looking at a new kindle paper white need advice

[sian]

im looking into buying a kindle paperwhite as i brorrowed my partners old version.

i was going buy the kindle colorsoft but i have been put off from getting that due to the problems.

ive now decided its either the paper white signature edition ( 11th gen)
or the paperwhite . both have 6.8inch scteens and usb c.


the only difference i can see is one has a lip edge all why round and other doesnt

i know the paperwhite signature edition ( 11 gen) can use the libby. and it comes in denim blue and other colours . also both have usb c which is important as i want to not carry a bag of cables around

and the paperwhite signature (11th gen) has 32gb the paperwhite has 16gb

i dont want ads . just not sure which to get.

please advise

for those wondering i no the current paperwhite signature edition doesn’t come with blue back. but the video i watch was say it can be backup by calibra and has 32gb .
i like to back up my books incase there problems with my kindle

also the screen flush on the signature paperwhite and not on the regular paperwhite
other things were mentioned as well

btw sorry for the spelling mistakes and extra spaces

[BionicGecko]

The only advantages the Signature Edition have over the standard Paperwhite are:

• Wireless charging
• Bigger storage space (32GB instead of 16GB)
• Automatic light adjustment

Also I believe the standard Paperwhite can come either with or without ads, but the Signature Edition is always ad-free.

Otherwise the two devices are functionally identical, i.e. the standard Paperwhite will be just as snappy as the Signature Edition, and user the interface is exactly the same.

[JSWolf]

I cannot recommend any Paperwhite.

The problem is that the 2021 PW5 is no longer available new and the refurbished ones are expensive.

The 2024 PW6 takes away Download & Transfer via USB and is limited due to MTP.

Amazon is trying to keep you in their walled garden and buying a Paperwhite is tossing good money at a bad Reader.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I cannot recommend any Paperwhite.

The problem is that the 2021 PW5 is no longer available new and the refurbished ones are expensive.

The 2024 PW6 takes away Download & Transfer via USB and is limited due to MTP.

Amazon is trying to keep you in their walled garden and buying a Paperwhite is tossing good money at a bad Reader.

I don't think this is good advice. The new Paperwhites seem like wonderful readers to me, especially given how snappy they are. I'd go with the cheaper one, as I don't think more storage or wireless charging are worth it.

I have never, ever used D&T and have no expectation of ever doing so and I don't think I'm atypical. And if someone's already in Amazon's walled garden, I can't imagine they care. I also don't think MTP is a limitation.

I've got a PW5 and I'd trade it in a heartbeat for a PW6, but it's not worth an additional outlay. Also noting that "refurbished" could get you a pretty old battery, since Amazon doesn't replace them.

[Sirtel]

The PW6 is a poor choice if you want to remove DRM or sideload via USB. If you only buy and download from Amazon and don't care about DRM removal, or use Send to Kindle for non-Amazon books, then it's not any worse than the PW5.

[Hollow Man]

Jon has a thing against Amazon and Kindles, and his reasons are common among those who criticize Amazon. But if a user clearly wants a Kindle, and has previous Kindle models, trying to steer them away from this isn't constructive.

Why are you looking at the 11th gen instead of 12th?

I have a Colorsoft. The problems with it are a bit overblown. Jon will say the color is worse than the Kobo Libra, but I refuse to debate this any longer; suffice it to say I feel the quality is good, and the image will look different depending on lighting and whether vivid mode is selected.

The biggest issue is the uneven lighting, resulting in it being more amber at the bottom and more pink at the top. It's clear that the so called replacement devices aren't improved. Since the problem varies depending on how much brightness and warmth you use, if it's a device that intrigues you, I don't hesitate to say, give it a look.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

The PW6 is a poor choice if you want to remove DRM or sideload via USB. If you only buy and download from Amazon and don't care about DRM removal, or use Send to Kindle for non-Amazon books, then it's not any worse than the PW5.

It’s better. Better battery, better screen, faster.

[Strether]

Originally Posted by issybird

It’s better. Better battery, better screen, faster.

I agree with all of that, and I own a SE. At the time I bought it, the difference between the regular Paperwhite with the ads removed and the SE wasn't very much, so went with the SE. Not mentioned is that it has a 7" screen, and I find the extra screen space is very noticeable, and welcome.

If you do decide to buy it, and you're someone who sideloads your books, be sure to keep your older Kindle so you can Download and Transfer your purchases.

Jim

[Strether]

Originally Posted by BionicGecko

The only advantages the Signature Edition have over the standard Paperwhite are:

• Wireless charging
• Bigger storage space (32GB instead of 16GB)
• Automatic light adjustment

Also I believe the standard Paperwhite can come either with or without ads, but the Signature Edition is always ad-free.

Otherwise the two devices are functionally identical, i.e. the standard Paperwhite will be just as snappy as the Signature Edition, and user the interface is exactly the same.

I should have added to my remarks that I don’t use any of the features that differentiate the SE from its cheaper cousin. The price differential when I bought mine was small and I’m not on a tight budget, so just went with the SE. I suppose I might explore the wireless charging feature someday, but I’m not in a hurry to do that.

Jim

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Hollow Man

Jon has a thing against Amazon and Kindles, and his reasons are common among those who criticize Amazon. But if a user clearly wants a Kindle, and has previous Kindle models, trying to steer them away from this isn't constructive.

Why are you looking at the 11th gen instead of 12th?

I have a Colorsoft. The problems with it are a bit overblown. Jon will say the color is worse than the Kobo Libra, but I refuse to debate this any longer; suffice it to say I feel the quality is good, and the image will look different depending on lighting and whether vivid mode is selected.

