Voyage or Oasis?

[radamo]

Years ago I was an early buyer of the PRS-505. Then once I bought an iPad I used that exclusively for all my reading. Recently have been frustrated by trying to use the iPad outdoors. I saw a Kindle Voyage at a BestBuy and bought it. Then I realized that the Voyage with a cover was only a few dollars less than an Oasis which comes with the cover. I don't have the ability to see an Oasis locally to compare. I love the feel of the Voyage but wonder how much "more" would I like the Oasis???? Anyone have both that could share their thoughts?

Thanks for any feedback from owners of these devices.

[HarryT]

Moved to the Kindle forum. You're far more like to get useful answers there.

[Sirtel]

It really is very subjective. Some people like the Oasis more, some prefer the Voyage. I like them both and switch between them. The Voyage has a bit better contrast and sharper text, but only a bit. Not enough to bother me, but some people have been bothered by it. The Oasis is lighter and more comfortable to hold. Again, some people here on MR have reported that they didn't find the Oasis comfortable at all, so it's really a personal preference.

You could order the Oasis from Amazon and return it if it's not to your liking.

[HarryT]

I looked at the Oasis and decided to stick with my Voyage. I saw no personal benefit in the Oasis, and it removed two of the features I most like about the Voyage: the haptic sensors and the light sensor.

[radamo]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

It really is very subjective. Some people like the Oasis more, some prefer the Voyage. I like them both and switch between them. The Voyage has a bit better contrast and sharper text, but only a bit. Not enough to bother me, but some people have been bothered by it. The Oasis is lighter and more comfortable to hold. Again, some people here on MR have reported that they didn't find the Oasis comfortable at all, so it's really a personal preference.

You could order the Oasis from Amazon and return it if it's not to your liking.

I do realize it is subjective (these types of things usually are). I was just looking for some owner thoughts on these. Interested to hear that several have stated more contrast on the Voyage. I do wish I could test drive the Oasis but I am leaving on a business trip Tuesday and then won't return until my return period on my Voyage is up... Looks like I will just have to continue loving my Voyage...

[radamo]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I looked at the Oasis and decided to stick with my Voyage. I saw no personal benefit in the Oasis, and it removed two of the features I most like about the Voyage: the haptic sensors and the light sensor.

Oh, didn't realize that the Oasis did not have a light sensor. Wonder why they omitted that?

[93terp]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I looked at the Oasis and decided to stick with my Voyage. I saw no personal benefit in the Oasis, and it removed two of the features I most like about the Voyage: the haptic sensors and the light sensor.

I absolutely love the haptic sensor page turn buttons on the Voyage.

[DaveFalcon73]

Hi Radamo,

So I have both the Voyage and actually bought an Oasis this past week. I'm really loving the Oasis over the voyage and I'm actually reading more because of it.

I've had the Kindle Keyboard, a PaperWhite, PaperWhite 2, Voyage and now the Oasis. The Voyage for me was the best of the devices by far until the Oasis came along. It's true the Oasis doesn't have the light sensor but I found I couldn't get on with the light sensor it was either too bright or too dark so I turned it off soon after getting the Voyage.

So what do I like about the Oasis?

1. The physical size, it's actually the same size as a CD case, it's that small. The screen size however is identical to the size of the Voyage.

2. The leather case (yes leather) is great, I have the Merlot version, the case is luxury and very easy to attach and detach with magnetic pins.

3. The ability to have hardware page turn buttons that properly click. Don't get me wrong, I liked the haptic buttons on the Voyage but I frequently would turn the page by accident and didn't know if I pressed forward or back so I'd spend 30 seconds trying to work out where I was because I'd gone several pages forward or back. These clickable hard press-able buttons on the Oasis are just brilliant.

4. The ability to rotate the device 180 degrees and read left hand. I'm right handed and usually read with the Kindle in my right hand, but I've started this past week reading a lot more with my left whilst sipping a cup of tea.

In terms of performance the Oasis is the same speed with page turns and screen refreshes as the Voyage, so you won't see any speed bump. That said, the brightness is slightly brighter on the Oasis, I reckon on average about 2-3 brightness settings when I compare my Voyage side by side with the Oasis and that's because it has 10 LED's down the edge of the screen instead of 6 on the Voyage.

The only thing some people have a minor gripe with is that the Voyage has a crisp white/blue LED light where the Oasis is just slightly warmer. I noticed it having both Voyage and Oasis side by side but to be honest I haven't noticed it since just reading on the Oasis, and I think the slightly warmer backlight is actually better especially if you're doing bed time reading.

I thought I'd use the Oasis without the case like I did with my Voyage but even with the leather battery case on the Oasis, it's feels almost the same weight as the Voyage without a case, so I'm reading mostly with the case on.

Without the case I'm getting about 6 hours of reading on backlight 18, I haven't yet run down the Oasis with the battery cover on but Amazon suggest the Voyage has 6 weeks of battery charge where as the Oasis with cover has 8 weeks. That's calculated at 30 mins reading a day at backlight 10.

What I loved about the Voyage was the size, the weight and the tapered in edges making it a pleasure to hold without a case. I'm loving the Oasis even more, even though the edges are a little thicker where the page turn buttons are, it doesn't feel like it really.

