As noted yesterday, Amazon currently has the new Kindle Paperwhite on sale starting at $109.99, and they also have the upgraded Signature Edition model on sale for $144.99.
However, if you look closely at the listing for the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, the delivery date is March 12th at the earliest. It just went on sale yesterday and they’re already out of stock for the next month?
Amazon had problems keeping it in stock after it was first released in October as well.
Best Buy currently has the Signature Edition on sale for $144.99 too, but it lasted less than one day before they were out of stock. You might get lucky and find one available locally in-store, but it’s no longer available for shipping.
The Signature Edition is currently the 3rd best selling Kindle overall on Amazon’s best selling list for ebook readers. That’s pretty high considering it’s not even available for another month. It might rank #2 if they actually had them in stock. Update: one day later and now it is ranked #2; it’s pretty crazy that they’re selling more of these than entry-level Kindles for $59, especially with the shipping date pushed back to the third week of March now.
I’m surprised that many people are interested in the Signature Edition model considering it only has three upgrades over the standard model: wireless charging, an auto brightness sensor, and more storage space (32GB instead of 8GB).
There’s also the fact that it doesn’t have advertisements on the sleep screen, and that costs an extra $20 to remove on the standard version, so once you pay $129.99 for the ad-free 8GB version, maybe people are thinking it’s worth paying an extra $15 more for the upgrades.
I wonder if Amazon underestimated how many people would be interested in their new upgraded Paperwhite model. Either that or they’re having trouble with the supply chain regarding one of the upgraded features. Either way they’re sure having trouble keeping it in stock. They also can’t keep the wireless charging dock in stock either; shipping was listed as 3-5 weeks out last I checked, but now they don’t give any estimate at all.
I got a Kindle cheap via ebay last month. The Signature Edition is something I’ve been eyeing due to the 32MBs of storage, the 300 ppi, and larger screen.
I love my Kindle Signature Edition. It has more space so holds a lot more books and the battery lasts longer. I bought the charging dock as well so it’s easy to pop the Kindle on to charge and I never run out of power.
I’m still trying to justify choosing the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition over my Kindle Oasis 32GB 10th Gen. Other than the USB Type-C charger port, I cannot find a reason to purchase the KPSE now, even while it is on sale. Is there a good reason(s) to choose the KPSE over the Kindle Oasis?
As a fellow Oasis owner I don’t think so. I bought my girlfriend the Signature Edition for Christmas so I’ve played with both and while it’s very nice I wouldn’t consider it an upgrade over the Oasis. It still has a plastic screen for instance. I also don’t think it’s supposed to be. Both are great in their own ways but if you’re happy with your Oasis there’s no reason to buy the new model just because it exists.
I’m curious to see what Amazon does for the Oasis 4. I suspect there will be one because there are some people like me willing to pay more just to have page turn buttons.
The one usability advantage with the Paperwhite over the Oasis is the Paperwhite has much longer battery life, but the Oasis is still the nicer model overall.
I agree about the page turn buttons being a real advantage, especially if you are a fast reader. But the woefully weak battery and the irritating micro USB charging point for over $230 is a ripoff
This is really surprising news to me! My initial thoughts about the signature edition would be it was going to be the second least bought Kindle after the Oasis because of the cost. Most people just buy the base model of the Paperwhite because it does the job. Luxury upgrades to Oasis stature was only for serious readers with the money to spend. The signature itself doesn’t change the reading experience at all. Just adds a few niceties.
I agree that if you are willing to spend 20.00 on getting rid of ads what’s another 30.00 one time expense to get the rest of the upgrades.
Good for Amazon.
This! I only want ad-free Kindles so I was always going to buy the add-free version of the 11th Gen. At that point I got the light sensor and wireless charging for $5 each. I didn’t factor in the 32GB of storage because I don’t need all of it. But at the same time. 8GB is too much for me too so it’s a wash in the storage department for me.
I traded in my Kindle 2nd gen which gave me a promo code that would get applied for 20% off a new kindle. I waited a few weeks for this eventual sale and got it for $115.
Your speculation was correct. I was going to pay for the ad-free version, so the extra $12 (post 20% off) for wireless and the auto-adjusting light were a no-brainer.
For me, the Oasis is a fail because it’s too big, it doesn’t fit in my pockets, also, the metal chassis gets cold. I much prefer my Voyage, which fits in both shirt and pants pockets, and doesn’t conduct cold to my hands as readily. I do think auto brightness is a really nice feature, so I’d get the signature edition if I needed to replace my Voyage, but I’d return it if it didn’t fit (it’s a little wider than my Voyage).
I got a new paperwhite standard just a few days ago and it’s all I need. I could have waited I guess but I didn’t know then that they would go on sale so soon. I do like the warm light and larger screen though. It’s the first e-reader I have enjoyed reading on.
Like Martin above, I was waiting for a ‘sale’ on this, and traded in my Paperwhite 4.
$30.00 Amazon gift card + 20% off the price, brought it down to $92.95 (and that spread out over 5 months with the installment plan) = Win! 🙂
I have the newer edition Paperwhite that is smaller than the original one I have and I really don’t like it. I find it to respond slower than my original one, I had a different time finding a case for it, the setup is so much different, but it is what it is. I love my original one bit is no longer supported by Amazon.
I read a lot from Unlimited and from the library. I don’t really need a lot of storage. years ago, when buying my first Kindle, I toyed with the idea of paying to avoid ads. I decided against it, and really glad I did. the ads are very much a non-point. They do not interfere at all.
I like the 300 drive, but I’ve had that already, so I really don’t see the need for me to buy the Signature model. I may change my mind…..
Here in Mexico they only offer kindles with no ads, so the difference between the regular PW and the Signature is a tougher choice given the price difference.
Sorry for off-topic, but I just tried to sell my old Kindle to Amazon in order to buy new one and when selling the old one, I was supposed to identify my model.
Surprisingly one of the options was “Kindle Oasis 2021 11. generation” Could that be a sign they planned new Oasis together with new Paperwhite but delayed it’s release? They already stopped selling 10. gen Oasis at least here in Europe so 11. gen might possibly come soon 🙂