What you need to know
- Amazon has completely redesigned the Kindle lineup with flush-front, edge-to-edge displays and colors that wrap around the devices.
- The new reverse-stack display removes the raised bezel, creating a cleaner look while helping make Kindles thinner and lighter.
- The rollout has already started; some models are shipping now, the Paperwhite and Colorsoft are entering preorder availability.
Amazon unveiled a completely redesigned Kindle lineup today, and every model has a flush-front, edge-to-edge display with color that wraps from front to back.
The biggest visual change is the new flush-front display. Amazon says it developed a new reverse-stack display construction that removes the raised bezel around the reading surface. The result is a more seamless front while also helping the devices become thinner and lighter. The new models also carry their colors from front to back, with beautiful, colorful options including Ube (after the purple yam from the Philippines, obviously), Alpine Sky, Seaglass Green, Graphite, and Fig.
The $150 six-inch Kindle is now the smallest Kindle Amazon has made. It gets 16GB of storage, up to six weeks of battery life, and opens books 30 percent faster than the previous model. There’s also a $190 aluminum version with 32GB of storage and an 80-percent recycled aluminum body.
The $200 Kindle Paperwhite gets the same design treatment while retaining its waterproof build and promising up to 12 weeks of battery life. Its oxide TFT display is designed to deliver higher contrast, while the $250 Signature Edition adds 32GB of storage and automatic front-light adjustment.
Then there’s the $290 Kindle Colorsoft, which uses nitride LEDs, an oxide backplane, and custom display waveforms to improve brightness, color, and contrast without turning the Kindle into a tablet-like screen. A 32GB Signature Edition costs $320.
One particularly interesting change is the relocated power button. Amazon moved it to the upper-right edge, specifically to make one-handed use feel more natural and reduce accidental presses.
Amazon is also introducing Kindle Click, a Bluetooth remote that lets you turn pages without touching the reader, plus a magnetic cover with physical page-turn buttons. The new Kids models get the redesigned hardware too.
The rollout is already underway, with some models shipping now and Paperwhite and Colorsoft models moving into preorder availability.
