Paperwhite w/ 3G firmware version question

cspittell · 06-15-2018, 02:28 PM

Hoping someone can help me out. Long story here (sorry).

My husband had a PW with 3G that he left on a plane. It was a couple of years old. I ordered him a new one and when we set it up, it had a different "look" to it. I have a Wi-Fi only PW and the FW version is 5.9.5.1. The new one has version 5.6.5!

I called Amazon customer support and they maintain that's the correct version for the 3G PW. I've done some research since and that FW version was released in mid 2015.

Can anyone a newish 3G Paperwhite tell me what FW version they have?

The user interface is what I call the "old" one. Without the three dot menu (has the three lines), the old House icon and, the light bulb icon. To access book info you press down on the title.

He says the user interface on the PW he lost was exactly the same as mine. I have the newer stylized icons such as the gear icon to change screen brightness, and set airplane mode. Book titles show percentage read as a number.

Trying to figure things out a bit before I contact Amazon support again.

CyberSmoke53 · 06-15-2018, 02:54 PM

I have a Paperwhite w/3g (7th gen).
It has the current firmware of v5.9.6.1 :

https://s3.amazonaws.com/firmwaredow...te_5.9.6.1.bin

According to Amazon's support page the Paperwhite w/3g 6th gen also has a
link to software for 5.9.6.1.
Not sure which version paperwhite you have but the 2 most recent have the current version.
Hope this helps.
You can download the bin file to a pc and transfer it to the paperwhite.

ilovejedd · 06-15-2018, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cspittell

Hoping someone can help me out. Long story here (sorry).

My husband had a PW with 3G that he left on a plane. It was a couple of years old. I ordered him a new one and when we set it up, it had a different "look" to it. I have a Wi-Fi only PW and the FW version is 5.9.5.1. The new one has version 5.6.5!

I called Amazon customer support and they maintain that's the correct version for the 3G PW. I've done some research since and that FW version was released in mid 2015.

Can anyone a newish 3G Paperwhite tell me what FW version they have?

The user interface is what I call the "old" one. Without the three dot menu (has the three lines), the old House icon and, the light bulb icon. To access book info you press down on the title.

He says the user interface on the PW he lost was exactly the same as mine. I have the newer stylized icons such as the gear icon to change screen brightness, and set airplane mode. Book titles show percentage read as a number.

Trying to figure things out a bit before I contact Amazon support again.

Can you check the serial number on the Paperwhite 3G you recently bought against this list?

https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Serial_Numbers

What model name did the list show?

binaryhermit · 06-15-2018, 04:27 PM

given that this kindle has 5.6.5, and the latest for the fifth generation paperwhite is 5.6.1.1 according to this amazon help page: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/help/cus...deId=201064850 , it's either a 6th gen paperwhite or 7th gen paperwhite (I have a feeling it's the 7th gen, but that's just suspicion) it's not running the latest firmware since the 6th and 7th gen are on 5.9.6.1.

ilovejedd · 06-15-2018, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by binaryhermit

given that this kindle has 5.6.5, and the latest for the fifth generation paperwhite is 5.6.1.1 according to this amazon help page: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/help/cus...deId=201064850 , it's either a 6th gen paperwhite or 7th gen paperwhite (I have a feeling it's the 7th gen, but that's just suspicion) it's not running the latest firmware since the 6th and 7th gen are on 5.9.6.1.

Hmm, from memory, my PW3 WiFi-only shipped with 5.6.5.

Assuming this was purchased directly from Amazon, wow, they still have stock of PW3-3G from 2015?

cspittell · 06-15-2018, 05:27 PM

The Model number puts it as a PW 3 (US only)released in 2015.

I purchased it directly from Amazon so I can't imagine it's actually been hanging around for that long but 3G versions probably don't sell all that well and it did have the 2015 firmware installed so I guess it's possible. I called Amazon told the CSR that I had gotten a new PW 3G with really old firmware. She agreed it was old and talked me through manually installing the new FW release (5.9.6.1?). Updated without an issue and appears to be fine.

Guess it depends a lot on the CSR you get.

Thanks to everyone who responded - appreciate the help.

ilovejedd · 06-15-2018, 06:04 PM

It's good you got it sorted. Yeah, CSR tend to be hit or miss.

