Paperwhite vs. Basic $69 Kindle: screen and reading experience comparison

[xendula]

Originally Posted by johndoesecond

Hi all,

I would like to ask, especially those of you who have have both, for a comparison between screens, contrasts, font clarity and reading experiences between the Kindle Paperwhite (PW) and the new basic black Kindle (K4B).

My question is very specific: I know almost everything about other differences between the two (case, PW's lighting, touchscreen vs. buttons, user interface, and so on, and so on).

So I would like to know what you guys think about my specific question, especially if you compare the two keeping the PW's light off (ok, I know it doesn't really turn off) and in reasonably well ambient light conditions.

Any picture for comparison would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

To me, the K4B has a higher contrast. It looks more like printed paper, and the background is a nice cream color. That makes the fonts clearer, because they are absolutely black, while on the PW, they are dark grey and look less like printed paper because of additional layers between you and the text.
Reading experience before you start reading the book is better on the PW. You can access your cloud library from the device. On the K4B, you have to use a laptop/tablet/phone, log into your amazon account, then send the book to your Kindle.
Reading experience during reading is better on the K4B, to me, because of page turn buttons on both sides, the smaller size and lighter weight, and of course the higher contrast. Once they fix the manufacturing issues, reading in the dark on the PW will be awesome, hopefully.

[MrDoug]

Originally Posted by Blossom

K4B can be found at Amazon, Staples and Best Buy. Do not get a Silver version it's a gamble and why pay the same price when the Black is a much improved reader with better contrast.

It's called the $69 Kindle by Amazon.

We have reports that some stores are trying to sell the silver and keep the black version in the back. You have to ask for it.

There is no K4G it's K4S and K4B which run the same firmware so they are referred to as K4s but the K4B has the better contrast, improved backing and less stiff page buttons.

Hi Blossom, I went to Best Buy today and picked up the K4B.. they did not have it on display.. they had the S.. I asked if they had the B and they said they would check.. sure enough they brought out the B in the Black box.. I said Sold.. I just got it charged up, and so far very, very nice.. great contrast in normal light... nice white background and nice Black print.. I will check it out further, but so far.. Awesome.. I hope I bought the one you suggested..thanks for the Tip

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by xendula

On the K4B, you have to use a laptop/tablet/phone, log into your amazon account, then send the book to your Kindle.

All your Cloud books can be found in Archive Items on the K4.
Archive Items and Cloud are the exact same thing.

All Kindles have access to Amazon books from Archive Items (Cloud on newer Kindles) K3, K4, K5 and up have Access to a Personal Documents Cloud of 5 GB that you can load your non amazon books and documents to. These are also accessed the same way through Archive Items or Cloud depending on the Kindle.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by MrDoug

Hi Blossom, I went to Best Buy today and picked up the K4B.. they did not have it on display.. they had the S.. I asked if they had the B and they said they would check.. sure enough they brought out the B in the Black box.. I said Sold.. I just got it charged up, and so far very, very nice.. great contrast in normal light... nice white background and nice Black print.. I will check it out further, but so far.. Awesome.. I hope I bought the one you suggested..thanks for the Tip

Congrats on your new Kindle! I just finished a four hour reading on mine. I love that little reader. At this point I want to buy more than one. After the problems with all the newer Kindles. I want a backup in case who ever making the PW starts making the K4. This happen with the later K3s screen which seem to look more like the Silver K4 than earlier versions like I own which have pretty good contrast.

[lindnet]

I sent back my PW and am thinking about getting the K4B to replace my K4S. Does it still have the progress bar at the bottom of the page while reading?

[johndoesecond]

Yes lindnet, the UI is all in all the same.

See here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uNYDQz_Pag

[xendula]

Originally Posted by Blossom

All your Cloud books can be found in Archive Items on the K4.
Archive Items and Cloud are the exact same thing.

All Kindles have access to Amazon books from Archive Items (Cloud on newer Kindles) K3, K4, K5 and up have Access to a Personal Documents Cloud of 5 GB that you can load your non amazon books and documents to. These are also accessed the same way through Archive Items or Cloud depending on the Kindle.

Good Lord, Blossom, I remember you telling me about how the cloud is called archive on the Touch before, but I never connected the dots! Can you believe I've been using the K4S for an entire year and had no idea I could access all my books right from the device?!
Archive used to have the books from the previous account in there, so Amazon must have changed that!! I had bought a few French books through my sister's German account, had my K4 registered to her account, then to mine, and the books were in there. Now they are all gone, but the cloud library is there. So, there is no way to access the other books any more, is there?

