Hands on: Amazon Kindle (2024): Pushing the basics

It wouldn’t be a Kindle family without a junior member. Arriving alongside a new Kindle Paperwhite, a Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, first ever color Kindle – the Colorsoft – and a next-generation Kindle Scribe that’s been dubbed a 2-in-1 by Amazon device’s chief Panos Panay, is the all-new entry-level Kindle.

The new Kindle costs $109.99 / £ 94.99 (we’re waiting for Australian pricing to be confirmed). It remains pretty basic – although there is a new color option, a sage-green shade that Amazon calls Matcha, but if you’re alright with a few compromises, there’s no doubting the portability and appeal here.

I got to spend a bit of time with the newest, most affordable Kindle on the block, and while it looks nearly identical to its predecessor aside from the fresh paint job, Amazon has made some upgrades to arguably the most important aspect of the Kindle experience – what it’s like to read on the device.

Pricing and Availability

Whether you’re hunting for a gift or simply want a new Kindle, Amazon isn’t making you wait. The all-new core Kindle is up for order now in either Matcha or Black priced at $109.99 / £94.99, and it starts shipping now. We’re waiting on Amazon to confirm pricing and availability for the e-reader in Australia.

Amazon Kindle (2024): One-Minute Review

Amazon’s entry-level Kindle still features a 6-inch E Ink display at 300ppi (pixels per inch), but it can now get as bright as the Kindle Paperwhite and offers higher contrast, just like the other new Kindles. In my brief demo, text was inky black, and I could comfortably read what was on the page without feeling any eye strain. Further, considering that lighting in the hands-on space in which I got to try out the new Kindle was varied and frequently changing – at times there was bright glare from the sun and at other times no sun at all – I could still make out what was on the display at most angles. However, if you want supreme viewing angles, you’ll want to opt for the Paperwhite or Paperwhite Signature Edition. Still, with the improved brightness – now matching the more expensive Kindles – you can better enjoy reading in a range of conditions.

If you want to read in bed after a long day’s work, the Kindle is fit to do that too, with four LEDs built in to illuminate the display. You cannot adjust the warmth of light here; it’s just standard LEDs for backlighting whatever you’re reading. Turning the light on and off and adjusting brightness is done onscreen with your fingers. That’s also the same method for controlling everything else. You can tap the right of the screen or swipe from right to left to turn the page forward, and do the opposite to go back a page, tap at the bottom of the display to adjust how the book is displayed, and at the top for everything from quick settings to going to the home screen.

There’s also the promise of faster page turns and general navigation, with Amazon promising a 10% speed boost. We’ll need to spend a bit more time with the new Kindle, and likely put it head-to-head against the previous generation, to fully test Amazon’s claims, but the reading experience felt plenty fluid in my hands-on time, and I didn’t notice any hiccups or speed bumps.

You’ll still find the power button – which is the only physical button – on the bottom of the Kindle next to the USB-C port. Amazon again promises battery life of up to six weeks, which is half the battery life of the new Paperwhite and two weeks less than the Kindle Colorsoft, although still plenty long enough. There’s still 16GB of storage inside, which should equate to plenty of room for all your e-books.

It’s essentially the same compact e-reader as before, measuring 6.2 x 4.3 x 0.32 inches / 157.5 x 109 x 8mm. That last spec is only 0.2mm thicker than the Paperwhite, meaning this is still plenty thin, and it won’t weigh you down either at just 5.6oz / 158g. The coolest part of the design, though (aside from, in my opinion, the new Matcha color), remains the fact that the Kindle can fit in most jacket pockets or a small bag. That’s pocket-sized reading, pardon the pun.

Going by size alone, the new Kindle is very demure – and judging by Kindle Tok (a trending term on TikTok), I think the TikTok community will be on board – but for me, the new Matcha color is really delightful. It’s cutesy, in keeping with the demure trend, but it’s also just a nice shade, and a welcome pop of color amid a sea of mostly black, grey and silver tech. It’s truthfully a pale sage-green, and I prefer it over the Denim that the last-generation Kindle was offered in.

At $109.99 / £ 94.99, it’s not just an affordable e-reader from Amazon, but it checks off the basics in a familiar build that still screams Kindle. If you can live without a bigger display that you can adjust the warmth on or a super long battery life, it’s still the core e-reading experience from the brand.