If you're happy with the Voyage as it is then I'd say keep it, but if you are interested in any of the above extra improvements then I would say see if you can return it for the Oasis.

[Kolja]

I've had the Voyage for 2 years and love it. I tried upgrading to the Oasis and after trying 2 of them decided I much preferred my Voyage and am sticking with it. The Oasis has 10 LEDs on the side that produced shadows and cones of light on the two devices I had. This was too distracting for me when reading as they were at the end of every sentence. The contrast on my Voyage is better as the screen is whiter and the fonts darker. I'm just as happy with the haptic page turners as the buttons on the Oasis and since I read a lot while eating I like the Origami case on the Voyage. I also usually read with the device propped up so the slightly lower weight of the Oasis wasn't useful for me. I take my Voyage out with me often and carry it in my purse. The Oasis case only partially covers the back so I was concerned about damaging it or scratching it in my purse. The Voyage works best for me. Good luck with your decision.

[JSWolf]

If the choices are between the Voyage and the Oasis, go with the Voyage. The Oasis is a very poor design.

[Dr. Drib]

What Jon means is that "in his opinion" the Oasis is a very poor design.

Opinions can vary, of course. It is quite conceivable that one's opinions can differ, as strange as that may seem. Facts, however, do not change.

Stating an opinion as a fact is, of course, discouraged on Mobileread.

[barryem]

First, you can buy a cheap cover for the Voyage and they work better than the much more expensive Amazon cover. I bought a cover from Amazon for $10 and it's been great. When I bought my first Paperwhite I bought Amazon's very expensive cover but it was so heavy I gave it away to a neighbor and bought a $10 cover that weighed less than half as much.

Unlike JSWolf I think the Oasis design looks pretty good. I haven't actually seen one but I like it. Except for the tiny battery. Since the battery is 1/6th the size of the Voyage battery, and since the device always runs off the internal batter even if the cover is charging it, and since batteries typically last between 500 and 1000 charges, it's reasonble to guess that the Oasis battery will last 1/6th as long as the Voyage battery. That scares the heck out of me. Were it not for that I'd probably have an Oasis.

However, my Voyage is so very nice I don't feel much loss. It's a great little device.

Barry

[odamizu]

I have both Oasis and Kindle. I love the design and form factor of the Oasis, but prefer the screen on the Voyage.

[DaveFalcon73]

Originally Posted by barryem

Since the battery is 1/6th the size of the Voyage battery, and since the device always runs off the internal batter even if the cover is charging it, and since batteries typically last between 500 and 1000 charges, it's reasonble to guess that the Oasis battery will last 1/6th as long as the Voyage battery.

Actually Barry this is one of those myths that a lot of people don't quite understand how the battery life cycle works. Most Lithium-Ion batteries are quoted as lasting 400 charge cycles not 1000 charges. A charge cycle is defined as charging the battery from 0% to 100% then discharging it back to 0%. After that 400 or so charges then you'll expect only about 80% capacity of the original battery, losing 20%, ultimately not lasting as long as it previously did. Every Lithium-ion battery has these whether it's a Kindle battery or an iPhone or Laptop battery.

Charging under regular use (topping up) does not count as a charge cycle or even a significant part of a charge cycle.

So the amount of times you'll be doing a full charge and discharge is pretty seldom, then you shouldn't see much of a different in battery longevity over time with the Oasis compared to the Voyage unless you are performing full charge and discharges, which the Oasis won't be doing because as soon as the internal battery drops to 80% the battery case tops it back up again.

I've never had a Kindle battery get to the point where I've noticed the battery is degrading. The only time I have noticed this is on some 5-6 year old laptops and a 5 year old iPhone where you can clearly see over years of charging and misuse that the battery has degraded enough to be noticeable. Also these devices tend to get a lot more charging done throughout a single day then any Kindle would do.

Are we going to notice a difference in the battery holding a charge in 2, 3 or 4 years? I very much doubt it. If people keep their Oasis like some keep their original Kindle or DX or Kindle Keyboard for 10-15 years, so say in 2025 or 2030 if people are still running them, then yes it's quite possible they will see battery issues but likewise they would on a Voyage too.

Me, I tend to keep / use the device for a couple of years before upgrading to the next model, sometimes it's sooner if a newer better model comes out, or sometimes longer at 3 years, so for me I won't see that as an issue for the Oasis.

You're are partially right though, if you are topping the Oasis up a lot more than you would a Voyage then yes there will be a slight difference in battery longevity but I really don't believe it will be 1/6th as long as the Voyage, probably more like 5/6th if you really wanted me to pick a figure out of the sky.

Lithium-ion actually prefers to be trickle charged than have full charges carried out, it actually maintains the battery life longer over time, take every smartphone or laptop for that matter. Keep the phone charged up and it lasts years. Keep a laptop plugged in and it lasts for years. The only time it stops lasting is if you keep taking it off of charge and depleting the battery fully and having to keep recharging it.

[Sweetpea]

As a non-Kindle owner, I'd say go for the Voyage. I personally find the Oasis way too expensive for what you get. I like the idea, I don't like the execution.
I was thinking about buying the Voyage myself, last year (except that I found out it wasn't watertight, so I ended up with the H2O), it looks like a nice sleep device, and I'd have loved those button!