I noticed this morning that Amazon is selling the Kindle Oasis 3 again. It’s in new condition too, not refurbished like you might expect at this point, and they have the 8GB version and the 32GB version in stock.
It was around this time last year when Amazon started phasing out the Kindle Oasis, and then by February they had removed it from the Kindle lineup without a replacement and stopped selling it.
Now it’s back again for some reason. Maybe they found a box of them in warehouse somewhere. Either way, I wouldn’t expect them to last long, but for the time being a premium Kindle with page buttons is available once again, at least for a limited time.
Unfortunately they’re selling them for full retail at $249 for the 8GB version and $279 for 32GB. You’d think they’d lower the price on a model that’s been discontinued, but Amazon doesn’t operate that way. At this point I think the new Kindle Paperwhite is a better deal, and it has much longer battery life, but if you want page buttons and a premium build then the Oasis is the only option.
On the plus side, Amazon’s official leather cover and fabric cover for the Oasis are both on sale, but they’re only available in red.
At least Amazon is still updating the software on the Kindle Oasis 3 so software-wise it isn’t lacking any features compared to the newer models, but the hardware is a bit dated with the microUSB port and the older E Ink screen.
If you live outside the US and don’t have a local Amazon website, you can get the Kindle Oasis for a steal. Amazon has had the international versions on sale for months now, and they’re both extraordinarily good deals. The 8GB International Kindle Oasis is only $135 and the 32GB Kindle Oasis with 4G LTE is only $175, which is half price. Both are in new condition and are being sold by Amazon, but they will only ship them to certain countries so don’t get your hopes up. If they sold these in the US they’d be gone in no time at those prices.
I keep reading that once you get a device with page turn buttons, you’ll quickly prefer it to a touch screen. This I believe, since I didn’t understand what the big deal was about a warm light mode until I got the 2021 Paperwhite. Now I’m hooked and would never get a ebook reader without one.
Unfortunately, the awkward design of the Oasis has always turned me off from purchasing one. Always reading about people singing its praises has made me curious to try, but not at full price of $279. If I was to get an eReader with page turn buttons, I would prefer something similar to the Kindle Voyage’s design.
I have owned the Voyage and disabled the buttons as I prefer the touchscreen. I tried the Oasis and returned it as being hard to handle for me being left-handed. I personally don’t like the page turn buttons.
You could just flip it over and use your other hand.
It doesn’t work that way very well. I did try it. I have and love my Paper White 2022. I got it as a refurbished so it was much cheaper. I will probably trade it in when I can get a refurbished 2024 PW.
It works just as well both right or left handed. It just rotates the display automatically. Unless you look at the logo on the back there’s no indication as to which orientation is “right.”
32GB is sold out; 8GB is down to 7 left. I’m torn.