Amazon Kindle (2022) review

The Amazon Kindle is synonymous with eReaders to the purpose most individuals consult with all eReaders by that identify.

Though Kobo is a advantageous various to the Kindle, the entry-level Kindle stays a go-to product for anybody seeking to get into digital studying, and the 2022 mannequin improves the components in just a few methods.

The addition of USB-C for charging is welcome and lengthy overdue – lastly no Kindle Amazon sells has the previous micro-USB port.

There’s additionally a better decision show than the mannequin it replaces, placing the definition on par with the costlier Kindle Paperwhite.

If it’s a Kindle you’re after, there aren’t many causes to purchase one of many costlier fashions over this one.

Design

• It’s an eReader
• Plastic scuffs and marks simply
• USB-C charging, lastly

Amazon has slimmed down the scale and bezels of the 2022 Kindle ever so barely from the discontinued 2019 mannequin, although the essential design is far the identical – plastic development throughout with a bigger chin to carry onto.

The Kindle doesn’t really feel premium given its matte plastic, which I discovered picked up scuffs fairly simply, however it’s also very stable with hardly any bend or flex to the physique. I examined the black mannequin, and there’s a blue one if you happen to desire.

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I’ve small palms however can simply grip both facet of the Kindle with one hand or stability it on a pinkie to faucet the display with a thumb to show pages. It’s additionally slim and slender sufficient to slide into the again pocket of a pair of denims – simply don’t sit on it.

The display is recessed into the physique barely in contrast to on the pricier Kindle Paperwhite the place it’s flush. The USB-C port is on the underside edge proper subsequent to a lightweight that exhibits battery standing (inexperienced for good, yellow for cost me) and an influence on/off button.

It’s nice to see USB-C right here, lastly, for the primary time on the most cost effective Kindle, but it surely’s nonetheless not waterproof. It means if you would like peace of thoughts within the tub you’re going to need to go for a costlier eReader.

The Amazon emblem is unsubtly pressed massive into the again of the Kindle, however at the very least the phrase ‘Amazon’ is nowhere to be seen. ‘Kindle’ is printed on the entrance chin.

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Show

• 300ppi, similar as different Kindles
• 4 LED backlight
• 6in

A welcome improve is the 300 pixels per inch display decision, now the identical as each different Kindle, up from 167ppi on the previous mannequin. It makes a world of distinction, and brings the most cost effective Kindle as much as the identical sharpness as fashions that price greater than double.

Whereas different Kindle have 17 or 25 LEDs lighting the display for studying in low gentle, this common Kindle solely has 4. Fortunately they’re greater than sufficient for studying even in pitch black, but it surely’s a disgrace it doesn’t have auto-brightness.

The 6in e-ink show is a touchscreen, so that you faucet or swipe to show pages in books. It’s a easy, no-frills look, and all the higher for it.

Studying expertise

• Very responsive
• Darkish mode
• In depth font and spacing choices

After getting a ebook fired up, the Kindle itself melts away and allows you to learn with no challenge, which is the entire level of an eReader. No notifications, no distractions.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

Web page turns are instantaneous upon tapping the display, and the machine is quicker at this than the Kobo Clara 2E, which prices extra.

The default Kindle font is as legible because it ever was, however you will have a selection of 9 in all together with one to assist dyslexia. You may as well modify boldness and dimension of font, and alter the orientation, margin, alignment, and spacing to actually hone the way you need the pages of your ebook to look.

I additionally like you’ll be able to shortly swap on Darkish Mode to invert the colors and browse white textual content on black background, which is greatest when studying in whole darkness.

I actually have only a few complaints about studying on this least expensive Kindle and located I may comfortably accomplish that for hours. I did discover the absence of auto-brightness annoying – the backlight doesn’t modify relying on the ambient gentle like it may possibly on the Paperwhite or a number of Kobos. The brightness setting is a faucet and swipe away in a ebook, which distracts when studying.

Specs & efficiency

• Light-weight
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• 16GB storage

Although the Kindle has gone up in value from $89.99/£69.99 to $99.99/£84.99/€99.99 in comparison with the previous mannequin, you do now get double the storage of 16GB, which is greater than sufficient for tens of 1000’s of eBooks.

It’s a really gentle machine at 158g, completely slight sufficient to carry with one hand for a protracted time frame.

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Although tapping by pages is quick, the low-powered processor lags just a little when typing in phrases to look within the Kindle Retailer or tapping out and in of books and retailer listings when linked to Wi-Fi (both 2.4Ghz or 5.0GHz networks are supported).

Not like some Kindles, this one is simply obtainable with Wi-Fi and doesn’t have a limiteless 3G reference to the asking value. Solely the Kindle Oasis nonetheless presents this, and it appears like Amazon is phasing it out.

You possibly can arrange the Kindle after you first flip it on on the machine itself, but it surely’s simpler and extra handy to do it utilizing the Amazon app in your telephone. I did this, and so long as you’re logged into your Amazon account on the app it really works effectively and shortly.

Software program & options

• Clunky interface
• Glorious ebook availability in Kindle Retailer
• Troublesome to sideload free eBooks

The Kindle’s software program will get away with being fairly clunky since you don’t actually have to make use of it that a lot. When you’ve bought a ebook on the go you don’t have to make use of the interface till you wish to discover a new one to learn.

