Amazon's New Kindles Are Thinner, Faster, and Now in Aluminum

Amazon has launched next-generation versions of its base Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, and Kindle Colorsoft e-readers. The new models are a millimeter thinner and 30 percent faster at opening books, and the power button has moved from the bottom to the right edge near the top.

For the first time, Amazon is offering aluminum case options. These models double the storage of the plastic versions (32GB versus 16GB). The updated base Kindle starts at $149.99 with 16GB of storage and lockscreen ads. The aluminum base Kindle costs $189.99, doubles storage, and removes ads. A folio case for the aluminum Kindle costs $49.99.

The Kindle Paperwhite is priced at $199.99, while the aluminum Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition costs $249.99. The aluminum Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition is $319.99. Signature Edition models include pogo pins compatible with a $79.99 page-turn magnetic case that adds physical page-turning buttons. Amazon will also sell a $59.99 charging dock that charges the Signature Edition upright via pogo pins.

Amazon is adding the Kindle Click, a $34.99 Bluetooth remote with side-mounted brightness buttons and USB-C charging. It is compatible with Kindles from 2024 or later. The new Kindles also feature user-replaceable batteries to comply with EU regulations.

In other recent Amazon hardware news, the company released a new Fire TV Stick 4K that can be powered through a TV's USB port, as reported by theverge.com.