Has Kindle Paperwhite Improved Yet?

[MrDoug]

I was thinking about trying ANOTHER Kindle Paperwhite.. I have had 3 that were not so good back to February 2013.. since then have they made any improvements in blotches, orbs, pink and color spots etc.. ?
Thanks in advance..

[Poodlemom1]

Based on my experience, they have improved. I tried 2 last October and sent both back. I ordered one a couple of weeks ago, and it is perfect.

[MrDoug]

Originally Posted by Poodlemom1

Based on my experience, they have improved. I tried 2 last October and sent both back. I ordered one a couple of weeks ago, and it is perfect.

Good to hear that.. I really liked Kindle in the past.. I may give it another shot! They have been great with customer service...

[Journier]

I purchased a Paperwhite about 3 or 4 months ago and am very pleased.

[WDeranged]

My new Paperwhite has the spotlights and some minor clouding (no colour spots thank god) but you have to understand that I'm a screen quality extremist and I can live with it, it's nothing like some of the photos I've seen of the first batches and you only notice it with the brightness cranked in a dark room.

[sneakyspider]

From what I understand, the spotlights at the bottom are something that all Paperwhites' have, even the "perfect" ones. That said, from what I've experienced myself and heard from others, it seems like the later batches are containing less defective units. So maybe they're figuring out how to solve the color splotch problem.

[twobob]

if you consider how the light is spread out. then even a tiny "darker" set of 3 cones at the bottom is inevitable. mine: practically unnoticeable unless set to light level 3 (ish) in a pitch black room.

Mine is the color blue as opposed to white. evenly so.
This is again more noticeable when to room is very dark.

I'm over it. works great.

[Josieb1]

I bought mine back in September, I still have a slight blue smudge mark on the screen but at mid brightness settings, it less noticeable at high settings, so I wonder if its worth reporting it and getting a replacement? Hubby got one in March and his is fine. I jus don't want to go through the hassle of replacing it for no reason.

[Rizla]

I saw one in a store two weeks ago and the screen looked perfect. Saying that, it was under store lights and it was day-light. I turned the light up and down and it looked nice. Maybe bad effects show up more in dim conditions? The three cones at the bottom were very noticeable but I accept that as inevitable.

Question: Do screen defects (color-blossoms, etc) show up more in dim lighting?

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I bought mine back in September, I still have a slight blue smudge mark on the screen but at mid brightness settings, it less noticeable at high settings, so I wonder if its worth reporting it and getting a replacement? Hubby got one in March and his is fine. I jus don't want to go through the hassle of replacing it for no reason.

If it hasn't bothered you, why bother replacing it? It's been good enough all this time.

Originally Posted by MrDoug

I was thinking about trying ANOTHER Kindle Paperwhite.. I have had 3 that were not so good back to February 2013.. since then have they made any improvements in blotches, orbs, pink and color spots etc.. ?
Thanks in advance..

Personally I would wait a few more months for the new models to be released. Amazon will most likely introduce new models in early Fall. If you have already returned three PWs then I suspect any other PWs will bother you too. Like me, your eyes are probably sensitive to the shadows and blotches, so I doubt you will find a PW without them appearing to some degree. Hopefully Amazon will address the screen issues in the next generation of eInk readers.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by booklover6

If it hasn't bothered you, why bother replacing it? It's been good enough all this time.

It hadn't bothered me for ages then just last night I noticed it again.

[Pookeysgirl]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

It hadn't bothered me for ages then just last night I noticed it again.

I returned my K3 just after I bought it in 2010 because it was separating from the screen. I'm in Canada and returning wasn't a hassle at all. They sent me a new one, which arrived the next day, and I put the old one in the box, stuck the return label on it and called UPS to pick it up. The whole process was very simple.

[techiegirl]

After going through several of them when it was first released late last year, I gave up on it for a while. I bought one from Best Buy a few weeks ago and had to exchange it for a 2nd one and then returning the 2nd one (both dead pixels).

I found one on Craiglist that somebody was selling. It was brand new in box from Christmas and the screen is perfect. I think, after 6 months, it is still hit or miss.

[WDeranged]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Question: Do screen defects (color-blossoms, etc) show up more in dim lighting?

Judging by mine, yes but only if you have the light up high in a dark room, no colour blossoms but definitely a smear of dark clouding in the middle and the spotlights.

If you're conservative with the light or in a better environment all screen issues are as good as invisible.

I'm still weighing up whether to keep mine, I've been happy with the Kindle 3 for two years (cracked bezel and all) so it's a hard decision, the Paperwhite definitely has it's charms but it's not a radical upgrade.