Kindle Oasis Buyer's Thread

[Julius Caesar]

Originally Posted by Yolina

Well it doesn't but if you receive a Kindle with batch number 1234, get an exchange a few days later and that has batch number 1235, I'd say it's unlikely that this unit is a refurb.

Not necessarily. If you buy a Kindle with batch number 1234 today and I buy a Kindle with batch number 1235 a day later. I don't like the device and I return it for a refund. You don't like the device and you return it for an exchange. Amazon repackage my Kindle and ship it to you. Your replacement Kindle would have a newer batch number but it is still a refurbished unit.

Originally Posted by Yolina

Also, don't they put an R on the boxes of refurbished unit?

I surely still hope so. I would be very pissed if I Amazon send me a used Kindle repackaged in a new box without any indication on the box that tells me the Kindle inside is used or refurbished.

[Julius Caesar]

Originally Posted by cerem0ny

Just wondering - has anybody who has received the new batch of Oasis' seeing the colour discolorations problem rear its ugly head? Asking this because if it is, I'm buying another one ASAP!

I have a new batch GD09 which is newer than most current Oasis which is GC09. The screen has no discoloration.

[cerem0ny]

Originally Posted by Kolja

I had a similar experience comparing 2 Oasis devices to my Voyage. My Voyage has an almost perfect screen and better contrast that the Oasis. The ergonomics of the Oasis are nice but not enough to overcome the uneven color and LED shadows present on the two devices I had. The screen is the most important thing to me when reading.

Ditto. I had been waiting for a long time to read the third book of the Passage trilogy and opened it up on the Oasis but was continuously distracted by the shadow cones and the colour gradient. It distracted me wholeheartedly throughout the book, and I did not enjoy the book, and now I'm wondering if it's because of the way it was displayed on the Oasis!

IT sounds like the problems are not just a once off and don't think I will be re-ordering... But since the return process is quite easy it is tempting. I would kill for a good screene-d Oasis! In fact, I'd pay fifty dollars extra to anyone who is looking to sell theirs hehehe! *hint hint* :-D

[kobayashi]

Originally Posted by cerem0ny

Ditto. I had been waiting for a long time to read the third book of the Passage trilogy and opened it up on the Oasis but was continuously distracted by the shadow cones and the colour gradient. It distracted me wholeheartedly throughout the book, and I did not enjoy the book, and now I'm wondering if it's because of the way it was displayed on the Oasis!

IT sounds like the problems are not just a once off and don't think I will be re-ordering... But since the return process is quite easy it is tempting. I would kill for a good screene-d Oasis! In fact, I'd pay fifty dollars extra to anyone who is looking to sell theirs hehehe! *hint hint* :-D

Just be sure to get photographic proof. Everyone claiming perfect screens has been proven wrong after agreeing to take a picture. That said, some devices certainly have less of a gradient than others. Just don't expect to ever find find one with no color gradient as it cannot happen.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by cerem0ny

Ditto. I had been waiting for a long time to read the third book of the Passage trilogy and opened it up on the Oasis but was continuously distracted by the shadow cones and the colour gradient. It distracted me wholeheartedly throughout the book, and I did not enjoy the book, and now I'm wondering if it's because of the way it was displayed on the Oasis!

That's an awfully long book to suffer through with screen distractions. Didn't you have another device to read it on for comparison? I plan to listen to that book (have to listen to #2 first), so I hope it's good.

[Saint04jmv]

Originally Posted by Kolja

I had a similar experience comparing 2 Oasis devices to my Voyage. My Voyage has an almost perfect screen and better contrast that the Oasis. The ergonomics of the Oasis are nice but not enough to overcome the uneven color and LED shadows present on the two devices I had. The screen is the most important thing to me when reading and I also like the Origami cover since I do a lot of reading while eating.

Thanks for sharing as I'm glad to not be the only person who had this experience with the Oasis. I agree, the screen is the most important aspect. However, I was an earlier adopter of e-readers when Books A Million carried and sold the first Sony ebook readers. Anything compared to those washed out looking screens looks substantially better to me lol. I guess I have low standards lol.

However, I do see myself using the Oasis more do to the comfort and ease of use of the new form factor despite having a lower contrast screen.

I would venture to guess that perhaps the new fiber optic layer of the screen perhaps gives it a more yellow and less than crisp appearance compared to the Voyage.

I had planned on selling the Voyage, but now I'm having second thoughts as the poorer screen on the Oasis may start getting to me lol.

