Amazon has officially released a new Kindle Paperwhite for 2024, which makes it the 6th Paperwhite model overall, so most Kindle fans will call it the Paperwhite 6, or PW6, but Amazon refers to it as the 12th gen model.
This new Kindle Paperwhite is a lot like the last Paperwhite model, with a few minor details changed. It’s now slightly larger with a 7″ E Ink screen instead of a 6.8″ screen, but the overall size has only increased by a few millimeters, and it’s actually thinner than the previous version. It weighs 6 grams more so the difference is negligible.
There’s a new 12th gen Signature Edition model as well with some upgrades over the base model. The upgrades are the same as the 11th gen version, meaning it adds wireless charging, an auto-brightness sensor for the frontlight, and it comes without screensaver ads. It also has more storage space with 32GB of internal storage, which is beyond overkill for ebooks but handy for things like audiobooks and large comic collections.
Amazon claims the new Kindle Paperwhite has a higher contrast ratio. Here’s an interesting quote from the press release: “The display uses an oxide thin film transistor which gives it the highest contrast ratio of any Kindle, so text and images pop off the screen.”
That sounds good, but I’ll believe it when I see it. The Kindle Voyage has long been regarded as having the best Kindle screen so we’ll see if the new Paperwhite can beat it.
They also say the new Paperwhite has 25% faster page and 20% faster performance so it’s supposed to be the fastest Kindle yet.
It still has a 300 ppi E Ink screen and a warm frontlight like before, and battery life is still rated at up to 12 weeks. It’s waterproof as well.
There are some new color choices for this model. It comes in black like usual, but there’s also a jade color and a raspberry color, and all three color choices are the same for the upgraded Signature Edition model too, except the SE colors are described as “metallic” and they have a different sheen to them.
The 12th gen Kindle Paperwhite is available to order now on Amazon. The price is $159.99 for the regular version with ads and $179.99 without ads. The upgraded Signature Edition sells for $199.99.
Amazon is also selling a new Kindle Paperwhite Kids Edition bundle for the 12th generation model. It’s the exact same device; it just comes with a cover (there are three different designs), a better warranty, and a 1-year subscription to Amazon Kids+. It sells for $179.99 for two of the three cover options; the Diary of a Wimpy Kid version is $189.99.
Kindle Paperwhite 12th Generation Specs
- 7″ E Ink screen.
- Frontlight with color temperature control.
- 16GB or 32GB internal storage.
- Waterproof: IPX8 rated: tested to withstand immersion in 2 meters of fresh water for 60 minutes.
- WiFi: Supports 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz networks.
- Bluetooth for audiobooks and VoiceView screen reader.
- USB-C port, charging cable included.
- Battery Life Estimate: up to 12 weeks.
- Supported formats: Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; PDF, DOCX, DOC, HTML, EPUB, TXT, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion; Audible audio format (AAX).
- Dimensions: 127.6 x 176.7 x 7.8 mm.
- Weight: 211 grams (214 grams SE).
- Price: $159-$199 at Amazon
Signature Edition Upgrades
- Wireless charging (charger sold separately).
- Auto-brightness sensor.
- 32GB internal storage.
- No screensaver ads.
- Colors have metallic finish.
Waiting for your video review and comparison with the 11th gen.
also waiting for the the review, and really want to see comparisons between this and colorsoft for regular non-color books.
I checked, and yes, Panos Panay has been involved in developing and launching these devices. He did a lot of good for Microsoft with the Surface brand, and seems to be doing it here, too.
The fact that they explain the technology behind it rather than describing things as “magical” means they know that consumers are discerning about how well e-ink is implemented.
But, just as the display quality can vary wildly and no one device can have it all, such is the problem with software across ereaders and enotes.
For a PDF book, my last gen Paperwhite is smoother at handling page turns and navigation than my Libra 2, but all my Kindles have a problem where PDF text randomly changes font weight across paragraphs – even my Scribe.
But this Paperwhite display may equal or better the discontinued Kobo Libra 2. Can Kobo please find someone talented to take over and make better quality devices?
Is the power button still on the bottom?
Yep, and I’ve already accidently pressed it like 5 times. But on the plus side the better contrast claim is actually true for a change, and the speed increase is noticeable as well.
Hi Nathan,
Apparently there’s something weird going on with 12th gen PW.
There’s some people on reddit with no option of Download and Transfer via USB for their devices – device is not listed.
And some have this option and get “You have no compatible devices registered…”
There was even a person who did not have their 12th PW listed in Send-to-Kindle E-Mail Settings.
There’s already a conspiracy brewing that Amazon is removing book download option.
Glitches galore, I’d say. What with new device and all.
Any thoughts?
Mine doesn’t show up on the list either, but it does show up on the deliver list so that’s a bit concerning. Hopefully it’s just a bug considering the new Kindles have only been out for 3 days.
It also affects the 2024 basic. It shows in my devices, but the 2024 basic is not an option when I select download and transfer via usb for a book.
Yeah, hopefully this gets resolved soon.
On another note – MPT protocol for all 2024 kindles! Amazon says so. In section Connect, Browse, and Transfer Files on E-Reader.
A peson on reddit shared a link.
Darn, sorry mistyped.
Media Transfer Protocol (MTP)
I can confirm that this is indeed the case. MTP works great with Windows, but it might add some extra steps for Mac users.
Is this a step up from the Kobo Clara BW? I was choosing between the Kindle Basic or the Clara. Coming from a 2015 PW I’d like to get the newer features and hardware, but the new Paperwhite’s bigger size and weight is a big con to me. BUT if it is just better than the Clara (and it IS better than the Basic, with thanks to the warm light), then I might just go with the PW.
I got rid of the Clara BW because the screen was worse than the Clara 2E that came before it, so I wasn’t impressed with the Carta 1300 screen at all. I haven’t done a direct comparison with the new Paperwhite, but when I compared it with the Paperwhite 5, it didn’t look better to me so I would guess the screen on the Paperwhite 6 looks nicer, but obviously I haven’t done a direct comparison. The Clara models have a cheaper frontlight layer like the basic Kindle and I think that makes a difference.