Voyage - Worth It?

djulian · 04-28-2015, 02:05 PM

So, I know this is totally subjective, but I am hoping to hear from folks who have used both the Paperwhite and the new Voyage.

I live in Europe temporarily, but I've been able to squirrel away Amazon gift cards over the last year. I have family visiting next month, and I was thinking about upgrading from a Paperwhite to the Voyage (they can bring it to me), but there are no Voyages here for a test drive.

My Paperwhite works great, but prior to the release of the Voyage, I was checking Ebay for an old Kindle Keyboard, because I missed the "in bezel" turn buttons much more than I expected. As far as my usage habits go, I read for a couple of hours on my Kindle almost every night, often in bed.

So, basically, I'm wondering if the upgrade to the Voyage is worth the cost? For those of you who have upgraded, have you found it to be a really worthwhile upgrade?

Thanks in advance!

Colerson · 04-28-2015, 02:15 PM

My wife has a Paperwhite, which I've used, and I have a Voyage. I think the Voyage is superior: I like the completely smooth surface, adaptive light, and (although it's not super important) the higher resolution.

That said, I don't think the cost justifies those features. However, if $80 isn't a big deal to you, I'd recommend the Voyage. It's like a slightly better Paperwhite, in my opinion.

Atunah · 04-28-2015, 03:09 PM

I went from a Paperwhite 1st generation to the Voyage and I am super happy.

Now I never seen a PW2, so I don't know how better than the PW1 it was, but I was never really happy with my PW. First I missed the page buttons, I just prefer reading a book like that.
I also was never happy with my PW screen. It was like looking through milk, or a window. The fonts were uneven in parts and I had a really mottled screen. I had 3 replacements at the start and settled on it.
I actually went and bought the basic, when it still had buttons and preferred reading daytime on it over the PW.

For me the lit screen on the Voyage is like night and day to my PW. Its warmer, its even, I don't get the milky effect. Font is so much more clear and contrasted.

The auto light works fantastic for me. I never fiddle with my light now. It just adjust and once it learned what I needed, its been spot on. I have no more cat dander and hair and other things stuck in the bezel.

And most of all the page buttons. Although not technically buttons, they give me that same feeling.

And its so much faster than my PW. I use collections a lot, have many books. Search I also love a lot, everything just is much snappier.

And I can finally keep wifi on. On my PW it was eating battery so bad I couldn't leave it on all the time and if I didn't, it kept getting stuck dealing with the collections.

For me the extra money was worth every penny.

barryem · 04-28-2015, 04:04 PM

I went from a Paperwhite 2 to a Voyage about 3 weeks ago. I had to save for a while to pay the price for the Voyage and after I'd saved enough I still held off for a few weeks because I couldn't quite convince myself it would be worth it. Now I have it and I'm glad. It's worth it to me.

When I put the two ereaders side by side and compare them I have to say I think the Paperwhite screen looks just a little bit better. They both look really good but the Voyage screen is a little bit cooler in color and has a kind of translucent look that the Paperwhite doesn't have. That's when they're side by side and the difference isn't great. When reading on them they both seem perfect. I look at whichever one I'm reading and wonder how I could have doubted it was better.

The real difference is the way the voyage feels in my hand. It's a lot more comfortable to hold. It's light and small and just feels good and, by comparison, the Paperwhite, which once seemed so elegant, now seems big and clumsy and heavy to hold.

I first became aware of this when I started comparing my Paperwhite to my Kobo Aura. The Aura isn't nearly as nice a screen and it has various problems but it really feels good in my hand. I think that's what made me bite the bullet on the Voyage.

Right now I'm doing some active comparison of the Voyage and the Aura, reading a chapter of my current book in one and the next chapter in the other, going back and forth. The Kobo is winning so far because of how it feels in my hand but the Voyage is a big improvement over the Paperwhite in that regard and it's screen is so much better. This kind of comparison is just an exercise. No matter which one wins the Voyage is going to be my main ereader. I'm a very biased judge.

