Amazon has the latest Kindle Paperwhite on sale, but most people probably won’t notice it because it’s the bundle package marketed for kids that’s currently being discounted, not the standard model, even though there’s no difference between them, and the kids bundle is actually a better deal anyway.
Right now the Kindle Paperwhite Kids bundle can be had for $139, which is $40 lower than the usual price, and $20 less than what the regular Kindle Paperwhite is selling for right now. Plus you can get an additional $20 off when buying two.
I always think it’s weird when Amazon does things kinds of sales where only the kids versions are being discounted while regular Kindles are full price. Anyone who is buying the base Kindle Paperwhite right now is unknowingly paying too much since it sells for $159.
The bundle for kids comes with the exact same 16GB Kindle Paperwhite, and it also includes a free cover and an upgraded 2-year warranty that covers accidental screen breakages, unlike the standard 1-year warranty that comes with regular Kindles.
The main difference with the Kindle Paperwhite Kids bundle is it includes the option to activate a free 6-month subscription to Amazon Kids+, instead of having the option to get 3 months of Kindle Unlimited for free like the standard model.
Amazon has the Kindle Paperwhite Kids Essentials bundle on sale as well, which adds a 9W wall charger. That bundle is marked down to $159.98.
It’s worth noting that all Kindles (except the Scribe) can be used in kids mode, and all kids models can be used in regular mode, so there isn’t a difference between them. When using kids mode the Kindle doesn’t show screensaver ads on the lockscreen, but they do show advertisements when using regular mode unless you pay Amazon an extra $20 to upgrade to an ad-free Kindle. Personally, I like using kids mode as a way to avoid seeing ads since I’m too cheap to pay get rid of them (again).
I purchased the last generation of Paperwhite Kids a couple of years back. It was a no-brainer – cheaper and with a 2-year guarantee (if it’s not working they’ll replace for pretty much any reason at all). And it came with a free black plastic case. Didn’t like the case so I complained and they gave me a free official fabric case. Didn’t like that either (the edges were sharp) so I bought this excellent case:
https://tinyurl.com/65fwa5b8
I love FINTIE cases for Kindles. I also did the same thing, bought a 2021 Kids Paperwhite for the free case. The case lasted about 2 years before it started to fall apart from being used so often. So I bought a FINTIE case for it. Also have one on my Colorsoft and Scribe.
Didn’t like the official cases at all. I found them really uncomfortable to hold. I have two that I’ve never used. I do really like the case I bought. Very smart, practical and comfortable to hold. Great protection also.
This is what I bought for the Scribe:
https://tinyurl.com/3fh4ru3s