Some people have asked which color Kindle is the best to get now that Amazon has started selling white Kindles in addition to the standard black option.
The white versions are available with the Kindle Paperwhite 3 and the entry-level Kindle.
The white Paperwhite 3 with Wi-Fi is already sold out until August 24th, but the 3G version is currently in stock in white.
So far according to Amazon’s best sellers list for electronics, the black entry-level Kindle is selling way better than the white version, ranked number 12 and 98 respectively.
Comparing the Paperwhite’s rank on the list isn’t as relevant since the white Wi-Fi versions are currently on backorder for over a month, but even still the white Paperwhite ranks much higher at number 25 than the white entry-level Kindle.
My thoughts on the subject are the color choice doesn’t really matter; it’s mostly just a personal choice of which one you like better.
That being said, I think there is a bit of an optical illusion that helps make the text look darker with a black border, and something about the white color of the entry-level Kindle accompanied with the non-frontlit screen seems to make the background appear darker and grayer. It doesn’t help that the E Ink display tech on the “new” Kindle is from over 5 years ago.
With the white Kindle Paperwhite I don’t think that would matter since the frontlight makes the screen appear a lot whiter in tone compared to the gray of the entry-level Kindle’s screen.
I haven’t seen a white Paperwhite in person yet so I can only comment on the new $79 Kindle. With it I wouldn’t recommend the white version simply because it seems to highlight how much grayer and darker the old school E Ink screen is, but the white color itself is quite nice and it doesn’t show fingerprint smudges like the black.
Either way Kindle skins make choosing a color somewhat irrelevant if you want to install a skin of a different color or with an interesting design or some artwork.
I bought the white basic kindle for 79.00 and received it last week. I really did not like the color but was going to keep it. However when they sold the kindle on prime day for 49.00 I ordered a black one . I am going to return the white now not only for the color but the 30.00 savings.
Have you compared both side by side?
Yes I did . i felt more comfortable with the black border now that I have been used to it since every e reader I have owned recently has been black. I think it just more of a preference . I have a white acer tablet but i us that to mostly watch videos.
I saw my friend’s black Kindle 7th gen, and I bought myself a white Kindle Paperwhite 3rd gen. I gotta say both colours are just as interesting. But because my phones and tablet are all black, I don’t feel regret getting a white device. Furthermore, like you said, it really is not easy to notice the smudges on the white Kindle. I bought a TPU case for my Kindle Paperwhite instead of flip case because this is just not my type of case.