Surely you have heard of the Amazon Kindle or know someone who uses it. Electronic books allow us to carry hundreds of titles in our pockets without carrying volumes of one or two hundred pages in the suitcase. Its battery is durable, we can read anywhere and they have many other advantages such as resistance to water or light on the screen to read at night without disturbing anyone. But if you don’t know where to start or how to choose or buy a Kindle, we will help you.
You may have doubts about whether an e-book makes sense or not, whether it pays to pay for it, whether it really is useful. In that case and if you have decided on Amazon and any of its models, choosing and buying the Kindle is simple and it is enough that we take into account its characteristics and the needs we have.
Advantages of electronic books
There are quite a few general advantages in electronic books, regardless of the model or its brand, such as that they allow you to travel without carrying weight, to have all the documents and books you want always at hand or that in the long term you will save as the price of the books Digital is usually less than paper or physical format.
The difference between reading in an electronic book and reading on the screen of your Android or iOS Tablet is precisely this screen and what your eyesight suffers from it. Electronic books have electronic ink that allows us a reading quality similar to that of paper without having eyestrain. In addition, this type of screen (unlike the LED) not only looks more like that of the conventional book but has a low power consumption and allows the book to last days and days with enough battery life.
Wide Amazon catalog
The main reason Amazon’s is one of the best e-books, regardless of the model you choose, is the store’s extensive catalog and the easy ability to add them in a few taps. You will not have to worry about compatibility because practically all the books you are looking for will be in the online store for you to add and synchronize automatically. In addition there are other very interesting services such as Amazon Prime Reading or Kindle Unlimited.
Prime Reading vs Kindle Unlimited
Both services are available for owners of an Amazon Kindle, but also for people who do not have the physical device as such but who want to use a tablet compatible with the application. Both are compatible with Kindle, iOS, Android, PC or Amazon Fire and both have a free one month trial for you to try it but the difference is in the price and the catalog of the same.
Amazon Prime Reading comes included in the Amazon Prime package with all the advantages of the subscription (about 36 euros per year) and it has around a thousand books available that we can use or download on our device without paying for them.
The difference from Kindle Unlimited is that it is not included and you have to pay for the service exclusively because you want the books: it has more than a million titles available and we can download practically everything we want for 9.99 euros per month. It is intended for those who want news, best-seller but also new authors who want to discover.
Both services will be well amortized if you usually read a lot but the most interesting thing is that with a few taps from Amazon you automatically send the books to the physical device without having to pay attention to synchronizing it with the computer, using cables, etc.
What to look for when choosing
There are several characteristics of Amazon ereader models that you should look at and that are essential when betting on one or the other. Before explaining the differences between the two, we tell you what is essential to look for:
- Capacity: The capacity is essential depending on the number of books you want to have and can be 4 GB, 8 GB or even 32 GB. Approximately 4 GB you can have around 2,000 or 3,000 books so you will not have to worry unless you want to have your entire library.
- Light or not on the screen. All current Kindle devices have light so you won’t have to worry about this, but be aware that not all e-books do. You can read whenever you want without bothering if you are going to read at night and you are going to share a bed or if you do not have a light on hand.
- Water resistance : Are you going to take it to the beach or the pool? You will be interested in taking into account this feature that has been on the Kindle Paperwhite for a couple of years and is no longer exclusive to the top of the Oasis range.
- WiFi or 4G. This is essential when choosing one or the other: do you want to be able to buy or download books even when you are away from home and at any time or are you foresight and can you take them downloaded from home ? Is it really useful? Only if you are going to spend a lot of time outside or if you want a specific book at a certain time. It usually doesn’t make much sense because we usually go to hotels with WiFi, restaurants, or coffee shops. But someone may want to make sure you follow their whims immediately and without waiting. Of course, the price difference is noticeable.
- Advertising on o. When choosing a Kindle you will see that you can buy one with or without “special offers” and its price will be lower when you allow there to be offers. This is advertising that will not bother you when you are reading but is seen on the main screen, at the bottom, when we are not reading but on the different menus when choosing books. You can quietly choose advertising if you want to save money because it won’t bother you during the book and you may not even realize it’s there.
Format of the books
And the format of the books ? All Amazon Kindle have the same format so you should not pay attention to this when choosing one model or another. All of them are compatible with AZW3, AZW, TXT, PDF, MOBI, HTML, DOC and DOCX, JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG or PRC. Most of the books that you buy in other stores or that you can download for free in some specialized pages (legally) are usually on EPUB and it is not compatible with these models as standard. Something happens? It is not a problem because there are free programs like Calibre that convert the format and send it directly to your reader via cable or via email.
Features of Amazon ereaders
All of them have a series of similar characteristics that are repeated and that we will not specify in the comparison. They work with electronic ink on the touch screen that allows us to read without eyestrain, as we have already explained in previous paragraphs. Since 2019, all of them have light integrated into the screen, something that previously made a big difference between models and what we no longer have to worry about now. Obviously, all allow us full access to the Amazon Kindle store and we can send the books via email with a dedicated email associated with the device, from the Amazon store itself or by cable through specialized programs such as Caliber case.
All Amazon Kindle have the possibility of using it for weeks (although it will depend on the autonomy that lasts four weeks, six …) and all have WiF i connection that will allow you to send books directly without the need for cables. In addition, all allow you to take notes from the book itself, rate the reading to save if you liked it or not or look up words in the dictionary. Automatically
Choosing Kindle: Models and Features
The first thing to think about when choosing a Kindle is to ask yourself a question : where and when are we going to use it? It will not be the same if you want to travel abroad for days with it or if you are going to use it at home, if you usually change a lot of books and documents or if you want to have a huge library to choose from, if you want to take it to the beach or to the pool or you don’t intend to leave the room with him.
