Amazon has just announced a new Kindle Oasis for 2017. It’s available to pre-order right now for $249 and it gets released on October 31st.
The main changes with the new 2nd model include a larger 7-inch 300ppi E Ink screen, it’s waterproof with an IPX8 rating, it has double the storage space with 8GB (and there’s a 32GB model as well), it supports Audible content for audiobooks, and it includes an automatic brightness sensor.
They also ditched the integrated charging cover concept and have instead housed the entire battery within the device itself.
Because of that, the new Kindle Oasis is actually a bit cheaper than the original model, despite the larger screen and other upgrades.
They still sell a cover for it that doubles as a stand, but it doesn’t have a battery in it and it’s not required to purchase like before.
The overall size of the new Kindle Oasis is 159 mm x 141 mm and the tapered edge goes from 3.4-8.3 mm. It weighs in at 194 grams and battery life is rated at up to 6 weeks based on reading 30 minutes per day.
It has Bluetooth to listen to audiobooks, and there’s a note that Audible support is coming to the 8th gen Kindle and the first Kindle Oasis in the coming months as well.
The new Kindle Oasis starts at $249 for the 8GB Wi-Fi model with ads. The 32GB models sells for $279. Like before there’s the option to add 3G wireless but it only seems to be available on the 32GB model and it sells for $349.
The press release also mentions that there will be more font sizes with 5 levels of boldness settings. They added a new accessibility option as well that lets you invert the color to use white text on a black background. Other Kindles from the Paperwhite 2 and newer will be getting the new font choices and boldness settings as well in a software update that’s going to start rolling out today.
The overall changes are pretty impressive; it’s good to see that Amazon is still listening to what customers want in a new Kindle. We got a larger screen, audiobook support, more storage space, waterproofing, better font choices with boldness options, and a lower price. Not bad.
Kindle Oasis international links:
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada
Amazon Germany
Update: CNET uploaded a quick video showing the new Kindle Oasis in action. It turns out it has a faster dual-core processor as opposed to the single-core processor on all other Kindles (funny how Amazon doesn’t mention that anywhere on the product page).
Fantastic device. I want one!
I’m still in shock that this actually happened. Many of the features that people have been asking for actually came to fruition. It’s amazing! I also just measured the Kobo Aura One and it has less than 7-inches of text space since Kobo uses such large headers and footers. The Kindle uses neither so the actual usable screen for text is about the same as the Aura One, and the Kindle is 36 grams lighter and has page buttons. I’m impressed.
I too am shocked. I actually glanced this headline while sitting at a red light….took me a second to find my bearings.
They hit almost every point. I don’t mind them getting rid of a cover altogether…but, getting rid of the extra battery was a must. If I were to buy this, I would want to get the full battery life, holding the device the way it is supposed to be held.
Altogether …. Great update.
This device has gone from, “Wow…I would never pay that price for that”…. to, “Wow…I really wish I could afford that.”
Indeed. I’m also looking forward to trying out the new font sizes and boldness settings on the Paperwhite in the meantime.
What?!!!! Wow…Good job Amazon.
I do wonder how close to 6 weeks the battery will really get.
The Aura One is 7.8″ vs 7″ so the Oasis is equivalent in size to the Kobo H2O2 not the Aura One.
The weight difference between the A1 and the O is about an ounce and, when covers are added (and they should be) that kind of pales in importance *especially* given the Kobo’s larger size and the attendant benefits.
As far as “large headers & footers” for the A1 go … convert to .kepub and those go away OR there’s a patch for the Kobo OS to get rid of them with .epub.
You can also set margins to zero (or any other size that you like) in the A1, giving MUCH larger screen space with the Kobo Aura One.
What IS nice about the O is the 32GB of space although, in over a year and with a *ton* of books on my A1, I still have over 1GB left of the 8GB on the device. The OTHER nice thing about the O is the white on black although you can get the same thing with KoReader (on both Kindle & Kobo).
Is the Oasis groundbreaking? Nope. Is it now (more of) a competitor to Kobo’s Aura One? Yep. Since the A1 has been out for more than a year … a lifetime in the tech world … though, Amazon’s catch-up is kind of lackluster.