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by xendula

Good Lord, Blossom, I remember you telling me about how the cloud is called archive on the Touch before, but I never connected the dots! Can you believe I've been using the K4S for an entire year and had no idea I could access all my books right from the device?!
Archive used to have the books from the previous account in there, so Amazon must have changed that!! I had bought a few French books through my sister's German account, had my K4 registered to her account, then to mine, and the books were in there. Now they are all gone, but the cloud library is there. So, there is no way to access the other books any more, is there?

It will only show the books from the account the Kindle is register to.
If the books on her account you will have to register back to it then downloads the books and then go back to your own account.

You can access all Amazon books and anything you've emailed to the Kindle but it's account specific.

It's a bit confusing but there are two Clouds. One for Amazon books and One for Personal Documents. You can access both from Archive Items on your K4 or through the Manage Your Kindle page.

[ersott]

Is the battery life in kindle 4 black same that in kindle 4 gray? or have you noticed better battery life...

[Tarana]

Unless you have vision damage or very sensitive eyes, I don't think it's an issue either way. The contrast on both of these devices is better than the older models, although the recent download fix has upped their contrast.

I prefer the PW just a bit better (mostly because I love new gadgets), but here's the thing. When I drop my Kindle on the concrete while shuffling my disabled brother from appointment to appointment, I'd rather replace something that cost me $70 than $120. I bought a PW for my Mom because the only place she's going to be reading it is in her reading nook and it doesn't have very good lighting. I have a great reading light and most doctor's office waiting areas have pretty good lighting as well. Are you reading on the bus? The train? While riding in the car regularly? Then get the one with the light. Its worth the reduced eyestrain when you are going to be reading anyway. In 3 years, there will be some new gotta-have-the-feature reading device. On the plus side, the one with the light will probably resale higher than one without.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by ersott

Is the battery life in kindle 4 black same that in kindle 4 gray? or have you noticed better battery life...

They are the same. I get two weeks of battery life with 4 to 6 hours of reading with WiFi off.

[Stingo]

Interesting experiences. I switched to the KPW from a touch. I would never go back to the unlit screen. The unlit screen under proper lighting was nice (specially on the K3) but not so under even slightly uneven lighting conditions. My KPW only has the problem with the shading spots on the bottom and since they don't reach up into the text my eyes have gotten use to them. The instant on when I open the book cover and the always ideal lighting regardless of ambient light is so easy and smooth that I am reading more than ever in more places than ever. I just flip open the cover and start reading right away.

I appreciate that it is not perfect but for my use preferences it is the way to go. That said, if I could only choose an unlit model I would probably go to the K3 or K4 for their great screens. Never loved the Touch screen that much.

[lindnet]

Originally Posted by johndoesecond

Yes lindnet, the UI is all in all the same.

See here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uNYDQz_Pag

Thanks so much! I may need the new black one.....or should I say want?

Wow, the difference between what those reviewers are saying and what I'm actually seeing is remarkable. For instance when they try to see if they think the fonts are darker on the new one, they don't have the same size font. But when they start going through changing the font sizes/styles, you can really see the difference.

[MrDoug]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Congrats on your new Kindle! I just finished a four hour reading on mine. I love that little reader. At this point I want to buy more than one. After the problems with all the newer Kindles. I want a backup in case who ever making the PW starts making the K4. This happen with the later K3s screen which seem to look more like the Silver K4 than earlier versions like I own which have pretty good contrast.

Hi Blossom.. I have been trying my K4B with a Clip-on reading lamp in the dark vs the Nook Glo.. as my eyes are sensitive at night.. the Glo seems to be more uncomfortable and more strain vs the K4B with a Clip on reading lamp.. have you any experiences with a Clip on reading lamp at night with the K4B? Bottom line is the K4B with Clip on light better than the Nook Glo i the dark???.. just wondering if the KPW would be the same as the Nook Glo vs K4B at night with a light? have you used the K4B with a Clip on Light? I hope I'm not making this question to confusing..
Thx,
Doug

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by MrDoug

Hi Blossom.. I have been trying my K4B with a Clip-on reading lamp in the dark vs the Nook Glo.. as my eyes are sensitive at night.. the Glo seems to be more uncomfortable and more strain vs the K4B with a Clip on reading lamp.. have you any experiences with a Clip on reading lamp at night with the K4B? Bottom line is the K4B with Clip on light better than the Nook Glo i the dark???.. just wondering if the KPW would be the same as the Nook Glo vs K4B at night with a light? have you used the K4B with a Clip on Light? I hope I'm not making this question to confusing..
Thx,
Doug

For night reading I use my Kindle Fire. I think seeing all eyes are different to light you have experiment and find what works best for you. Me I use a Kindle Fire with Screen Dim app set 0.8% brightness. I don't have PW yet so but I hear it's nice if you get a good unit. Quality control seems to horrible at the moment.