[Superbar]

Hi,

I also want to express my frustration having bought an Oasis a few days ago. I've already sent it back, the lightness gradient was too big of an issue for me.

At first glance it was really hard to tell. At second glance I noticed the little clouds at the thicker side. At third glance I saw the lightness gradient from the thinner (lighter) to the thicker (darker) side.

I might have said OK, whatever, I'll still keep it, but, when I turned the Oasis upside down and thicker side was on the left (to hold it with left hand), the gradient was now even clearer, so clear that I would have totally been unable to use the device this way (with the thicker side to the left). I also counted the LED lights, there didn't seem to be one missing. Reading about the issue here also made me think that this is an issue related to the design of the device hence I returned it.

I got the Voyage instead. Yes, my Voyage also has a slight gradient from top (darker) to bottom (lighter) but to me this is way, way less distracting than the Oasis issue. Once they produce an Oasis with a totally evenly lighted display I'll immediately buy it.

[cerem0ny]

Originally Posted by booklover6

That's an awfully long book to suffer through with screen distractions. Didn't you have another device to read it on for comparison? I plan to listen to that book (have to listen to #2 first), so I hope it's good.

No but the first two on my Kobo were amazing! Bummer huh... I may try again in a few years, should be more fun reading them back to pack methinks!

[cerem0ny]

Originally Posted by Superbar

Hi,

I also want to express my frustration having bought an Oasis a few days ago. I've already sent it back, the lightness gradient was too big of an issue for me.

At first glance it was really hard to tell. At second glance I noticed the little clouds at the thicker side. At third glance I saw the lightness gradient from the thinner (lighter) to the thicker (darker) side.

I might have said OK, whatever, I'll still keep it, but, when I turned the Oasis upside down and thicker side was on the left (to hold it with left hand), the gradient was now even clearer, so clear that I would have totally been unable to use the device this way (with the thicker side to the left). I also counted the LED lights, there didn't seem to be one missing. Reading about the issue here also made me think that this is an issue related to the design of the device hence I returned it.

I got the Voyage instead. Yes, my Voyage also has a slight gradient from top (darker) to bottom (lighter) but to me this is way, way less distracting than the Oasis issue. Once they produce an Oasis with a totally evenly lighted display I'll immediately buy it.

What a travesty.

[Kolja]

Originally Posted by Saint04jmv

I had planned on selling the Voyage, but now I'm having second thoughts as the poorer screen on the Oasis may start getting to me lol.

If you have a Voyage with a good screen I would definitely keep it. The second Oasis I received had the Merlot cover that I wanted and the color gradient wasn't very noticeable but the shadows on the side really bothered me. I really wanted to love the Oasis and would read on it for awhile trying to see if I could get used to the shadows (didn't happen) and then when I picked up the Voyage again it was just so much more comfortable to read on without shadows and a darker font. I just hope my Voyage lasts for a long time.

[Shinytop]

Thank goodness for my obviously impaired vision. My three Kindle Oasis purchases have been good. Until reading here I did not know I just could not see. Admittedly I did not turn brightness all the way up in a dark closet but since I seldom do that in real life I think I will keep what I bought. I really am trying to not like it but realized that I really do love it. Must have been mistreated as a child.

[cerem0ny]

I miss my Voyage!

[cerem0ny]

Originally Posted by Shinytop

Thank goodness for my obviously impaired vision. My three Kindle Oasis purchases have been good. Until reading here I did not know I just could not see. Admittedly I did not turn brightness all the way up in a dark closet but since I seldom do that in real life I think I will keep what I bought. I really am trying to not like it but realized that I really do love it. Must have been mistreated as a child.

Errr, congratulations? Hit a nerve, have we?

[Shinytop]

No, well maybe. A little bored with everybody who has a good screen being told they just cannot see it, prove it, look at it in the dark, or, my favorite, you are just not discerning enough.

[Superbar]

Currently I'm also not totally convinced that the devices differ in the degree of brightness uniformity (some reporting strong effects, some reporting slight effects) but might just as well believe that solely the perception is different, whilst I have not seen multiple devices next to each other to be able to compare.

All I know is that I bought one Oasis and one Voyage and both had gradients, and I refuse to believe that I just incidentally caught 2 faulty devices while most others are ok.

Edit: Interesting enough I've just seen an amazon Voyage review from the 9th of May 2016 claiming that they were told that amazon (Germany) doesn't send out replacement devices anymore in general (only if the reason for the request is the gradient issue or not wasn't clear to me) as there were too many returns (but they could have their money back instead if they wanted)