upgrade this year.
So many improvements, such a great price
Like clockwork, a non-Paperwhite Kindle (11th Generation) has been unveiled earlier today ahead of a proper release next month. Naturally, you can already pre-order the "lightest and most compact" Kindle to date starting at $99.99.
That's 10 bucks higher than the original price of the three year-old Kindle (10th Generation), and although you'll still get ads on your lock screen if you can't afford or don't want to pay $20 extra, the vastly improved features fully and undeniably justify the hike.
If anything, we're (pleasantly) surprised this latest base Kindle is not costlier with a significantly higher-res display, better battery life, faster charging, and double the internal storage space of its 2019-released forerunner.
Incredibly enough, the "all-new" Kindle can hold more books than even the $139.99 Kindle Paperwhite from just last year while borrowing its modern USB-C port and 300 ppi screen density from the same higher-end product.
Of course, the Paperwhite does retain a few key advantages over its smaller and younger brother, offering a little extra screen real estate, even more battery life, and perhaps most importantly, adjustable warm light technology.
Still, with 16 gigs of digital hoarding room, a premium 6-inch glare-free display, up to six weeks (yes, weeks) of endurance between (slower or faster) charges, a basic built-in adjustable front light, a newly added dark mode feature, a thinner-than-ever 8mm profile, and a lightweight 158-gram body, the upgraded low-cost Kindle looks like an amazing bargain on paper... even before Amazon inevitably reduces its price for various sales events.
Speaking of, the now previous-generation Kindle is currently marked down by 25 bucks from a list price of $89.99, which is a pretty good discount but likely to get even better in time for the upcoming holiday season.
The latest Kindle Paperwhite model, meanwhile, is available at the same retail price as always, but with a $45 discount offered during the Prime Day 2022 festival back in July and now this very similar "standard" Kindle up for pre-order, cool new deals are only a matter of time.
But wait, there's more
One more new Kindle, to be specific. An upgraded Kindle Kids version, to be even more exact, which obviously shares all its features with the non-kid-friendly Kindle (11th Gen) while adding a playful protective cover to the equation and bumping the list price up to $119.99 in the process.
The 2022 Kindle Kids, however, doesn't come with sponsored screensavers (aka "special offers" or lockscreen ads), not to mention that it does also include a one-year Amazon Kids+ subscription and two-year "worry-free" guarantee in its base price.
That's a great deal of value for parents looking to keep their children occupied and educated with an endless supply of age-appropriate books and full adult supervision over everything from titles to reading and bedtime schedules.
As always, Amazon is refreshing its kid-friendly cover options as well, offering you the choice between Ocean Explorer, Space Whale, and Unicorn Valley flavors designed to fit a pretty wide range of personalities and moods. The "regular" Kindle is also getting a bunch of new protective covers, set to be made available separately in the near future in black, rose, "denim", and "dark emerald" hues.
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