

(The Signature Edition just adds the auto-adjusting component.) This is another feature that's trickled down from the Oasis.
#Kindle upgrade
The real lighting upgrade is the ability to adjust the light's color (warmth) from a sort of bluish-white to sepia tone, depending on your preference - I usually go with a middle setting. You can see the difference in brightness, but it's quite subtle. Upgraded lightĪmazon says that at its max setting, the adjustable "warm" light has a 10% brightness boost over the previous Kindle.

Unlike the Oasis, however, the new Paperwhite doesn't include physical buttons for turning pages - you'll still need to tap the screen for that. With the Signature Edition, you're getting a Kindle with comparable features to the Oasis such as the auto-adjusting light sensor, but you're also getting USB-C and wireless charging, features we assume will come to the next Oasis. Like the Oasis and the previous Paperwhite, this 2021 version has a 300-ppi display, so text and images appear with the same degree of sharpness (Amazon calls it "laser-quality" text). In some sense, the next-generation Paperwhite is a less fancy-looking version of the Oasis, which has a slightly larger 7-inch display. Like other Kindle devices, many cover options are available, including Amazon's own, which now includes a snazzy cork cover ( $50).

You get a similar sensation when you hold the flagship Kindle Oasis ($250) for the first time, but its metal back gives it a colder feel compared to the Paperwhite's textured plastic back. It remains small and light enough to fit in a jacket pocket with a more spacious screen. It'd be nice if it was slightly slimmer and had almost no bezel, but it does feel like it's edging closer to being the perfect size. The 2021 model also has a smaller 10.2mm bezel. While the display is larger, the new Paperwhite is only a little bigger and weighs just 23 grams more than the previous Paperwhite (205g vs. Using an average font size, you get three or four more lines of text per page and a few more words per line.

I measured the actual screen sizes - not the devices themselves - and recorded that the previous Paperwhite's display is about 4.75 inches tall by 3.55 inches wide, while the new Kindle Paperwhite's screen is about 5.5 inches tall and 4.1 inches wide. While 6.8 inches compared to the previous 6 inches doesn't sound like much, once you see the two devices side by side, you realize it adds more screen real estate than you think.
