With the popularity of Xteink’s ereaders and other mini ereaders taking off, a lot of people are wondering if Amazon is going to release a mini Kindle of their own soon.
Here’s the thing. Amazon is usually slow to follow new trends in the E Ink space. They were 5 years late jumping on the eNote bandwagon, and they were one of the last companies to release a color ebook reader. The mini ereader trend just started taking off this year, so it’s very unlikely that Amazon would have had enough time to develop a new mini Kindle with intentions to release it in 2026.
There’s also the fact that these mini ereaders are using low end hardware that requires using specialized software. Given that, I think there’s zero chance that Amazon would release an ESP32-based Kindle like Xteink’s ereaders and the new Boox Picco.
If Amazon did that they’d have to develop completely different software for it from the ground up, and they certainly aren’t going to modify a version of CrossPoint to use on Kindles like Onyx is doing with the Picco.
If Amazon does come out with a mini Kindle, it will have to be similar to current Kindles, just smaller, as it would need to be capable of running the same software. On the plus side, they could use better hardware and a superior screen with 300 ppi, but obviously that would add to the cost and it would make it harder to pull off, but if anyone in this industry could do that it would be Amazon.
I think a highly portable Kindle Companion with a 4″ screen would be huge hit (but they’d surely come up with a quirkier name than Companion). I just don’t see it happening in 2026. It’s going to take Amazon time to research and develop a new model. That’s why 2027 seems more likely. But, you never know…
If they sold a mini kindle,Kobo mini sized (without the huge bezels), with a touch screen…AND side buttons for page turning, that was priced well (I’m not sure what the realistic cheapest price could be). It would sell like crazy.
I’d buy one if it had these options!
With prices on the rise, I think it’s more likely they’ll launch a basic Kindle with warm lighting to compete with the Kobo Clara BW. But a smaller Kindle wouldn’t be a bad idea either, although I’ve always found Kobo to be more attuned to market trends. I’m betting on a new Kobo Mini.
I would definitely consider a kobo. I gave up on Kindle earlier this year and have not looked back. No hardware or form factor would make me get locked back into their “we own what you pay for” system.
If Amazon did, it would probably have a high price point compared to other mini e-readers that would put off potential buyers. I have my doubts that the hardware specs would be impressive enough to justify the higher cost.
Not sure a mini kindle would make sense as it would mean adding another product to an already very congested product line. If people are confused about what to get now with all the options, adding another kindle would make things worse. So, marketing wise, it would not make sense. It would lower the sales of the current line.
The way I see it, a mini Kindle is the kind of thing a lot of people would buy in addition to a regular-sized Kindle, and it would give people that already own a Kindle something new and different to consider for a change. The people at Xteink really stumbled onto something; there’s just something different about an ereader you can stick on your phone or in your pocket and take with you everywhere. And with the recent price increase on Kindles, there’s now an opening in the $99-$119 range where a mini Kindle would fit into the lineup nicely.
It’s gotten to the point where Xteink’s ereaders are so popular the mini ereader market cannot be ignored by the big players. The Xteink X3 on Amazon alone has sold 6k units in black and 5k units in gray over the past month. The highest selling Kobos have only sold 1k units on Amazon over the past month. Even the Kindle Colorsoft is down to 2k units sold during the past month now after the price went up. Amazon is better-suited selling high volume at lower prices and bringing in more ebook/subscription sales. A mini Kindle would fit that model perfectly.
Maybe offer it instead of the basic model. My thinking is if you offer too many options it would overwhelm the market and lower the sales of the other models. From Reddit it sems a lot of future kindle owners are confused as to what to get, giving them another option could overwhelm them and go for some other brand where they make choosing much easier. I know I really wouldn’t want anything smaller than the basic kindle. But I can see how people would want something really compact. We will have to wait and see what Amazon does. Maybe their AI will decide for them (sarcasm there).
Amazon seems to like confusing people with too many options, but I get your point. Also you might actually be right about the AI thing as crazy as it sounds. With all the illogical moves Amazon makes, it gives the impression that real people aren’t in charge there anymore—AI designed to maximize revenue probably dictates every decision they make now.
I’d rather see them make a Scribe Mini 8inch reader. Can’t stand the 7inch and 10 is too big for me.