Why you shouldn’t buy the Kindle Paperwhite deal this Black Friday
We love the Kindle Paperwhite, but is it worth the extra outlay over the basic Kindle?
Amazon’s range of e-readers is enormously popular, and Kindles often see sizeable discounts in the Black Friday sales. But which Kindle is right for you? And how do you avoid being lured in by a price slash on a product with features you don’t need or even particularly want?
This Black Friday, the Kindle Paperwhite has been reduced to £95 on Amazon (from an Amazon average of £117, marking savings of £22). On the face of it, that’s a strong deal, particularly as it’s been brought down to the sub-£100 range. However, it’s only worth snapping a Kindle Paperwhite up if you’re sure its features and specifications suit you – and it’s certainly worth comparing these with its budget-friendly and premium siblings.
For example, while the Kindle Paperwhite improves on the lighting of the basic Kindle (the former boasting 17 LEDs to the latter’s four), the basic Kindle is a robust offering in itself. Despite a modest £85 RRP, the basic Kindle’s four LEDs are ample and the only benefit of spending the extra on the Paperwhite is the slightly more evenly lit screen and the addition of a warm light mode, which provides a more gentle, bedtime-friendly glow.
If you’re looking for a premium Kindle experience, though, we’d recommend investing in the top-of-the-range Kindle Oasis. The plastic of cheaper models is replaced by an all-metal design with IPX8 waterproofing, and you get a slightly larger 7in screen, adjustable warm light and the added charm of physical buttons.
The Oasis has seen some hefty discounts in the Black Friday sales, with the 8GB model down to £170 from an average price point of £207, saving you a whopping £37 (nearly 18%). That equals its cheapest EVER price on the platform, matching the heavy discounts offered in Amazon’s Prime Day sales.
We liked the Oasis so much that our Head of Reviews Jonathan Bray crowned it “the best e-reader you can buy,” in his five-star Kindle Oasis review. If you can afford to spend over £100 then we’d pass over the Paperwhite and upgrade to the Oasis without a second thought. With its adjustable lighting, premium build and IPX8-rated waterproofing making it perfect for bedtime, commute and poolside alike, this is an e-reader to aspire to.