Barry

garyyoung · 04-28-2015, 04:06 PM

The turn buttons on the Voyage are great if you read documents with lots of hyperlinks or footnotes. Swiping can easily take you places you don't want to go.

djulian · 04-28-2015, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garyyoung

The turn buttons on the Voyage are great if you read documents with lots of hyperlinks or footnotes. Swiping can easily take you places you don't want to go.

This was exactly what started me thinking about returning to a Kindle Keyboard w/ buttons--I read the ESV Study Bible on my PW, and every three words or so, there's a hyperlink to a footnote. It's become an exercise in frustration at times.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atunah

I went from a Paperwhite 1st generation to the Voyage and I am super happy.
...
Now I never seen a PW2, so I don't know how better than the PW1 it was, but I was never really happy with my PW. First I missed the page buttons, I just prefer reading a book like that.
...
For me the lit screen on the Voyage is like night and day to my PW. Its warmer, its even, I don't get the milky effect. Font is so much more clear and contrasted.
...
The auto light works fantastic for me. I never fiddle with my light now. It just adjust and once it learned what I needed, its been spot on. I have no more cat dander and hair and other things stuck in the bezel.
...
And most of all the page buttons. Although not technically buttons, they give me that same feeling.
...
And its so much faster than my PW. I use collections a lot, have many books. Search I also love a lot, everything just is much snappier.
...
And I can finally keep wifi on. On my PW it was eating battery so bad I couldn't leave it on all the time and if I didn't, it kept getting stuck dealing with the collections.

For me the extra money was worth every penny.

Awesome. I'm also on a PW1, so I'm glad to hear of your experience with the two devices. Thank you!

jbcohen · 04-29-2015, 07:33 AM

I think that each of us needs to evaluate the different features that hte voyage adds and attach what you feel to be a fair value for that improvement. I am willing to pay $20 for the increase in screen resolution, after all this is text we are talking about how much screen resolution do you need for text. For the page buttons a big fat goose egg, I prefer the paperwhite's no page buttons. For the light sensor I am willing to pay $40, i think that's a neat feature. Put the two together and I get $60 for a total of $180, not quite the price of a voyage. Get me a voyage for $180 and I'll do it.

booklover6 · 04-29-2015, 07:46 AM

The page turn sensors are awesome, and definitely worth adding $20 to the price.

I'm sure eventually they will run it for $180.

It really irritates me that it comes with ads for that high price ($199)

badgoodDeb · 04-29-2015, 01:26 PM

I got the Voyage and never had any Paperwhites. I had a K4, with buttons because I thought I needed buttons and refused to give them up. So I waited until they made the Voyage with its buttons, before I upgraded.

I adore the lighted screen and the improved clarity and precision. It's nice and light. I find I actually DON'T use the Voyage's buttons, though, because they aren't very like the K4's buttons (which I pressed lightly with the side edge of my lower thumb). Instead, I use the touch screen. Go figure. I use the Voyage's buttons occasionally, and I'm glad I have them, just in case -- but I don't find them very like the K4's buttons.

So there is another data point.

I still think the screen clarity and precision is totally worth getting.

barryem · 04-29-2015, 02:13 PM

I tried the page press on my Voyage and found it awkward but I kept using it to give it a chance. Finally I turned the feature off to see if I missed page press and I found I didn't. I left it off for a while and then turned it off to see if I liked it the second time around. I found myself not using it but this time I left it on because there doesn't seem to be much reason to turn it back off. I probably will turn it off when I get around to it but it's never triggered by mistake so there's no rush.

I also tried the brightness sensor for a while but it never seemed right for me so I turned it off and left it off. I usually turn that off on my tablets as well. Setting it manually works better for me.

All in all there's nothing improved about the Voyage for me but the way it feels in my hand while I'm reading it and that's worth the price difference for me. I'm glad I got it.

Barry

cadele · 04-29-2015, 05:03 PM

I have the PW1 and PW2 and the Voyage (I might also have a gadget problem, but that is another issue.)

The Voyage is by far my favourite. I personally find the light more even - not 100% perfect but very very good, and once into my first book on the device I completely forgot about it. I also prefer the warmer colour to the cooler colour of the PW1.

