Skip to main content

Amazon reportedly prepping new high-res Kindle Paperwhite

Despite its range of updated Kindle Fire tablets reportedly proving a hit with consumers, Amazon doesn’t look as if it’s going to allow its family of e-readers to slide out of view anytime soon, with a report Sunday suggesting the online retail giant is busy prepping a new version of its popular Paperwhite device.

The updated Paperwhite will launch around April next year, just six months after the second version landed. It’ll come with a super-sharp 300 dpi screen, a marked improvement on the current model’s 212 dpi offering, TechCrunch reported Sunday having seen a prototype of the upcoming unit.

Recommended Videos

A dpi value of 300 would take the front-lit Paperwhite ahead of competing devices such as the recently launched Nook GlowLight (212 dpi) e-reader from Barnes & Noble and even the Kobo Aura HD, which impressed many with its clear high-res 265-dpi screen when the device launched earlier this year.

The e-commerce giant is also considering using a very thin matte glass for the display, in place of the plastic screen used on the current model.

Interestingly, the next version will apparently incorporate a light sensor in one corner of the device, working to automatically adjust the screen’s brightness according to environmental conditions. Its design reportedly ensures the screen dims or brightens ever so gradually to avoid sudden, jolting transitions.

TechCrunch also says that while no significant software updates are expected with the next iteration of the Paperwhite, Amazon is believed to be working on “new typography for the device with a custom-built font that’s great for reading.”

The next Paperwhite is expected to be lighter than the current model, which weighs 7.3 ounces (206 grams), and come with a rear casing resembling the angular one seen on the recently launched Fire HDX tablets.

The current Paperwhite retails for $139 without ads, or $119 with.

Check out DT’s review of the original Paperwhite and the new Paperwhite here.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Topics
Two features from the new Kindle Scribe are coming to the older model
The back of the Amazon Kindle Scribe.

The Kindle Scribe, Amazon's e-reader with handwriting input, was updated this October along with three more Kindle models. Although the 2024 Scribe visually resembles the first-generation model from two years ago, the former offers better annotation features and AI summaries. With a recent update, Amazon is eliminating the gap between the two generations and bringing these features to the older model.

The older Kindle Scribe model recently received an update that added two new features, Good e-Reader reported. The additions include Active Canvas, which allows you to scribble notes anywhere on a book from your Kindle library, just like you would on a physical book. When you do so, your jottings appear in a resizable box, anchored to that part of the text, and stay there even when you resize the font. Previously, notes would appear on the top of a particular page, which could make things confusing if you had multiple comments referring to different sections of the page.

Read more
I love the new Amazon Kindle, and this Cyber Monday sale brings it under $100
Amazon Kindle (2024) in Matcha Green.

The holidays are a perfect time to get cozy and read some books by the fireplace. Right now, you can get a new Amazon Kindle 2024 for 23% off the normal price of $110, bringing it down to just $85 for the black model, or you can get 18% off the gorgeous new Matcha green color, making it $90.

The Amazon Kindle is one of the best e-readers on the market. Thanks to the recycled plastic materials it's made of, it’s incredibly lightweight and portable. And since it has a 6-inch display, it is quite easy to fit into a coat pocket or even throw it into your bag and go. An entire portable library with you anytime, anywhere.

Read more
Don’t waste your money. The basic Kindle is the only Kindle you need
Amazon Kindle (2024) in Matcha Green.

I'll be honest: I never thought I'd like e-readers.

I've been a bookworm ever since I was a young child, and I grew up surrounded by books. When e-readers came around, I could immediately see they were inferior. After all, you couldn't flick through the pages, you couldn't feel the weight in your hands, you couldn't sniff the delicate scent of a finely aged book. But how wrong I was. While I was right that nothing can replace the physical presence of a real book, an e-reader has its place in the life of every bibliophile.

Read more