From CNBC:
Amazon upgraded its popular Kindle Paperwhite eReader on Tuesday with new features that align it more with last year’s Kindle Oasis — but this device is more than $100 cheaper.
The Kindle Paperwhite is probably the e-reader you should buy if you’re in the market for a new one, but only if the following features sound like they’re worth the upgrade.
. . . .
The new device is water-resistant, which means it can be dropped into a pool or up to 6 feet of water for 60 minutes without getting damaged. Amazon also added Bluetooth and support for Audible so users can switch back and forth between listening and reading if they connect headphones or a speaker. You still need to own the Audible and eBook formats for this to work.
The Kindle Paperwhite is thinner and lighter than last year’s model and has one additional LED light that makes the screen brighter even when it’s used in the dark.
Amazon is adding new presets to its fonts, too. You might read a book in a certain font and size, but then hand it off to a child who prefers a different setting. It’s a useful feature if you share your Kindle with multiple people, or if you wear glasses occasionally but want to toggle between certain fonts and sizes at different times of day.
Link to the rest at CNBC and here’s a link to the new Paperwhite.
PG bought the original Paperwhite not long after it was released and, for him, it’s the ideal device for reading ebooks. He prefers the screen and form factor to that of a tablet for extended reading.
Contra to the OP, PG likes the fact that his Paperwhite automatically dims the screen brightness when the lights go out. (He doesn’t remember if it’s a setting he selected or the default.) For him, a dimmer screen provides a better experience when the room is dark and his eyes are dilated. If Mrs. PG is prudently going to sleep at a reasonable time, the Paperwhite barely brightens the room at all. YMMV.
Well it really would be wise to examine if you need it or not. Coz if you bought it and you don’t need it then it would be a waste
Full tech specs, lively discussion over at Good e-Reader
https://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/amazon-kindle-paperwhite-4-is-waterproof-and-has-bluetooth
There is one report that the screen is plastic-backed.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/364338/hands-on-with-the-new-waterproof-amazon-kindle-paperwhite?source=google-editors-picks
If verified it would be a big boost to durability since eink screen fragility is one of the few fixable issues with the tech.
I read in bright sunlight all the time. The $79 E-Ink Kindle is superb for that. But, that also means switching to something else when the ambient light fades.
Has anyone done the bright sunlight test on a Paperwhite?
Here.
Check this, LCD tablet vs Paperwhite under high noon lighting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_AxUGc9a1s
It works fine.
That is the whole point of frontlighting: the lights substitute for a bright ambient light and dim or go away if the external light is bright enough.
One difference from the old PW3 is there are now 5 LEDs instead of 4 and they’re shining from the top side instead of the bottom side.
Terence, we had a great summer here in the UK and I spent a lot of it sitting out in the garden in bright sunshine reading my Paperwhite. It worked perfectly, which is more than can be said for my tablets or phone which were pretty much unusable unless I found some shade.
I recently bought a 32 GB Oasis because even after I’d moved all my history books to a spare Kindle my Paperwhite (which was then the latest generation) had only 75 MB of spare memory. I quite like the Oasis but had I known it was coming I’d have waited and got the new Paperwhite (a 32 GB version with no special offers).
The fact that there are only minor improvements other than the increased memory doesn’t matter to me as lack of memory was pretty much my only complaint about the old models.
Has anyone done the bright sunlight test on the paperwhite?
Waves hand. Here. Doesn’t lose a thing. Just like reading a paper book.
Mine doesn’t do automatic dimming – I didn’t want that model.
Those Bastids! Now they come out with it! I have the regular Paperwhite and the nook waterproof. The problem with the nook is that you have to use Calibre to put anything on it. Hmmmm… Maybe for Christmas!
Eliminating the Voyage and upgrading the Paperwhite lends credence to the “dedicated e-readers aren’t selling that well” meme. They are maintaining a static market, which is fine, really. People read on all sorts of devices and long-lasting e-readers are just one of many.
I’ve had Paperwhites and Voyages and prefer, by far, the Voyage. Much better distribution of the lights and better uniformity in the background.
New Voyages have gone in and out of availability recently, including after the demise was announced. Right now, all that’s available is the certified refurbished model. I’ll be unhappy at replacement time if no more new Voyages are available. I have a spare just in case.
“Eliminating the Voyage and upgrading the Paperwhite lends credence to the “dedicated e-readers aren’t selling that well” meme.”
I have no idea by where your getting your info, certainly not Amazon. They sold out of Kindles last Christmas. I’m not saying that’s all people read on, just that the reports that somehow the sales are stagnating is probably being spread by someone with ADS or Apple who sees their iPad sales drop quarter after quarter while the entire Kindle and Fire line continue to sale robustly. Refreshing their line regularly proves nothing. Or are you saying I-phone sales are stagnating since they refresh every year… Sometimes twice.
From 2016: https://www.statista.com/statistics/272740/global-shipments-of-e-book-readers/
From 2015: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/29/technology-device-ownership-2015/
The trend is pretty clear.
Since their percentage of all books sold that are ebooks looks like tradpub numbers (22% ????) I’m going to say they have have bad information. So no, not very clear. Actually pretty false. But hey, it’s a free country. Believe what you want, it doesn’t effect me.