The main reason I upgraded to the Voyage was for the increased resolution, and this was quite a noticeable improvement to me.

I also like the lack of a bezel so there is no pesky dust or fibres accumulating around the edges. I really like the device and use it for a couple of hours a day.

I had a bit of anxiety when purchasing as I am out of the U.S. and had to use a re-shipper. This would have been a huge nuisance if the device had a fault or was DOA and had to be returned, but fortunately all was well. I am glad I went this route as they are still not available in my country many months later.

Avwriter · 04-29-2015, 06:51 PM

I moved from PW1 to Voyage, and am hooked. The screen is brighter, I love the self-adjusting light, slimmer profile, and lighter weight. Do yourself a favor and pick up the limited edition leather cover as well; it is ridiculously expensive, but is so much more attractive and feels so much better in the hand than the standard cover that it truly worth the extra dough.

Stingo · 04-30-2015, 05:49 AM

I tried out the Voyage for a couple of weeks and, within the kindle fold, it is without doubt the best option. Fast response. Great lighting. Nice feel. Sharp text. I ended up with a Kobo H2O but if you want a Kindle you won't regret the Voyage.

patrickt · 04-30-2015, 05:45 PM

I have a PW1 and a Voyage. I've had the Voyage for three months and finally got a case I'm comfortable using. I alternate between my PW1 and the Voyage and can't see two cents worth of difference in the reading experience. Both screens are fine for me. I didn't like the buttons on the Voyage and turned them off. I like the smooth glass across the entire surface of the Voyage but it's not that big a deal. I like the Voyage and enjoying using as I do my PW1.

If disaster struck and my two Kindles were gone I'd probably replace with a PW2 right now.

solitarywolf · 04-30-2015, 08:29 PM

I had to see the Voyage in a store before I was convinced to upgrade from the PW2. When I saw the resolution, I was convinced. That coupled with the smaller size and better lighting, it was a deal breaker. I LOVE MY VOYAGE! At first I tried several setting with the haptic page turn sensors, everything from off to varied settings. I have finally found my zen with them. I really like the flat screen. Hope this helps.

04-28-2015, 02:05 PM	#1
djulian Evangelist Posts: 408 Karma: 1786912 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle Voyage	Voyage - Worth It? So, I know this is totally subjective, but I am hoping to hear from folks who have used both the Paperwhite and the new Voyage. I live in Europe temporarily, but I've been able to squirrel away Amazon gift cards over the last year. I have family visiting next month, and I was thinking about upgrading from a Paperwhite to the Voyage (they can bring it to me), but there are no Voyages here for a test drive. My Paperwhite works great, but prior to the release of the Voyage, I was checking Ebay for an old Kindle Keyboard, because I missed the "in bezel" turn buttons much more than I expected. As far as my usage habits go, I read for a couple of hours on my Kindle almost every night, often in bed. So, basically, I'm wondering if the upgrade to the Voyage is worth the cost? For those of you who have upgraded, have you found it to be a really worthwhile upgrade? Thanks in advance!

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04-28-2015, 02:15 PM	#2
Colerson Nameless Being	My wife has a Paperwhite, which I've used, and I have a Voyage. I think the Voyage is superior: I like the completely smooth surface, adaptive light, and (although it's not super important) the higher resolution. That said, I don't think the cost justifies those features. However, if $80 isn't a big deal to you, I'd recommend the Voyage. It's like a slightly better Paperwhite, in my opinion.

