It looks like the rash of negative reviews for Amazon’s official Kindle Oasis 2 covers has compelled them to drop the prices by $15-$20.
They also added a disclaimer to the product pages for both covers saying the cover is designed to protect the screen from dust and scratches, not from impacts, and that it only partially covers the device. They also recommend removing the cover when reading for the best experience.
The fabric covers are now selling for $29.99, down from $44.99.
The leather covers are selling for $39.99, down from $59.99.
Plus they have a few used ones available for even less. Some are as low as $26 with what are described as minor imperfections.
Oddly enough, the sale isn’t even listed on Amazon’s deals page so it seems more like a response to all the negative reviews than a sale.
Both the fabric and leather covers have over 100 reviews each with an average rating of 2.0 and 2.2 stars. There are lots of complaints about the magnets being too weak and the cover not providing much overall protection.
I posted a review of the fabric cover last week, and while I don’t love it, I don’t hate it either. I wouldn’t consider it a 2 star cover, more like 3 to 3.5 stars. Once you get used to its quirks it stays on just fine, but the point that it doesn’t provide much protection is valid—that’s just how the Kindle Oasis style covers are. The high price was my biggest complaint, but $29 isn’t quite as bad.
Still too expensive IMO for what you get. This is essentially a $3 cover with a ridiculous mark-up. I wonder if Amazon is also planning to slash the price of the new Oasis due to the bad reviews on both amazon and amazon uk. Lots of complaints.
Still trying to find a simple neoprene sleeve. I seem to be in the extreme minority in not liking the book-style covers.
Perhaps at last, Amazon realises that it has pushed the source of the golden eggs almost over the edge with its pricing. Honk Honk.
In the UK the covers have been pulled from the Amazon site and all mention of covers removed from the listing… https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XDK92KS.
Hopefully they’re working on better versions.
What they need to do is work on a new Oasis. I would consider this the biggest flop considering the high expectations regarding a larger sized Kindle. Highly disappointing.
I’m curious to know why you think it’s a flop? I like mine very much and the only downside is the battery life is measured in days instead of weeks. It has a 4 star rating on Amazon.com so its doing okay there.
I said it’s a flop based on Kindle standards. The majority of Kindle products get rated 4 1/2 stars and above. If you look at the history of the paperwhite, voyage, keyboard and what not you’ll see this to be true. It’s rated 4 stars on Amazon and 3 1/2 stars on Amazon UK so by those standards it’s definitely underperforming considering it was the most anticipated Kindle in some years because of the larger size. If you factor in the recall on the covers based on extremely low ratings then I would say the total package is a flop. Of course this is my opinion but many others would agree. I’ve listed some of the reasons why in response to Frank M underneath and I also forgot to mention the 7th reason is the poor battery life. Is flop a harsh word? Depends on your perspective and your history using Kindle products. In my humble opinion I would say it’s a flop.
Amazon had an amazing opportunity to hit a homerun with this device and to think they’re still dealing with quality control issues after 10 years of Kindle readers is simply not good, especially at the premium price point. The top of the line Kindle should be a 5 star product. That’s what you pay for. Anything less is an excusable.
What’s your beef with it Caro?
Mine’s on order!
WiFi is enough for me and not interested in audio so the base model is perfect – I just want a reader with a lovely screen and, judging from the reviews, it has one.
My beef with it are a couple of things actually.
1. The ergonomics of it for one. It might have worked on the much lighter original Oasis with it’s 6″ screen but on the larger oasis with the metal materials is just horrible. It feels heavy in hand and the aluminum metal back is slippery and cold as others have mentioned. It’s hard to get a nice grip.
2. Dim screen, although this is a toss up due to the poor quality control. An example is that the Voyage I have had superior lighting and blacks whereas the Oasis had gray text before adjusting boldness.
3. Sharp edges along the frame. You’;; see when you get it.
4. No Bluetooth immersive reading when Bluetooth was highly touted. This was a let down but perhaps a future update will fix it.
5. Poor covers and no third party options. It will be virtually impossible to read this without a case as it’s very uncomfortable and the cover is being recalled in the UK. No third party options is a let down.
6. Page turn buttons make a loud “click” sound which is disturbing if you’re reading in bed at night next to your significant other. Sure you can swipe but that defeats the purpose of having page turn buttons.
Don;t mean to burst your bubble because you might like it. But based on personal experience and that of many others online I wouldn’t hold my breathe. For the price it’s not worth it, even if you have the money and are an Avid Kindle fan like me. I returned it immediately.
Wonder if there’s any way I could get a partial refund on my fabric cover. While I actually like the cover, and don’t have any problems with it, it’s kind of a kick in the teeth that they’d drop the price so drastically so quickly. Those of us who bought them at launch are kind of left out in the cold.
I was thinking the same thing. They should definitely issue credits for those of us that still have them..
Since my last response I have contacted Amazon asking for a credit for the difference which they have honored. I wanted to pass this onto everyone else as I had no problem getting a credit. I still think they should have done this automatically for people that still have their covers though.
Thanks for the heads up. Went ahead and called myself, and while the first agent couldn’t (or wouldn’t) add the credit, I spoke with a supervisor and explained the situation and she went ahead and added the $15 difference as a promotional credit onto my account.
Well worth making the call for those of us who are planning on keeping the cover.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you were able to get the credit to your account as well. It is definitely worth the shot for those of us keeping our covers.
I fixed my cover with extra strong double sided duct tape. Now it’s sticking to the oasis as it is supposed to.
Really the magnets are so weak, that it can not even hold it’s own weight. You grab the Kindle on one side and move it a little to quick and off it goes. Same happens, when you want to close it after you folded it completely to the back – in two out of three cases it fells of.
So it’s not supposed to protect the Kindle anymore, just great. But amazon is promoting it as a stand. Even while trying to bend that thing it fells off. When you use it as a desk stand it will fall over and off your Kindle goes.
I for one still don’t get the Oasis design. I find it awkward and these case issues are a direct result of a poorly designed Reader. Amazon tried to be different and cute and it seems to have backfired.