If you're interested in getting a Kindle, or upgrading the one you have, have a look. I've had a Kindle since 2011, I've been through various models, and I just got the Kindle PaperWhite Signature Edition (11th generation, 2023). How's it compare, and is it worth it?
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00:00 Intro
01:09 Kindle confusion...
03:34 Comparison: Kindle 7th vs 11th generation
08:25 Comparison: 11th gen. Paperwhite vs Signature
11:14 Which one to get
14:40 The verdict
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#booktube #kindle #productreview
As a couple viewers were quick to point out: Kindles don’t actually do immersive reading - synchronising the audio & text of the same book - the Kindle phone app does. Which makes 32GB even a little more ridiculous. 😆
I dont need. But do I want? Hell yeah
I know how you feel. 🙂
Great vid! Makes me glad I went for the regular paper white this year for my first ever kindle-it gets the job done for what I’d need
Yeah, I’m really scratching my head about that 32GB. 🤔 Glad you’re happy with yours Ben! 🙂👌🏻
What an enjoyable and casual essay on Kindles, what’s good about them, and exploring the different bells and whistles of the current Paperwhite generation. Thanks for making this!
Glad you enjoyed it Enno. 🙂
I use larger fonts so need a bigger screen this may drain the battery. I’m thinking about the scribe to use at home. I use the paper white signature and it helps.
Very helpful video. Thank you very much.
Glad it was helpful!
This was very helpful Matt! I have a 2nd generation Paperwhite, and I’m perfectly happy with it, but if I ever need to replace it I know what to look for.
Hey, glad to hear it Chas. 🙂
This was actually quite interesting! I was on this debacle earlier this year, and ended up going for neither, and got a Supernote -- imagine a Remarkable merged with a Kindle, with continuous OS upgrades. Reads very well, but I got the larger one. The Kindle Signature looked very nice, and I think it may be a good gift for someone I know! Great video!
Thanks Livia. I’m no expert, but I can say that the Kindles have genuinely continuously improved over the years, and the current generation is pretty good. 🙂👌🏻
Thanks , great review.
🙂
While I was initially annoyed that my Kindle couldn't do immersive reading (I was previously using the Kindle app on my iPhone and iPad, which does have it), I am very satisfied with the product! My only other complaint is the button on the bottom. I accidentally reboot the thing all the time. So funny about almost sitting on your Kindle! 😄
Yeah Johanna, I’ve thought for years that they should move the power button to the *top* edge. 🙄 Same thing happens to me pretty regularly.
Nice review!
Thanks Mike. 🙂
If you are a digital manga reader who likes to have all your books downloaded, 32gb may not be enough. I personally have 285 manga volumes and can’t fit them all on my Signature but that’s fine. PDF’s also take up a lot of space as well as audiobooks, and again, I wouldn’t be able to fit my entire Audible collection on the Signature either. As the Kindle is an expensive item that could be easily broken by someone as accident prone as me, I have purchased a folio case that makes it look like a leather bound book and gives it all round protection and doesn’t add a huge amount of bulk. Thanks for the video and whilst I didn’t need to buy the Signature Edition, I don’t regret getting it and wanted to make a few points you didn’t make and solve a problem you posed for the problem of any Kindle device regardless of the model.
All good points! 👌🏻 I read manga, but not digitally, so that had never occurred to me.
Thank you
I bought a Kindle 4th Gen and it lasted me for 10 years, till I sold it to "upgrade" to the 10th Gen Basic White (no fingerprints) I just need a basic e-reader. I prefer the slightly indented screen and tbh, I also prefer (although I have the option) to avoid using the onboard light. I'm single, I don't need to worry about disturbing anyone, while reading by the bedside lamp. That said, it does come in handy when I share a room with someone on holiday, or during a power cut! 😉😉
Same here - single & I almost never use the backlight, but it’s nice to have when situations come up where it’s useful. 🙂
Awesome thankyou
If you have the extra $60, the auto-light adjusting is nice. However, the basic paperwhite 11th gen is fine for screen res and backlight. You are right about space, there is no reason to have space except audiobooks. And why would you use an audiobook on the slow-ass kindle, when everyone has a smartphone that is 1000x better for audiobooks? I find the battery life could be improved on the signature, as it drains pretty quick if you have the backlight up and actually read every day. But overall, Signature 11th gen is pretty useless vs cheaper paperwhite. These things break so easy, and screen scratches with wind, so be ready to replace it if out of warranty. I have broken 2 kindle screens accidentally dropping it while reading on the toilet. I would get the normal version in retrospect, as auto-adjust maybe not worth it, space is useless, and as a techie I will upgrade every gen anyways. Qi charging is gimmicky, slow, and often doesn't work. No point since it charges in like 20 mins on my USB-C fast charger.
