I’ve been seeing a lot of people asking if Amazon is going to be releasing a new Kindle at some point this year, especially after they announced a new hardware event in September.
The thing is Amazon always has an event in September to announce new products, and Kindles are almost never included in those events even when they do have new models coming out. They did unveil the Kindle Scribe at last year’s event, but it was a completely new product so that made sense.
With the exception of 2020, Amazon has released at least one new Kindle every year going back to 2009.
However, this is kind of a weird year where I could see Amazon not releasing a new Kindle again like in 2020. The Kindle Scribe is still less than a year old, and so is the entry-level Kindle.
The Kindle Paperwhite was released in 2021 and is Amazon’s best selling Kindle and it’s not exactly in need of an update. The Kindle Paperwhite 3 was on the market for over 3 years before it was replaced and the Paperwhite 4 was available for three years before it was upgraded.
Given that, the odds of the Kindle Paperwhite 5 getting replaced at the 2-year mark is pretty low. There isn’t really anything “new” they could add to the Paperwhite at this point since ereader technology evolves at such a slow pace.
The Kindle Oasis is the most obvious model in need of an upgrade, but after 4 years with the same model and 6 years with the same design, it seems far more likely the Oasis 3 is going to be the last of its line at this point. I don’t think there will ever be an Oasis 4.
As I’ve said in the past, if Amazon were to release another Kindle in the 7″-8″ range it would make more sense to include stylus support like the Kindle Scribe, and if they do that calling it something like the Kindle Scribe Mini is going to make a lot more sense than calling it a Kindle Oasis for the 4th time, especially when the previous Oasis models don’t support using a stylus it’s just going to cause confusion with customers.
Personally, I’d like to see Amazon release a mini pocket-sized Kindle smaller than the entry-level model, but that’s almost certainly not going to happen.
I just don’t see this being a good year for new Kindles. A mini Kindle Scribe with page buttons like the Oasis would probably be pretty popular because a lot of people still want a Kindle with page buttons and some don’t want a device as large as the Scribe. But with Amazon you never know what’s coming next, and when it comes to Kindles the safest bet is usually them doing nothing.
I also don’t think Amazon will release a new Kindle this year. Maybe an 8 inch next year. But to be honest, what excites me more is Amazon releasing a software update with more font size options. I’ll take that any day over any new Kindle.
I may have to look for a new Oasis. Although the existing version was not anything to write home about.
I wrote here before: I’m more than willing to get a Voyage version 2. With a butterfly cover. That was the only premium Kindle ever made.
I think a Voyage 2 would be more popular than an Oasis 4, but that ship sailed a long time ago. The funny thing is, I happened to notice Amazon was selling a couple of Kindle Voyages in new condition on their website over the weekend for full retail, $219.99. They didn’t last long.
Nathan, what did you search to find those? I just did a search for “Kindle Voyage” and it didn’t even pull up the Voyage page with not available at this time. How did you find the ones they just had?
I was just browsing the main ebook readers section and it was listed there among the others. At the time they had 2 in stock. It was weird.
That is weird. Thanks for the link.
I want to see page turn buttons continue. What I really want is page turn / page press buttons on the traditional portrait shape Kindle. Don’t even need a new Kindle line, an option to buy a Paperwhite with or without buttons would work.
I don’t want a mini Kindle Scribe. An extra layer degrading the quality / sharpness of the text is not something I’m interested in.
Wacom touchscreens are magnetic so there is no extra layer over the screen. But sometimes they do add some extra texture to the screen to improve writing feel that can slightly degrade the clarity of the E Ink screen. That said, I don’t have a problem with the Scribe’s screen and I’m a stickler about that kind of thing.
I’ve been using kindles for 12 years now and really hoping they release an oasis 4, scribe mini or something in that range with physical buttons at the September event, if not I’m gonna switch to Kobo and make new book purchases through their store.
A slightly smaller Kindle Scribe isn’t going to generate much excitement.
I see a color display as the next logical stage in the Kindle’s evolution. It’s about only thing Amazon could add right now that would truly make their next Kindle unique and stand out from the pack.
This is my thought!! Color is the next logical innovation. I’ve been using the Kindle app on other devices (I have it on my galaxy s23 ultra, my iPhone 13 and my iPad Air 4) I love the app, but I really want an actual Kindle device. I’ve been trying to figure out which to get (it’s a Christmas gift of my choosing) and I think I’m going with the PAPERWHITE SIGNATURE but my biggest hesitation is thinkong the minute I get one, they will FINALLY release a new color edition!!
Possible Oasis replacement. My guess is Amazon will wait a year for color…no trailblazing.
What I want to see is a new, large Kobo…300 dpi, color or comfort light. Hopefully with page buttons.
If there were to be an Oasis 4 with an 8” screen and minimum 16 gig of space they would sell pretty well. People like big screens these days. Just look at the PW5. I have one and am used to that extra 8th of an inch screen difference than the standard Kindle. If the Oasis 4 comes out this year but it’s $299.99 dolors that’s too high for a bigger screen more storage space and buttons.
if they release a Scribe mini next year with color screen and Stylus, no thank you. I’ll stick with my Paperwhite. I just want an e-reader. No color, no stylus, just clear text for reading.
As well as the Kindle 11, I still also use a PW 1 , 2Gb as good as new as a backup. My Kindle 11 lasts about a week, I use it quite heavily every day
Oasis users need an upgrade path. A 7.8″ with buttons would fit the bill. However I think it should also include Notebook features, Scribe’s size puts many people off. So Kindle Scribe Mini it is.
And why not a color model too?
Lou Sevens here- I agree with Brian and Ali’s points above. I am close to be a Kindle user for 12 years now.
I really liked the page turn buttons on the Oasis, however the battery life on the 1st one I had was not that strong.
I eventually got a second one and believe I traded that in as well as a paperwhite for a second Scribe.
To me the Scribe and OT- Apple Ipod were the 2 tech game changers for me the last 20 years.
I would also like to see a Color Scribe. In addition, I would like Amazon to have a daily planner template; something easier to use than some of the 3rd parties.
Currently I use 2 scribes, sometimes I am reading from one and using the notepad on the other.
For going on trains sometimes, baseball games I take the 1 paperwhite I kept.
As regards battery life, if you can live without Wifi on constantly, that makes an enormous difference to the standby (ie. not using) time.
I left my Oasis 2017 model for a couple of weeks in airplane mode and the battery only dropped a couple of percent. Amazing difference.
How do we convince Amazon to release a kindle Paperwhite with physical buttons? Do you think the attention the Nook Glowlight 4 Plus is getting will show how much people appreciate the physical page turn buttons. I loved them on my original Kindle Keyboard and I want them on my paperwhite. But seeing the new Glowlight 4, for the first time in 13 years I’m thinking of switching to Nook.
I have an old Kindle Oasis, which I have never used since I purchased it, because I couldn’t figure out how to. The battery has become weak now.
I downloaded the Kindle app on my phone, and I guess I’ve become more tech savvy now, because I am discovering new ways to use it. It’s my favourite app on my phone. I am waiting for a new Kindle to come out. I don’t have any space to store physical books. I hope that they come out with a new Kindle with free 4G download option.
Would really like to see a smaller Kindle Scribe myself. I have a Scribe but sometimes I just want something smaller. I even have a name for it Kindle “Scribble”