Last PW3 Wi-Fi I purchased from Amazon came with 5.8.11 so I do expect what you have it older stock. More than likely, Amazon manufactured a whole bunch of the 3G versions in order to hit a certain bulk discount and they haven't managed to deplete stock yet. Mind, at $50-70 more, quite understandable why more folks opt for Wi-Fi only.

cspittell · 06-15-2018, 07:29 PM

My husband travels a lot and always seems to find himself without a book where there is no Wi-Fi.

Having 3G is definitely worth the extra $$$ to him. I don't bother because I keep so many books on my Kindle that I always have something to read. Between what I buy, what my daughter buys and what I get for free my Kindle is full.

06-15-2018, 02:28 PM	#1
cspittell Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2018 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Paperwhite w/ 3G firmware version question Hoping someone can help me out. Long story here (sorry). My husband had a PW with 3G that he left on a plane. It was a couple of years old. I ordered him a new one and when we set it up, it had a different "look" to it. I have a Wi-Fi only PW and the FW version is 5.9.5.1. The new one has version 5.6.5! I called Amazon customer support and they maintain that's the correct version for the 3G PW. I've done some research since and that FW version was released in mid 2015. Can anyone a newish 3G Paperwhite tell me what FW version they have? The user interface is what I call the "old" one. Without the three dot menu (has the three lines), the old House icon and, the light bulb icon. To access book info you press down on the title. He says the user interface on the PW he lost was exactly the same as mine. I have the newer stylized icons such as the gear icon to change screen brightness, and set airplane mode. Book titles show percentage read as a number. Trying to figure things out a bit before I contact Amazon support again.

06-15-2018, 02:54 PM	#2
CyberSmoke53 Enthusiast Posts: 47 Karma: 480454 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Georgia , USA Device: NookColor Galaxy Tab 2 7.0	Paperwhite w/3g firmware version question I have a Paperwhite w/3g (7th gen). It has the current firmware of v5.9.6.1 : https://s3.amazonaws.com/firmwaredow...te_5.9.6.1.bin According to Amazon's support page the Paperwhite w/3g 6th gen also has a link to software for 5.9.6.1. Not sure which version paperwhite you have but the 2 most recent have the current version. Hope this helps. You can download the bin file to a pc and transfer it to the paperwhite.

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06-15-2018, 04:27 PM	#4
binaryhermit Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,696 Karma: 20469902 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Lockport, IL Device: Kindle PW4, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	given that this kindle has 5.6.5, and the latest for the fifth generation paperwhite is 5.6.1.1 according to this amazon help page: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/help/cus...deId=201064850 , it's either a 6th gen paperwhite or 7th gen paperwhite (I have a feeling it's the 7th gen, but that's just suspicion) it's not running the latest firmware since the 6th and 7th gen are on 5.9.6.1.

06-15-2018, 05:27 PM	#6
cspittell Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2018 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	The Model number puts it as a PW 3 (US only)released in 2015. I purchased it directly from Amazon so I can't imagine it's actually been hanging around for that long but 3G versions probably don't sell all that well and it did have the 2015 firmware installed so I guess it's possible. I called Amazon told the CSR that I had gotten a new PW 3G with really old firmware. She agreed it was old and talked me through manually installing the new FW release (5.9.6.1?). Updated without an issue and appears to be fine. Guess it depends a lot on the CSR you get. Thanks to everyone who responded - appreciate the help.

06-15-2018, 06:04 PM	#7
ilovejedd hopeless n00b Posts: 5,111 Karma: 19597086 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: in the middle of nowhere Device: PW4, PW3, Libra H2O, iPad 10.5, iPad 11, iPad 12.9	It's good you got it sorted. Yeah, CSR tend to be hit or miss. Last PW3 Wi-Fi I purchased from Amazon came with 5.8.11 so I do expect what you have it older stock. More than likely, Amazon manufactured a whole bunch of the 3G versions in order to hit a certain bulk discount and they haven't managed to deplete stock yet. Mind, at $50-70 more, quite understandable why more folks opt for Wi-Fi only.

06-15-2018, 07:29 PM	#8
cspittell Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2018 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	My husband travels a lot and always seems to find himself without a book where there is no Wi-Fi. Having 3G is definitely worth the extra $$$ to him. I don't bother because I keep so many books on my Kindle that I always have something to read. Between what I buy, what my daughter buys and what I get for free my Kindle is full.

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