I'll believe the contrast when I see it. I'm fairly sure as well that it's just a trick of light.
I made a comparison between Story HD's 768x1024 display and Kindle Non-Touch, by putting both side by side on a flatbet scanner with a black cloth on top. Since the scanner has a uniform light source the result should be "objective" as well. In any case I'd rather trust my own comparison than anything the manufacturer claims.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/att...2&d=1321187447
If anyone can make something similar for the paperwhite (without light), comparing to old kindle or some other pearl eink reader, that'd be great.