E-readers are one of the best ways to learn in 2026. If you happen to’re a bit overwhelmed by your shopping for selections, it is comprehensible — there are such a lot of respected companies to purchase from, and every gives loads of choices. You are in all probability acquainted with Amazon’s e-reader line: Kindles.
As one of many first units to dominate the house, the phrase “Kindle” turned synonymous with e-readers years in the past, and different manufacturers have been enjoying catch-up to Amazon’s answer since. Whereas different e-readers permit extra person freedom outdoors the large firm’s significantly restricted software program backyard, many cannot deny the comfort Kindles convey to their studying expertise.
So should you’re trying to turn out to be part of the Kindle household, I’ve a warning for you. There is a explicit Kindle that hides a considerable upcharge behind ineffective “perks,” and also you’d do properly to keep away from it. It is the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version, and here is why you need to spend your money on the common Kindle Paperwhite (not the Signature Version), and even the bottom Kindle as an alternative.
- Model
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Amazon
- Display screen
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7-inch E-ink, 300ppi, 16-level grey scale
- Storage
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16GB
- Connectivity
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Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Why should not you purchase the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version?
The ‘premiums’ do not make it higher than the common Paperwhite
I have not been shy about my Kindle e-reader recommendations up to now — I actually do suppose that the entry-level Kindle is greater than sufficient for many informal readers. It is solely $110 and nearly all the time on some form of sale, so it is the only option for anybody balling on a funds who needs a easy e-reader with out the additional frills. The main variations between the bottom Kindle and the remaining are that it does not boast water resistance, heat filters, or an additional inch of display actual property. However, it nonetheless has a powerful six-week battery life. It is also the smallest Kindle, which makes it further transportable for readers on the go.
- Storage
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16GB
- Display screen Dimension
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6-inch E Ink (300ppi)
- Connections
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USB-C
- Battery
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As much as 6 weeks
Now, if you wish to go up a rung, the common Kindle Paperwhite is a worthy improve. It is my very own day by day driver, and I do suppose the larger show and heat filters are value it after I’m up till 3AM studying the latest romantasy guide. Plus, as somebody who constantly reads by the pool or within the tub, the IPX8 ranking is unquestionably definitely worth the $50 improve alone.
Seems like an e-reader anybody may get together with, proper? Each function on the Kindle Paperwhite is beneficial with out being superfluous. What may the Paperwhite Signature Version do to take it up just a few notches — and be $40 costlier than the common Paperwhite, to not point out nearly double the value of the entry-level Kindle?
Earlier than I let you know what the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version provides, let me let you know what specs it shares with the common Paperwhite:
- 7” glare-free show
- 300 ppi decision
- As much as 12 weeks of battery life on a single cost
- An adjustable heat gentle
- Audible through Bluetooth
- Flush entrance design
- IPX8 waterproof ranking (will be submerged in two meters of contemporary water for an hour)
Bonus: Whereas each the common Paperwhite and Signature Version have 4.6 stars on Amazon, the common Paperwhite has roughly 7,000 extra rankings than the Signature Version (9,200) on the time of writing.
Now, what may the Signature Version add that justifies an extra $40? Preserve studying.
Just one may truly matter to you
There are 4 issues the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version provides:
- Wi-fi charging
- An auto-adjusting entrance gentle
- 32GB (double the storage of the common Paperwhite and entry-level Kindle)
- An ad-free lock display
If there’s one hill I am going to die on, it is that wi-fi charging on a tool that hardly wants charging within the first place is ridiculous. Each 12 weeks, if it is that a lot of a nuisance to discover a USB-C cable and plug it in, then digital studying units is probably not for you. Plus, there’s just about no distinction between laying it flat to cost wirelessly and plugging it in — in truth, I would argue it is simpler to proceed utilizing and holding it like regular when it is bodily linked to energy.
Auto-adjusting entrance lights do sound good in principle, however I discover them to be extra annoying than helpful on my Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. Continually shifting lighting is extra distracting than something, and each time it lands on a brightness that does not match my environment, I’ve to interrupt my studying to manually regulate the slider. A lot for “distraction-free.”
However extra storage must be value the additional money, proper? Mistaken. 16GB sounds tiny in a world the place our telephones and laptops now come stocked with 256GB and 512GB, however it may well maintain 1000’s and 1000’s of normal textual content e-books. I’ve owned a 16GB Kindle for properly over a decade, and I’ve by no means as soon as come even near working out of house on my system — I have not even acquired a notification warning me that I used to be shut. Except you are studying 1000’s of graphic novels (which take up way more house per web page), it is extremely unlikely you may ever attain that threshold — even after downloading 1000’s of titles.
If you’re a daily manga reader, I would suggest shopping for the 16GB Kindle Colorsoft. If you happen to’re an avid graphic novel collector (and trying to obtain greater than 300 titles), although, the Kindle Colorsoft additionally has a Signature Version that provides 32GB. Solely then would I like to recommend that model.
The one function that is engaging is the ad-free lock display. I do not love that my Paperwhite’s lock display is an lively billboard for Amazon’s providers and random dystopian romance books, and I would choose to create my very own custom-made look. Nevertheless, there are many different methods to decorate the e-reader to cover the display from view, and even when it’s in view, it isn’t so distracting that it ruins my studying expertise.
The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version is extra identify than helpful options
Nobody’s bragging about their e-reader prefer it’s a brand new automotive
The Signature Version sounds fancy, nevertheless it’s simply an additional $40 for 3 just about hole options — the one saving grace is the ad-free lock display, which does not carry an excessive amount of weight whenever you notice you are not gazing all of it day. Except you’ve money to burn, the common Paperwhite is probably the most bang in your buck with out spilling over into ‘paying for it simply to say you’ve it’ territory.
The bar is already excessive off the bottom in the case of the entry-level Kindle, and the Kindle Paperwhite is the one Kindle mannequin truly value its weight in upgrades.