A part of the clunkiness can’t be helped as e-ink by its nature is a slower display expertise than the LCD and OLED shows we’ve change into used to on smartphones. Attempting to scroll by books or itemizing pages within the Kindle Retailer is usually a chore because the greyscale textual content and pictures ghost and cargo. That is the case for many eReaders – not a selected fault of this cheaper Kindle.

Amazon splits the software program into ‘Dwelling’ and ‘Library’ tabs, which is to simplify it far an excessive amount of. The Kindle Retailer is hidden behind a tiny purchasing cart icon that some individuals would possibly miss, whereas settings are unfold throughout submenus behind a three-dot button.

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Higher is the assist for Audible (an Amazon firm) audiobooks, which you should buy instantly on the Kindle similar to books. And not using a headphone jack although you will have to attach Bluetooth headphones.

Through this audio connection, these with any visible impairments can use the VoiceView display reader, which may communicate to information you thru menus and browse aloud books utilizing text-to-speech, although that is solely obtainable in English.

The X-Ray function can be helpful. For those who can’t bear in mind the characters or state of affairs in a ebook, you’ll be able to open the X-Ray possibility from the settings, and it’ll offer you a abstract so that you don’t need to trawl again to an earlier chapter.

Books downloaded from Amazon are within the firm’s eBook format (AZW3) though the Kindle helps XT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, EPUB, and PRC natively, and HTML DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, PMP by conversion.

Nevertheless, after I downloaded a free EPUB from Challenge Gutenberg (a authorized on-line supply of books whose copyright has expired) and dropped it into the paperwork folder utilizing a Mac, the ebook displayed on the Kindle however wouldn’t open.

This hidden web page on Amazon’s website says Kindles will assist EPUB recordsdata sooner or later in late 2022, however solely by way of the Ship To Kindle app.

I then downloaded a MOBI file, which additionally didn’t open correctly. It didn’t work on a PC, both.

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This Amazon web page says “MOBI is an older file format and received’t assist the latest Kindle options for paperwork”, so Amazon has modified its tune. Older Kindles supported the free file format, and its present tips are deceptive.

I went again and downloaded the identical ebook within the folder ‘older Kindle’, additionally a MOBI file, after which it labored. Amazon makes the method convoluted to place you off this completely authorized solution to learn eBooks.

If you wish to load free eBooks simply onto a tool, don’t purchase a Kindle, get a Kobo – an eReader that additionally enables you to borrow books out of your library by way of the OverDrive service, in contrast to Kindle.

Fortunately, Amazon’s Kindle Retailer is beautifully intensive and can seemingly have each single ebook you seek for, and there’s an excellent function referred to as WhisperSync that different eReaders lack: if you happen to personal the eBook and audiobook (from Audible, an Amazon firm, naturally) of the identical title, you’ll be able to decide up the place you left off because the variations sync with one another.

Battery life

• Six weeks promised
• Brightness and Wi-Fi eat battery
• USB-C cable in field

Amazon guarantees six weeks of battery life when the Kindle is totally charged and used for half an hour a day with Wi-Fi off and the backlight set at 13, which is one step above half.

Utilizing Wi-Fi, having the brightness excessive, and taking part in Audible books will run the battery down extra. I solely charged the Kindle as soon as throughout three weeks of testing, however solely to alleviate my common battery nervousness when any machine dips beneath 50%. It had not reached zero!

It ships with a USB-C cable within the slim cardboard packaging, however no charging brick. Amazon says it takes 4 hours to cost from a pc.

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Worth & availability

The Amazon Kindle (2022) prices $99.99/£84.99/€99.99 for the model with lock display adverts for books. I’ve stated it as soon as and I’ll say it once more – it’s appalling that Amazon consists of adverts on a product that’s purchased outright.

You possibly can, and will, pay $119.99/£94.99/€109.99 for the model with no adverts, however Amazon ought to merely promote the most cost effective one with no adverts within the first place.

You possibly can, clearly, purchase both model from Amazon US, Amazon UK, or from Amazon on-line in Europe resembling Amazon France.  

Contemplating the worth, I’d advocate stretching to the Kindle Paperwhite 2021 if you happen to can as for $139.99/£129.99/€139.99 you get an eReader with a greater backlight, flush display, and full waterproofing.

It’s price noting that’s solely 8GB of storage although in comparison with the 2022 Kindle’s 16GB, and for that value you additionally get these pesky adverts – so the brand new Kindle stays the most effective worth Kindle, even when it’s costlier than the final era mannequin.

For those who’d fairly use Kobo than Amazon, the Kobo Clara 2E is totally waterproof and as compact because the 2022 Kindle for $129.99/£129.99/€149.99. I desire it.

Verdict

The 2022 Kindle is the most cost effective Kindle you should purchase, however because the entry-level mannequin it prices greater than the previous few fashions

The 2016 Kindle price £59.99 within the UK, so a bump up in six years to £84.99 is kind of steep – although you now get a greater display, USB-C, and a backlight. It’s the Kindle to get if you wish to spend as little as attainable however don’t care about it being waterproof.

It’s irritating Amazon makes it so troublesome to sideload authorized free eBooks however the Amazon Retailer remains to be essentially the most intensive on the planet. For those who don’t wish to purchase from Amazon then you may get a Kobo, however even at this value, the 2022 Kindle is a formidable eReader.

Specs

• 6in e-ink show, 300ppi
• 158g
• 16GB storage
• 157.8 x 108.6 x 8.0 mm
• USB-C
• Six-week battery life promise
• 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi assist