Not bad – barring some yet-to-be-revealed drawback, I’d expect it to kill off the Voyage pretty quickly…
I own an Aura One and I would be missing the confortlight using the new Kindle. Seems like a nice device but still the Aura One is on top for me…
I thought we might get 1 to 3…looks like 1…and I am happy with it!
They added almost everything I asked for; they only missed light temperature control.
While I hoped for 8″, I will probably be happy with 7″.
Storage options!
14 font sizes
Boldness control!
I may actually have to consider buying one of these now. Definitely happy with the larger screen. It still seems a little odd to have the really large bezel on the one side but its a plus to have the buttons. Amazon is moving in a promising direction with the Oasis. Wonder what, if anything will be coming with the rest of the line of ereaders?
It’s kind of surprising the Voyage wasn’t updated too since it’s three years old now, and it’s still nice to have a premium 6″ option.
I am still disappointed. I really hate the look of the Oasis. I wish they had done this to the Voyage and ditched the Oasis. It’s so ugly. and weird. It’s like that weird family that you invite to functions just because they are family. My thing is that Amazon literally upgraded their second least loved Kindle. The Paperwhite and Voyage get much better feedback than the Oasis.
That’s just it — they updated the one that needed to be improved the most.
How about it for pdf reading versus kobo aura one , would it be similar size also ?
Hard to tell without having them side-by-side but I’ll post a comparison next month. Kindle software is a lot better for PDFs though (better than KOreader too), and the dual-core processor should help make them run smoother. But I’d still recommend a larger screen if you intend to read mostly PDFs, at least 9.7″. I bought a new Onyx N96 Carta and it’s nicer than I’d expected, and the frontlight is surprisingly even on the larger screen. The thing weighs a ton though. I’ll post a review next week.
I’ll eagerly await the review , I really want an ereader mainly for pdf , what made kindle oasis 2 an interesting option for me is that kindle is the only available ereader in local market where I live (beside inkbook) so I would save the shipping costs (or shipping to US address then repacking then shipping to my location 😑) which increase the cost dramatically
Agree that a larger screen is better for PDFs. The Kindle DX w 9.7″ screen is the best e-reader for PDFs I have used. The Fire HD 8 (6th gen) has way too much margin space for PDFs, which makes it no better than a 6″ reader for PDFs, in my estimation.
B&N Nook Simple Touch had good PDF reading software, as you could change the font size.
But it still has a weak screen with glass substrate… 🙁
Beware of that issue or you may find you in desperation if such a large device breaks
Here we go because it’s Kindle it got to be better than anything else even when it as a smaller screen. (Apple all over again)
Only thing its got going for it is Bluetooth connection for audio.
No library and Pocket connection.
Couldn’t be happier with this announcement. I have an Oasis and a Aura One and always ping-pong because I really like the extra space on the Kobo but hate its software and vice-versa with the Oasis. Selling both of those and just rolling with this guy from here on out.
Looks pretty good, but doubt I’ll bite.
I’m always curious about the calls for larger screens. Do most people read in portrait mode? If so, I sure understand why the 6 inch screen is troublesome.
I find the screen on my PW1 just fine in landscape and don’t mind flipping pages a little more often to get full lines of text.
There’s definitely some neat features on this thing and I could see picking one up whenever the battery on my PW1 gives out.
Very Nice! Well done Amazon!
I do hope some of the improved software like — the additional font sizes makes it to the rest of the Kindles. 🙂
Also I hope they come out with a larger e-reader. I want one for PDFs. 7″ is still too small for PDFs.
WOW! I got shocked. Going to order one. The price is amazing as well. The only thing is I wish it was 8″. But still fantastic.
forgot to say: Amazon will be noticed how this bigger size is welcomed by readers.
will see bigger sizes in future!
I would point out that the bluetooth supports audible – it is likely it does NOT support the text-to-speech capability that older kindles offered. Kindle tablets do offer that capability.
It has VoiceOver, which reads everything on the screen, including menus and such, but there’s no mention of traditional TTS without the added accessibility features. Hopefully they add it eventually since everything is already in place.
I ordered it right away…It has almost everything I want in a reader. So many of the items I wanted that I emailed the Kindle team/Jeff Bezos with thanks(including an old request email for context)
Companies always get complaints, but, when they get so much right I have to respond.