I’ve had a 3 models of Kindle in constant use since 2011, and have never broken or badly scratched one. But then I always have them in a case, and rarely read on the toilet. 😉
I like the wireless charging personally for a couple of reasons. One, I have a wireless charger on my nightstand for my phone, a galaxy S23 Ultra. I can just drop the Kindle on the pad, and let it charge, Two: My phone can share battery wirelessly, so if I'm out and need a charge, I can use my phone as a charging pad. Also, probably the slight weight difference is because of the wireless charging hardware (coil, etc.).
Fair enough. Enjoy your reading! 😀
Oh hey now, I upgraded from a 2013 6th generation Paperwhite to the 11th generation Paperwhite Signature a couple of years ago. My old Kindle was getting sooooooooo slow, and I had to reboot it on the regular especially when accessing the Kindle Store. Totally agree about the ridiculous amount of storage space, because I’m not an audio boy. I did connect my 🎧 to my Kindle as a test, but that was it. Nor am I a wireless charger type. BUT, I did *not* want to suffer adverts which definitely was a thing at the time I bought mine, so I went Signature. Didn’t know about the display warmth - I’ll likely need to adjust mine.
Yeah, I’d have been perfectly happy with just an 11th gen Paperwhite, I think. I just thought “€20 more and I get all the things,” so why not? I’m liking it for sure, just think you’re not missing much if you’d rather save that €20.
I love this device I read on this device everyday .
Me too. 🙂
Hi, I’m confused as well. I just got my Kindle paperwhite 11th gen 6.8 16gb. It says on the description that it was released on 2022. So is it considered a signature edition as well? Thank you!.
Does it have the Signature features I mentioned? I’d say by the GB that it’s “just” a Paperwhite.
My wife stole my Kindle months ago!!!! I totally forgot I had one 😠🤦. Thanks for the reminder Matt!!! lol
😆 Maybe time to get another one Dan?
Great review! To make the versioning even more complicated it is the 5th "iteration" of Kindle paperwhite :) One remark: Immersion reading doesnt work on a Kindle device, only in the Android (maybe also iOS) Kindle app. Quite annoying!
Yeah, don’t do it myself, so had just assumed it worked on Kindles. Thanks for that - correction added to the pinned comment.
I'm very happy with my new Kindle Signature Edition, having finally been forced off my aging iPad due to apps one after another being slowly discontinued for an out-of-date OS (which cannot be updated on the iPad). Bye bye Apple (at last). I decided to purchase a Kindle reader since I only used the iPad for Kindle anyway. Bought the Signature - love it. 32GB is handy, as I've just started listening to (instead of re-reading) a few of my favorite books (mainly the old classics). I like to listen to a good tale well told. I also purchased a wireless stand, a case, and a screen protector. About £250, all told. I think money well spent. I realise not everyone will agree.
Especially as an iPad replacement, I can totally understand being very satisfied. 🙂
I have the normal 11 and I am quite happy about it, I already have to many unread books in my kindle that it would take me 3 or 4 year to read if I was reading exclusively in kindle 😂
Yeah Alma, the “normal” 11th gen seems like more than enough. And I can’t even count the unread books on my Kindle any more. 😆
Is it possible to completely turn off the light, and read it under natural light? How does it look? Can you feel that it's a digital screen?
Yup, you can turn the backlight off. It looks pretty good, the text is crisp and the background isn’t quite white, but it’s pretty bright. Doesn’t look like a digital screen at all.
Thank you so much for your reply! I currently have Kindle 8th gen, but I was considering this one as an upgrade. The only thing that worried me was the light because I already use too many screens and I'm really tired of it. P.S. You have some great titles back there! I'm currently reading Dune: Messiah, I see you have it displayed. :)
The signature is also ad free without paying extra
Hadn’t consciously realised that, but yeah.
I’m planning to get a paper white soon, I mainly read mangas and was wondering anyone with the 16gb or the SE edition how many volumes of manga can it hold? Thanks!
Can’t say, but people have commented that to larger Signature is specifically good for manga. Enjoy!
When the new Kindles came out, and I was comparing the new paperwhites, I wanted the signature edition, but I logiced (is that a word? lol) myself into getting the normal paperwhite. The Kindle rarely needs to be charged, so I'd only use the wireless charging once a month or so. Changing the warm light is super easy to do manually. After doing research on how many books a 8GB would hold, I found that several thousand would be sufficient for me. 😂 I'm not into audiobooks either. With all of this combined, I didn't see the point in spending an extra $50 for the signature.
Yeah, maybe not everyone, but ALMOST everyone doesn’t need a Signature.
I do like the wireless charging as I can leave it in the dock and just grab the kindle when I’m leaving the house
Yeah, totally a convenience thing. I get it. I may eventually grab a charging dock as well.
Honestly just wireless charging was the deciding factor for me. Ive had so many phones and tablets thrown out far before they quit working because the charging port got worn out. Either it fell off a table while plugged in or the metal just ground down over time. If i am keeping a device for 7-10 years i do not want to worry abour having to replace it because of a stupid port.
