Amazon is getting set to announce a new Kindle this week called the Kindle Oasis. Details already leaked early on its name, and now a bunch of pictures and some additional specs have turned up as well.
The Kindle Oasis has a new asymmetrical, tapered design with page buttons on one side of the screen. It comes equipped with an accelerator so that you can flip it 180 degrees to use the page buttons on either side.
The specs are in Chinese so it’s hard to know for certain but it certainly appears to have a 6-inch E Ink screen with 300 ppi.
The Kindle Oasis has a tapered design that is thicker where the buttons are located and thinner on the other side. It goes from 8.5mm down to 3.4mm.
By comparison the Kindle Voyage is 7.6mm thick. The number 131 on one of the images probably indicates the weight in grams. The Voyage weighs 180 grams.
The details were leaked on this Chinese website called TMall. Once again someone over at MobileRead noticed it.
The page will probably get taken down unless Amazon officially announces the Kindle Oasis later today.
Here are more pics in case they get taken down.
hmm…what happens if you want to hold it in your left hand mostly with that case? Do you open it upside down (with logos upside down, too?).
Seems inelegant.
It’s supposed to have a gyroscope, so it should display correctly for whichever hand you hold it in.
in case they get taken down 😉 http://web.archive.org/web/20160411144734/https://subject.tmall.com/subject/subject.htm?id=3404656
More and more underwhelmed as more and more details get leaked. That asymmetric look is ugly. Cases will probably need to accommodate the tapered designed by thickening where the kindle thins out. So in effect, this negates the slimmer and lighter design. Of course, this is just my feeling from leaked info. Maybe the actual release will be more. The 300 PPI, 6 inch screen is disappointing.
I think the asymmetrical design will probably be surprisingly comfortable for one-handed reading, but an 8-inch screen sure would’ve been nice…
So disappointing looks ugly not waterproof and still only 6 inches. I mean really I see nothing compelling me to purchase this at all whatsoever. Amazon fails to listen to their customers yet again! Absolutely incredible…
I bet Amazon has researched the issue to Pluto and back, regarding sizes. Either they can’t do it cheap enough, or not enough people care about larger sizes.
I’m glad that they’re not producing a larger Kindle since I feel very comfortable with my Voyage in hand – not to mention my wife’s smaller hands.
So, I guess, if I judge by my standard, Amazon absolutely and credibly succeeds in listening to their customers.
There have been numerous polls throughout the past year in several blogs and the #1 priority for customers was a larger Kindle eReader. If you want 6″ good for you but there should at least be options for the majority who want larger.
(sorry for replying to myself, Rick, the Replies system reached its nesting limit 😀 )
“polls in blogs” are hardly scientific or representative of the general public. Do you really think that Amazon hasn’t researched it, or that it knows people want larger Kindles but won’t make them ‘just because’?
Regarding the Kindle case – if you looked more closely at the photos you would notice that the case is asymmetrical so my assumption is that the case will not cover the entire back, but merely ‘tuck ion’ on the thinner portion, making for a smoothly thick Kindle all the way across. No awkwardness here, methinks.
Those exposed electrical contacts and the buttons put up a good fight against the idea that it’ll be waterproof, don’t they?
Yeah, it most certainly isn’t waterproof. There would be more marketing about it and pictures of the beach and such.
Could it be 6.8 inch?
I think, the way these screens work, that 300 ppi automatically rules out anything but 6″ unless Amazon has spun off their own e-ink business.
I kind of like it. I think in use, especially if you’re the type who use it without a case, single-handedly, it will be more comfortable and much lighter.
Do wish that the screen could have gotten a spec bump (or larger size), even if it is a standard 6, but I think this was designed with an on-the-go vibe and emphasis. And as others have noted, even though Amazon makes a good portion of E-inks business and may have some sway in direction for these screens, we don’t have any real insight into the technical process and challenges. In reality 300ppi really was the magic number that needed to be breached and the faether in the cap that needed to be donned, as it matches a print standard. I think any bump would need to fit within round decimals or intergers of that, so 330ppi, 400ppi, 450ppi , 600ppi(!), Of course, in 7″ please.
They must be using a new flat polymer battery, fitting under the screen, with all of the electronics under the thicker portion?
Actually, it looks like the case is held on through magnetism and the way friction plays from the design, instead of through gripping the case. Might be more tempted to use it in that manner, if that is the case. Hopefully it stays on. Any shots of the power port – I don’t see how that would work, unless it is through some kind on induction?
There are translations over at Reddit with some more details, under the top comment.