I might even get an extended warranty…something I almost never do.
Pre-ordered after picking myself up off the floor from the shock! 😉
Glad to see that Amazon seems to finally see a need to compete with Kobo.
Really love my first generation Oasis, but I went ahead and preordered ‘‘tis new one anyway. The bigger screen and upgraded processor were the main selling points for me (the other features are just nice extras I won’t really ever use).
Still a little unsure if it’s really worth the upgrade, but I wanted to get my preorder in, as if its anything like the original Oasis launch, these will run out quick. I figure reviews will start filtering out before it ships to consumers, so I’ll still have time to cancel if I want.
Etc is up with the Canadian price with taxes it’s over $500 I can buy a tablet for that.
I meant WTF silly auto correct
What I don’t like about the Oasis is the set-up fur one-handed reading. I read in bed, and while the wide side is good when I’m laying on that side, it’s not good when I’m on the other side. Do I have to flip the device a lot? Not sure if I’ll try it – I love my voyage, ahs still have a PW 2.
I was totally surprised to see this!
Seems like Amazon has been reading our posts here at The eBook Reader for the past few months. I think I said a while back they’d go with Bluetooth instead of a headphone jack like they did on the low cost Kindle.
I was really surprised and excited to read this! The specs on the oasis are really good and this is probably the best looking kindle they’ve made to date, in my opinion. I’m impressed that they’ve listened to consumer wants and needs as much as they did but I can’t help but think as to why they over looked a blue light filter feature. I’ve searched through everything they released yesterday and unless I overlooked it I couldn’t find anything about it having this. That is a HUGE disappointment for me personally as I typically read before heading to bed & my Aura one has this. I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t want to add it to their newest kindle since it has almost all bells and whistles.
Maybe they decided against it because it causes more lighting problems. My Aura One’s light is good with blue light but the orange light setting is blotchy and uneven. I know I’ll take some flack for this but to me it’s just a gimmick anyway because the small amount of blue light the frontlight produces isn’t close to enough to cause sleeping problems. Even the majorly flawed and completely unscientific study that everyone basis this theory on showed blue light only delayed going to sleep by 5 minutes when using an iPad at full brightness before bedtime.
I like the night reading option in the Aura One and the new H2O a lot. even if it doesn’t have any impact in the quality of my sleep, this option is for me much more than just a gimmick
I absolutely understand that people like the option, and how for some it can be easier on the eyes, but there is zero proof it helps with sleep, that’s all I’m saying.
Tolino also just released a very nice ereader with a bigger screen.
Hard to choose between the new tolino and the new kindle…
Sorry, I had to remove the link. That website routinely steals stories without attribution and just flat out makes things up and tells lies to get attention. They should be called immoralereader.
No problem, but it would be very great if you would make a comparison between the new Kindle Oasis, the new 7.8 inch Tolino and the Kobo Aura One!
Tolinos aren’t sold on this continent at all so I don’t cover them, especially since their target markets mostly don’t speak English so they wouldn’t be visiting this blog anyway. But I will be posting a comparison with the Aura One and H2O.
Nice, thanks!!
UK Pricing
Kobo H2O £129.00 + £10 32GB micro SD card.
New Kindle 32GB £259.
Nearly twice the price proves Amazon are ripping people off.
As I said before I do not like company’s who undercut on price to decimate the opposition (Sony etc.) then charge over the odds for a product. Good job Kobo keep going.
Why are you comparing the new Kindle to the previous H2O that was released over 3 years ago? Of course it’s going be more expensive, and the old H2O has been discounted since the newer one came out. You should be comparing the Aura One with the Oasis since they’re the two premium models. Aura One £189, Kindle Oasis £229. In the US the prices are even closer. $229 Aura One, $249 Kindle Oasis.
I think the comparison to the previous generation Aura H20 is in the same screen size, water proofing, similar screen and the added bonus of an SD Card storage expansion (the current H20 doesn’t have expandable storage). The SD Card storage expansion makes the limited 4GB internal storage not a big issue. I think getting the previous generation makes sense and, at its current price, is good value.
Yes exactly there no direct comparison between makes. Closer is the older H2O.