Hunh. I’ve NEVER had that happen with any device. I did recently get a wireless charger for my iPhone though, although I have to admit it was primarily to use it as a clock next to my bed. 😜
Manga/comic readers kinda have to have larger storage. Avg size of one volume of manga is aroung 350MB. So 8 GB version with 6 GB available is no go. Unless you wanna constantly micromanage your space.
Yup, a few other commenters have pointed that out too. I’ve only ever read manga on paper, so it hadn’t occurred to me, but manga’s definitely a good use case for more storage. 🙂👌🏻
I prefer reading digitally. I read a lot on my iPad and E-readers. I prefer to read on a Kindle. I used to have Kobo devices before. I had the Kindle Oasis 3, but I cracked the screen, so I got the Kindle Paperwhite Signature from 2022. I miss the turn-page buttons, but Amazon has given up on the Oasis line, so I will just stick to my current Kindle, until something else better comes along, hopefully with physical-turn-page buttons.
Seems like they’ve completely abandoned physical buttons. I don’t personally mind - tapping on the screen works well enough, and a physical button is just another component that can fail after lots of use.
Could you talk about why you left Kobo? I’ve been looking at their Libra 2, which has page buttons.
@@FFOGHORN My last Kobo was the Kobo Aura H2O. I switched to Kindle, because it had, at the time, a much faster response when it came to turning pages, going into settings, and going into the book store. I also prefer the Kindle Library, and I love Kindle Unlimited. Kobo is more open source, but I prefer the walled garden of the Kindle’s ecosystem. At the time, when I switched to the Kindle Oasis 3, the build quality of the Oasis 3 was also considerably better than the plastic of the Kobo. It will be hard for me to switch now.
@FFOGHORN Um, I didn’t even mention Kobo. Never had one.
@@MattonBooks Sorry, meant to ask @flipwarrior.
I love my Oasis! The ergonomics are slightly better than the paperwhite. I don't really recommend it because it's only slightly better but a lot more expensive.
I’ve never actually had one in my hand, Joe, but just visually the square-ish format seems odd to me. 🤔
I got an Oasis and really loved it - but the battery life made me return it. It’s supposed to get a week or so, I think, but mine only lasted a day. I’ve now ordered a Paperwhite. One of the things I’ll most miss about the Oasis are the page turn buttons. If they ever add them to the Paperwhite I’ll be buying a new one.
I love my Oasis but not having USB-C in 2024 is annoying.
@@gsogymrat no argument here.
I bought a signature edition for immersive reading and once I found out I couldn’t do it I was too lazy to return it for the baseline PW. I switch back and forth between a signature and a basic and I love them both for different reasons. I’d love a new gen paperwhite that is the size of the basic.
Is it me or the Signature is faster than the other one? I have both of them.
You’re better equipped to answer that than I am. I don’t have both, and I’ve heard it’s maybe a tiny bit faster, but I don’t imagine it’s enough to make much of a difference.
You could have bought the non-signature edition for a cheaper price. I think 4 features in particular make it worth the upgrade from The Kindle 7th generation. The warm light feature, the dark mode feature, USB-C charging, and, the waterproof feature.
Indeed, I could have.
Worth mentioning that the 10th gen is water resistant and had dark mode. So the newer kindle has type c and warm light option, oh and Bluetooth too. If those aren't that important, the 10th Gen's are very cheap these days.
Great video ! But you assmued same as I did when i bought my paperwhite in 2022 that kindle devices support immersive reading. I was sad to discover they don't. Only the kindle app on your Iphone/ipad does. And Amazon Fire/ kindle fire supports it but the paperwhite does not :(
Ah! Shows what I know. Thanks for that - info added to the pinned comment.
Lots of space for Manga.
Yup, never occurred to me before, but someone else mentioned that already. 👌🏻
I have an irrational fear of buying any portable device without wireless charging after multiple jacks/plugs/connectors from multiple devices stopped working. I still might risk the paperwhite anyway, but the fear will always be in the back of my mind if I do.
I have SO many extra cables & chargers, that fear’s never occurred to me. 😆 I recently did a purge, and three away MANY, but I still have more than enough.
@@MattonBooks Oh I meant the port on the kindle itself. Even now my current phone's usb-c port only works sometimes.
@@smugdarkly Ah! You must be rougher on ports than I am - I’ve never had a port on any device stop working. Sometimes I’ve had to scrape some fuzz out of my iphone’s port, but otherwise, never.
@mattonbooks are you perhaps an ex South African?
😆 It’s always so fun watching people try to guess my accent. I was born in the US, grew up in Australia, and live in Germany.
your opinion about wireless charging is so funny hhhhhh. And You're right. No one cares about putting a cable one time a month
Been thinking of getting one and the research has been… research. Your video helped me make a decision! Thanks for keeping it real and not pandering to the big corporations good graces, dude! This was super helpful! 🤌🏼✨ (Looking at the regular 11th gen, since I am most people lol)
Glad it helped! 😀👌🏻