The biggest issue is the uneven lighting, resulting in it being more amber at the bottom and more pink at the top. It's clear that the so called replacement devices aren't improved. Since the problem varies depending on how much brightness and warmth you use, if it's a device that intrigues you, I don't hesitate to say, give it a look.

The screen on a color Kindle or color Kobo are worse for reading plaint text then a BW Kindle or Kobo. That is a fact.

The Colorsoft can have a yellow but at the bottom of thescreen and once seen cannot be unseen and it bothers some people more then others. So if anyone buys a Colorsoft, be prepared to return it. As for the graphics on a Colorsoft, details can get lost when you have dark or similar colors. This is not an opinion. It's a fact. The details on a Kobo Libra Colour do not get as lost as they would on the Kindle.

As for the new Paperwhite. The reasons for avoiding it are plenty valid. They are basically the same as @Sirtel's.reasoning. The 2024 Kindles are more locked down then any other Kindle.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

It’s better. Better battery, better screen, faster.

Worse for side loading, worse for D&T, worse for removing DRM, and worse for jailbreaking.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Worse for side loading, worse for D&T, worse for removing DRM, and worse for jailbreaking.

These are not equivalents.

Not everyone cares -- at all -- about the things you cite, but everyone does prefer a better piece of hardware. And even at that, you're overstating. If, and I see no sign of it, the OP cares about D&T, they've already got a device that allows it, and thus removal of DRM.

I personally have never done a single thing you mentioned except removing DRM and I can't be bothered any more. That's why I have Kindles, so I can read Kindle content.

Generally speaking, unless someone who comes here to ask for device recommendations mentions a factor or an issue in their question, I think the assumption is that it doesn't matter to them. And the more esoteric, the more likely. Jailbreaking, seriously? Where did you get the idea that the OP is interested in that? Too much of many recommendations are sheer projection.

Now I'll project a bit: I think most people mainly want a nice device that they can afford/represents a good value that lets them access and read ebooks easily. The rest is mostly incidentals and relatively much less important, if at all. And most of them have viable alternatives, as well. Can't sideload? Send to Kindle is phenomenal and I only wish Kobo had it.

I personally can't understand why someone would prefer an outdated piece of tech that's far too expensive (if it were significantly cheaper I'd understand), but people are funny. Heh. I'd gladly swap out my PW5 for a PW6 and even include a sweetener. Jailbreak? Piffle. I lust for those snappy page turns.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

These are not equivalents.

Not everyone cares -- at all -- about the things you cite, but everyone does prefer a better piece of hardware. And even at that, you're overstating. If, and I see no sign of it, the OP cares about D&T, they've already got a device that allows it, and thus removal of DRM.

I personally have never done a single thing you mentioned except removing DRM and I can't be bothered any more. That's why I have Kindles, so I can read Kindle content.

Generally speaking, unless someone who comes here to ask for device recommendations mentions a factor or an issue in their question, I think the assumption is that it doesn't matter to them. And the more esoteric, the more likely. Jailbreaking, seriously? Where did you get the idea that the OP is interested in that? Too much of many recommendations are sheer projection.

Now I'll project a bit: I think most people mainly want a nice device that they can afford/represents a good value that lets them access and read ebooks easily. The rest is mostly incidentals and relatively much less important, if at all. And most of them have viable alternatives, as well. Can't sideload? Send to Kindle is phenomenal and I only wish Kobo had it.

I personally can't understand why someone would prefer an outdated piece of tech that's far too expensive (if it were significantly cheaper I'd understand), but people are funny. Heh. I'd gladly swap out my PW5 for a PW6 and even include a sweetener. Jailbreak? Piffle. I lust for those snappy page turns.

Thing is, if I bought a PW6 and didn't know if the issues with getting eBooks so I could remove the DRM, I'd be really pissed at Amazon. If the issues were not mentioned, we don't know if the OP would be planning to trace in his existing Kindle or not and if that would leave the PW6 as the only Kindle unable to do some things he wants to do.

We don't know what the OP wants to do. We've given the facts about the PW6. Now it's up to the OP to decide.

One thing we don't know yet is if the 2024 Kindles have the problem of Amazon deleting side loaded eBooks from them.

When I installed 5.17.1 on a PW5, the page turns were faster. I don't know if the PW6 is faster or not.

For me, I would want to edit Kindle eBooks. I find there to be some problems with them that I want to fix. For example, a 7% indent is too much and I want to add hyphens because I'd prefer reading KF8 because I do not like the forced line height of KFX.

[Sirtel]

I think that while it's true most users just want to buy -> download -> read and couldn't care less about DRM, or are happy with Send to Kindle, this may not necessarily be the case with MR members, some of whom tend to be pretty nerdy types. So it's certainly fair to mention any issues and limitations. Whether they play any role in the OP's plans or not is then for the OP to decide.

Personally I don't like the current Kindle generation at all, and not only because I want to remove DRM and sideload via USB, not STK - I also love physical buttons and the wide side bezel of the Oasis/Sage/Libra. Long battery life and lightning fast page turns, while nice to have, are much less important to me. So the PW6 offers very little that is really valuable for me and much that is not. But I'm aware that for many, if not most people, the PW6 is a pretty attractive device. Obviously the OP also finds it so. We just don't know if the limitations mentioned before would be dealbreakers for them or not. (My guess is not.)

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

...

When I installed 5.17.1 on a PW5, the page turns were faster. I don't know if the PW6 is faster or not.

...

Since you don't believe Issybird, what will it take to convince you.

Maybe this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLAdg8Prg0U

Start around 2:55.