04-28-2015, 03:09 PM	#3
Atunah Wizard Posts: 1,817 Karma: 23400001 Join Date: May 2012 Location: USA Device: K1/K3/BasicK Voyage/Oasis1/Oasis3	I went from a Paperwhite 1st generation to the Voyage and I am super happy. Now I never seen a PW2, so I don't know how better than the PW1 it was, but I was never really happy with my PW. First I missed the page buttons, I just prefer reading a book like that. I also was never happy with my PW screen. It was like looking through milk, or a window. The fonts were uneven in parts and I had a really mottled screen. I had 3 replacements at the start and settled on it. I actually went and bought the basic, when it still had buttons and preferred reading daytime on it over the PW. For me the lit screen on the Voyage is like night and day to my PW. Its warmer, its even, I don't get the milky effect. Font is so much more clear and contrasted. The auto light works fantastic for me. I never fiddle with my light now. It just adjust and once it learned what I needed, its been spot on. I have no more cat dander and hair and other things stuck in the bezel. And most of all the page buttons. Although not technically buttons, they give me that same feeling. And its so much faster than my PW. I use collections a lot, have many books. Search I also love a lot, everything just is much snappier. And I can finally keep wifi on. On my PW it was eating battery so bad I couldn't leave it on all the time and if I didn't, it kept getting stuck dealing with the collections. For me the extra money was worth every penny.

04-28-2015, 04:04 PM	#4
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	I went from a Paperwhite 2 to a Voyage about 3 weeks ago. I had to save for a while to pay the price for the Voyage and after I'd saved enough I still held off for a few weeks because I couldn't quite convince myself it would be worth it. Now I have it and I'm glad. It's worth it to me. When I put the two ereaders side by side and compare them I have to say I think the Paperwhite screen looks just a little bit better. They both look really good but the Voyage screen is a little bit cooler in color and has a kind of translucent look that the Paperwhite doesn't have. That's when they're side by side and the difference isn't great. When reading on them they both seem perfect. I look at whichever one I'm reading and wonder how I could have doubted it was better. The real difference is the way the voyage feels in my hand. It's a lot more comfortable to hold. It's light and small and just feels good and, by comparison, the Paperwhite, which once seemed so elegant, now seems big and clumsy and heavy to hold. I first became aware of this when I started comparing my Paperwhite to my Kobo Aura. The Aura isn't nearly as nice a screen and it has various problems but it really feels good in my hand. I think that's what made me bite the bullet on the Voyage. Right now I'm doing some active comparison of the Voyage and the Aura, reading a chapter of my current book in one and the next chapter in the other, going back and forth. The Kobo is winning so far because of how it feels in my hand but the Voyage is a big improvement over the Paperwhite in that regard and it's screen is so much better. This kind of comparison is just an exercise. No matter which one wins the Voyage is going to be my main ereader. I'm a very biased judge. Barry

04-28-2015, 04:06 PM	#5
garyyoung Member Posts: 16 Karma: 59042 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kindle Voyage, PW1	The turn buttons on the Voyage are great if you read documents with lots of hyperlinks or footnotes. Swiping can easily take you places you don't want to go.

04-29-2015, 07:33 AM	#7
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,030 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	I think that each of us needs to evaluate the different features that hte voyage adds and attach what you feel to be a fair value for that improvement. I am willing to pay $20 for the increase in screen resolution, after all this is text we are talking about how much screen resolution do you need for text. For the page buttons a big fat goose egg, I prefer the paperwhite's no page buttons. For the light sensor I am willing to pay $40, i think that's a neat feature. Put the two together and I get $60 for a total of $180, not quite the price of a voyage. Get me a voyage for $180 and I'll do it.

04-29-2015, 07:46 AM	#8
booklover6 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,545 Karma: 14008730 Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA (USA) Device: Kobo Clara, 2E, Libre 1, PW4, PW5, 2022 Kindle, Kobo Libre Colour	The page turn sensors are awesome, and definitely worth adding $20 to the price. I'm sure eventually they will run it for $180. It really irritates me that it comes with ads for that high price ($199)

04-29-2015, 01:26 PM	#9
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,544 Karma: 64462893 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	I got the Voyage and never had any Paperwhites. I had a K4, with buttons because I thought I needed buttons and refused to give them up. So I waited until they made the Voyage with its buttons, before I upgraded. I adore the lighted screen and the improved clarity and precision. It's nice and light. I find I actually DON'T use the Voyage's buttons, though, because they aren't very like the K4's buttons (which I pressed lightly with the side edge of my lower thumb). Instead, I use the touch screen. Go figure. I use the Voyage's buttons occasionally, and I'm glad I have them, just in case -- but I don't find them very like the K4's buttons. So there is another data point. I still think the screen clarity and precision is totally worth getting.