It comes with a cover that has a built in battery so together with the Kindle battery it can last for “several months” on a charge. There are 60% more LED lights for a more uniform frontlight. The case attaches with twelve magnets. And the fonts have been improved, among other things.
Yeah, looks like the newer processors won’t go into production until after Summer or any rumored screen enhancements won’;t be out until next year, so we might have to wait until then.
If one already has a PW3 or a Voyage, this might seem a questionable upgrade, but I’m still using the original PW, so this is a significant boost and if the price is right – I have a hunch this might be cheaper than the Voyage, but more expensive than the PW to produce, it might fit my particular needs.
Last odd-sorted blurb from me today. 😉
Probably should just pre-correct myself as my speculations shift. 😉 Due to the thin-ness, it seems it might be possible they’ve moved to a plastic substrate for the display, making it more resiliant, which would be a pretty big inter-step for a Carta-type display and overall a pretty good thing. Higher resolution and larger sizes can come later. Assuming this to be the case and it’s a pretty big assumption I’m making, Whether this affects the display quality in a good way, is still to be seen.
I fibbed.
Seems obvious now that Oasis might refer to the battery system. You can leave the case and battery at home if you want to and have a very light traveller, the internal battery in the Kindle being a “day-pack” for going around your daily life, only connecting back to the reservore when you need to charge that battery up. Or you can take the whole shebang with you on longer journeys
I think a plastic substrate would be cool but it would probably be lighter than that even. The Wexler Flex One had a 6-inch flexible epaper screen and the overall weight of the device was only like 108 grams.
If the translations are right, the case is included. Also they suggest that the idea is to have in a case when you are not reading and then take it out when you want to read–seems ill-considered.
I don’t think I like the asymmetrical shape of this one, also I’ve been using the Kobo Aura HD and its almost 7 inch screen which is the smallest I care to have, I also use a mini Ipad with its 8 inch screen and that’s a very good size to read, but the smaller 6 inch screens are simply too small and there is not much text you can cram on those. Pocket paper books are closer to 8 inch in size so I think that should be the reference for an e-reader.
amazon.ca has a comparison of the new Kindle Oasis on their Kindle Paperwhite page: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00QJDU3KY/
Look for the comparison section of the page. If the Oasis isn’t there, they must have taken it down. In that case, check my twitter feed – I took a screenshot and added it to my feed: @toddhdow.
Good find. The price must be a placeholder since $999 is beyond possible. ☺
So definitely a 6-inch screen, with options for WiFi and 3g. Pretty standard stuff. Now there’s an LED contest between ereaders that we never knew existed before…
“Beautiful magnets” fetch a premium, dontchano. 🙂
“Charging Cover” is listed on that comparison on Amazon.ca. I wonder if that is referring to the ability for the cover to charge the built-in battery or if it’s talking about wireless charging. I’ve been wondering when Amazon is going to make that USB port go away – ostensibly “because it’s unnecessary hardware” but in reality “because it allows easy side-loading of books purchased elsewhere.”
Thanks for posting these photos and details. I like what I see.
My issues with the voyage are the screen discoloration/uniformity in low light and the fact that it was difficult to hold. I returned it and resumed using my original PW. I was just considering upgrading to the PW with better resolution when I came across the news of this new one. I don’t care how it looks; I just want function in my e-reader. This might be it.
I really enjoy using my Vovage and PW1 as a combo, depending on where I am. Unless the new device is a true step up (which it does not appear it is), I do not see buying one.
That side bezel though! Geez that thing is huge, i can’t stop staring at it. I think it would distract me from reading my book just staring at that huge bezel all day. It’s kind of like being unable to stop staring at a huge mole on a person’s face. Not cool.
I don’t understand the “ugly” comments! I don’t really think “Geez does my kindle look pretty?” I shove it in a bag for in the go, and read at home, and especially read it in bed. if I want pretty I will (and do) dress it in a case. (I never get the reviews on phones about plastic/non-plastic backs-most get covered in a case!)
If I’m paying premium price I want premium specs and supreme aestheitcs that are pleasing to the eye. I don’t want a humpback eReader.
I can see the this maybe in the basic Kindle but on a high-end Kindle I don’t think so, not at $199.
Cars also take you from point A to point B but you drop the extra 30 grand on a Benz because it drives better, it has better specs and of course because it looks awesome along with the prestige you feel from owning it. This is the exact same case but in a much smaller scale but you get my point. I personally can’t stand cases on anything.
😉
http://www.absolutegeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Picard_PADD.jpg