To compare to Aura One is as bad as mine comparison. Aura One as larger screen, but due to the “love in” with Kindle that 0.8 inch we will not mention. Don’t mention also Overdrive and Pocket which for me are far more important than Pdfs which I read on a tablet of my old Sony reader. In the end sad to say Kobo will stop making their own readers which will be to the detriment of Kindle owners as then Amazon would have won and no more development would be required.
Released Oct 31. That’s interesting. In 3 weeks after its release, it is Black Friday. It will probably on sale by then for $199 instead of the current $249.99. (Staples or Best Buy probably have the same low price during Black Friday)
I learned this lesson before, by buying a Kindle before Black Friday.
Amazon didn’t even put the original Oasis on sale last Black Friday so that’s not going to happen, especially since their 30 day return policy falls within the sales window. If history is any indication the new Oasis will be on backorder for the first few months; the shipping date will just keep getting pushed further out.
I don’t know if Amazon customer support is reliable but they told me the new oasis is going to be on sale on black friday.
Not a chance. The old Oasis, possibly. The new Oasis will most likely be on backorder by then and probably won’t be in stock until 2018.
So you don’t think they know what they are talking about? They were definitely talking about the new oasis.
They definitely don’t know what they’re talking about. That’s the same customer support that told people a new Kindle Paperwhite would get released last fall and that still hasn’t happened. I guarantee the new Oasis won’t be on sale anytime soon. Amazon never puts new high-end models on sale after release. The 1st Oasis wasn’t even on sale last Black Friday and it had been out for a year and a half. All other Kindles and Fire tablets will most likely go on sale, but not the new Oasis. Whenever Amazon releases a new higher-end Kindle it takes a few months before supply catches up with demand. It took 4 months for 1st gen Kindle Oasis to be in stock, 3 months for the Kindle Voyage.
Nathan is definitely right on this…why would they, after adding value AND dropping price on the Oasis model. Not a chance.
I like $199 instead of $249.99 for the new Oasis. Nathan has a good point about Oasis won’t be on sale on Black Friday.
However, the afternoon in Amazon page, there is an ad that says pay with AE points and get 20% off. I followed the instructions and ordered the 32g version. I got the discount at once.
The 20% off has a max limit of $50. So, it is $279.99 minus $50 , plus tax.
Delivery date is Oct 31. (For 8g version, delivery date is Nov 6)
I’m going to order it in US. My friend is leaving on Nov. 10 and will join me. Do you think when they say release date would be Nov. 1, it can be received before Nov. 10th?
Depends on the shipping option you choose. Two day shipping it’ll arrive the day of release. The checkout page shows the dates of arrival for different shipping methods.
I ordered the 32G version yesterday (Oct 13). With 2 day shipping option, the delivery day is Oct 31. They said it will ship on Oct 27.
Earlier, I tried to order the 8G version, the delivery date is Nov 6 instead for two days shipping option.
It implies a lot more demand on the 8G version.
Did you order the one with WiFi and 3G or just WiFi? I can’t decide which one to get.
tnx for the inputs. what does mean “free cellular”? it means without contract you will be able to access to internet? or it would need sim-cards?
However I ordered wifi one.
The “free” 3G (actually 4G in the US with this model) is only for accessing Amazon, Wikipedia, and the other built-in features that require wireless. Internet access is only available via Wi-Fi for using the web browser. I wonder if they’ll offer audiobook streaming over 3G, probably not but it’s not specified anywhere yet.
Which Kindle Oasis 2017 to get the WiFi or WiFi with 3G?
Pre-ordered last night, nov 16 estimated delivery.
I’m a little surprised this wasn’t released in closer proximity to a 10th anniversary promotion about the kindle line in general.
Or really any substantial product videos like the interviews with readers shown with the first gen of this device.
I expect more, better marketing, given reading is a core value of how Amazon came to be.
Ereaders must be small, small beans business compared to AWS, Whole Foods, etc these days.
I pre-ordered the day the new Oasis was announced. Just what I’ve been looking for to replace my Voyager. I only use my iPad Mini 4 to read in bed at night if I’m reading something heavy in illustrations. The Kindle keeps my reading from interfering with sleep patterns.