04-29-2015, 02:13 PM	#10
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	I tried the page press on my Voyage and found it awkward but I kept using it to give it a chance. Finally I turned the feature off to see if I missed page press and I found I didn't. I left it off for a while and then turned it off to see if I liked it the second time around. I found myself not using it but this time I left it on because there doesn't seem to be much reason to turn it back off. I probably will turn it off when I get around to it but it's never triggered by mistake so there's no rush. I also tried the brightness sensor for a while but it never seemed right for me so I turned it off and left it off. I usually turn that off on my tablets as well. Setting it manually works better for me. All in all there's nothing improved about the Voyage for me but the way it feels in my hand while I'm reading it and that's worth the price difference for me. I'm glad I got it. Barry

04-29-2015, 05:03 PM	#11
cadele Addict Posts: 372 Karma: 3710372 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: Kindles, Sony 650	I have the PW1 and PW2 and the Voyage (I might also have a gadget problem, but that is another issue.) The Voyage is by far my favourite. I personally find the light more even - not 100% perfect but very very good, and once into my first book on the device I completely forgot about it. I also prefer the warmer colour to the cooler colour of the PW1. The main reason I upgraded to the Voyage was for the increased resolution, and this was quite a noticeable improvement to me. I also like the lack of a bezel so there is no pesky dust or fibres accumulating around the edges. I really like the device and use it for a couple of hours a day. I had a bit of anxiety when purchasing as I am out of the U.S. and had to use a re-shipper. This would have been a huge nuisance if the device had a fault or was DOA and had to be returned, but fortunately all was well. I am glad I went this route as they are still not available in my country many months later.

04-29-2015, 06:51 PM	#12
Avwriter Addict Posts: 369 Karma: 1422834 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: GA Device: Sony PRS 505, 600, 350, T-1, PW1, Voyage, Oasis2	I moved from PW1 to Voyage, and am hooked. The screen is brighter, I love the self-adjusting light, slimmer profile, and lighter weight. Do yourself a favor and pick up the limited edition leather cover as well; it is ridiculously expensive, but is so much more attractive and feels so much better in the hand than the standard cover that it truly worth the extra dough.

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04-30-2015, 05:49 AM	#13
Stingo Fanatic Posts: 581 Karma: 1334691 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Miami Device: KH2O, KPW2, KDXG, KPW1, K3, S505	I tried out the Voyage for a couple of weeks and, within the kindle fold, it is without doubt the best option. Fast response. Great lighting. Nice feel. Sharp text. I ended up with a Kobo H2O but if you want a Kindle you won't regret the Voyage.

04-30-2015, 05:45 PM	#14
patrickt Wizard Posts: 1,221 Karma: 8381518 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Oaxaca, Mexico Device: Paperwhite 4 X 2	I have a PW1 and a Voyage. I've had the Voyage for three months and finally got a case I'm comfortable using. I alternate between my PW1 and the Voyage and can't see two cents worth of difference in the reading experience. Both screens are fine for me. I didn't like the buttons on the Voyage and turned them off. I like the smooth glass across the entire surface of the Voyage but it's not that big a deal. I like the Voyage and enjoying using as I do my PW1. If disaster struck and my two Kindles were gone I'd probably replace with a PW2 right now.

04-30-2015, 08:29 PM	#15
solitarywolf Ink Drinker Posts: 222 Karma: 347666 Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: San Francisco, CA Device: Kindle Scribe, Kindle 2021, Ipad Pro, iPhone Pro	I had to see the Voyage in a store before I was convinced to upgrade from the PW2. When I saw the resolution, I was convinced. That coupled with the smaller size and better lighting, it was a deal breaker. I LOVE MY VOYAGE! At first I tried several setting with the haptic page turn sensors, everything from off to varied settings. I have finally found my zen with them. I really like the flat screen. Hope this helps.