It will depend on the use, mainly, that we want one or the other. There are several models available and the differences are usually in price, in the storage space for books, in the design, in the battery or in the connectivity. But we are going to analyze them in depth so that you know how to decide, that you know how to choose which is yours.
Kindle
The classic Kindle, the same as always and with the same design, although with a novelty that makes it much more interesting: the light on the screen. It was the big difference with the higher models but it already incorporates this feature and makes it the best cheap e-book. It is the most affordable and is designed if you are looking for something basic with which to read all kinds of books on a screen without reflections, with enough space to store a large number of titles in 4 GB of storage (more than a thousand without any problem).
It has a price that is around 70 euros usually (a higher price although you will almost always find it on offer) and is perfect if you simply want to read all kinds of books even at night thanks to its 4-LED front light. You can only have this model with WiFi connectivity which implies that you will have to download everything before leaving home and once downloaded you will have free access to them whenever you want. The battery can last you weeks so you don’t have to worry.
For whom?
If you are looking for a quality ebook, complete but above all that is cheap. Not the best option when you consider the value for money and it may deserve to make the leap to Paperwhite for features, design, space, or two more weeks of battery life. But the basic Kindle is a totally recommended option if you do not want to spend more than 80 euros on an electronic book or if it is a gift. It is totally “suitable” and you will not miss any option unless you like to take a bath reading. You will not regret it and it is more than useful to read anywhere comfortably.
It is a bet without fail thanks to its light on the screen, compatibility with thousands of titles, an adjusted price (much less than 100 euros) and a very compact device that only weighs 174 grams. Another advantage is that its battery lasts around four weeks so you won’t have to take a charger with you when you travel. If you don’t know if the e-book goes with you and you want to try it, it’s a perfect option. Or if you just can’t afford something more expensive.
Kindle Paperwhite
The Kindle Paperwhite is the most balanced, with more space and higher resolution on the screen, a more modern design than the classic and with water resistance. Kindle launched this new Paperwhite in 2018 with greater storage options and water resistance making it the ideal candidate if your budget is around 150 euros. It is the best device from Amazon if you are looking for the best value for money as it has some additions to the basic Kindle such as double the space in its most affordable model or the possibility of taking it to the beach or pool without worrying about it break.
Compared to the previous one, the screen is six inches although it has 300 dpi and that makes the contrast with deeper blacks improve noticeably (and it shows) The screen is tactile although the design is somewhat more modern and flat, with a design without edges, and it has a built-in light (something that differentiated it from the basic Kindle until very recently) with 5 LEDs compared to the 4 LEDs of the conventional model. As for capacity, you can choose 8 or 32 GB models which will allow you to have thousands and thousands of books that you can read for whole weeks without having to repeat or run out of them. But there is also the option of having it with 4G connectivity.
Its strong point is water resistance with IPX8 that allows accidental immersion in a depth of two meters for 60 minutes. You might not normally go swimming in the pool with the eBook but it would help a lot to know that you will be safe from splashing, from spilling water bottles, from drowning.
For whom?
The Kindle Paperwhite may be the best value for money e-reader thanks to all the features it has offered since its upgrade with water resistance. It is around 140 euros in the 8 GB model with WiFi and 169 in the 32 GB model although it is usual to find it at a discount. If you want a long-term bet, it is the best option: it can hold thousands and thousands of books , it is waterproof, it is light (its weight is only 182 grams), it has built-in light and a much better resolution than the previous one. The battery lasts six weeks on a single charge and charges fully in just three hours so we can hardly fault it. If you are willing to pay more than 100 euros, we recommend it.
Kindle Oasis
The Kindle Oasis is a much less common device and you probably know a lot of people with older models but not that many with this one. The differences are in screen design and light, in addition to the buttons. The main difference between this model and the previous ones was its resistance to water, absent in the others until 2018. Now that the Kindle Paperwhite also has the aquatic capacity, the Oasis has remained a top of the range Premium with screen improvements.
As for capacity, it is similar to Paperwhite with 8 or 32 GB depending on the model you choose and it is also identical in resolution (with 300 pp) or in connectivity options with the possibility of having it with WiFi or 4G. Yes it changes in design being much more modern and with a larger screen with 7 inches compared to 6 of the previous ones. Precisely this screen has a front light that reaches 25 LEDs and that offers us adjustable warm light (changes from white to amber) or automatic adjustment of the screen light according to the circumstance or situation in which we are.
The battery lasts about six weeks and is fully charged in about three hours, like the Paperwhite model. In addition, like the previous one, it has water resistance with the possibility of immersion at two meters for about sixty minutes if you are going to read in the bathtub, in the pool or on the beach and you do not want to worry. One of the drawbacks is that it is wider and heavier than the previous ones: it has dimensions of 159 x 141 x 8.4 millimeters and a weight of 188 grams compared to 167 x 116 x 8.3 millimeters and a weight of 182 grams from the Kindle Paperwhite. Another difference is the material: we have a graphite finish compared to the plastic of the others which achieves a much more Premium and elegant appearance.
For whom?
The answer to this question was clear: for those who want a waterproof device. But now it is not their exclusive function so the reasons are quite different. The Kindle Oasis screen is undeniably better than the previous ones and not only in terms of size but also has automatic screen rotation, more LEDs for the front light or the possibility of adjusting in warmth or intensity as we find it more comfortable . Another advantage is that it has page turning buttons if the touch is uncomfortable …
The Kindle Oasis is for those who want a larger, higher quality, ergonomic design. The appearance is much more elegant and Premium than that of the previous ones. Its price is around 250 euros for the basic 8 GB model with WiFi up to 339 euros for the 32 GB model with WiFi and with 4G connectivity.
