Last month I posted about how it looks like Amazon is starting to phase out the Kindle Oasis, as some of the sub-models started to become unavailable, and now it’s gotten to the point where none of the Oasis models are available to purchase in the US.
That’s right. The Kindle Oasis is no longer available to purchase new on the main Amazon website. All versions on the Kindle Oasis landing page are listed as “currently unavailable”, with a note that says, “We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.”
Amazon still has a few refurbished units listed, and the “International Version” still shows up when you run a search for it, but the international models cannot be purchased in the US.
The Kindle Oasis is still available from other Amazon websites, but not the main website in the US. They’re still selling it on Amazon UK, and it’s even on sale right now. They’re out of the gold ones but the silver versions are still available.
In Canada, the 8GB model is listed as “Temporarily out of stock”, but it can still be purchased, and the 32GB versions are available for immediate shipping.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some new ones periodically turn up on the main Amazon website in the US again, but at this point it clearly looks like the phase out process has begun. It’s not like they’re selling out because they’re so popular.
On Cyber Monday I checked the Kindle best sellers list to see which models were most popular while they were on sale, and the Kindle Oasis didn’t show up on the list until #17.
Hopefully Amazon will replace the Oasis with something new in early 2024, but at this point it’s hard to see them releasing another Oasis model after this last one has been on the market unchanged for nearly 4.5 years now. If they were planning on upgrading it they would have done so by now; no other Kindle has remained on the market for that long before.
That’s the end of Kindle for me. Scribe is huge and lacks buttons and Paperwhite is just aweful in every way. It’s a shame they discontinued the only premium ereader on the market.
How possible would be for Amazon phase out Oasis line, and introduce new line with at least 7-8″ color screen as premium product?
I have no idea. But my guess is color e-ink would make Kindle too expensive for masses, so I don’t think they’re gonna go there. Even though they made Comixology part of Kindle, so having a color Kindle that would be good for reading comic books would make a lot of sense to me…
“Paperwhite is aweful (sic) in every way”? What color is the sun in your world?
It’s my opinion. To me the design looks and feels very cheap, the whole device is one huge dust magnet, there are no page-turn buttons therefore no option to turn off touch while reading (which is what I do every time with Oasis so that I can wipe any dust or smudges anytime… Also there is not a one case I like, as the leather case has ugly texture, I like the smooth texture Oasis leather case have. There is absolutely nothing I like about Paperwhite. Which doesn’t mean it’s a bad device, it’s just not for me. Clearly many people have different opinion about it.
Not surprising, honestly. It seems clear the Scribe isn’t selling like they hoped at MSRP, and the discounts give too much price overlap to keep it in the lineup.
I’d be curious to know how the Sage sells for Kobo compared to the Ellipsa.
Honestly, I don’t think either sell very well, but I would bet the they sell more Sages than Elipsas. Just going off the reviews at Amazon, the Libra 2 has 3585 reviews and the Sage, which was released at the same time, only has 653 reviews. The Elipsa 2E only has 81 reviews, but it’s been on the market for less than a year.
Isn’t Boox Page with Kindle app a better buy at this point?
The Boox Page looks like a nice device but it’s hard to compare an Android ereader to a regular Kindle because the Kindle Android app isn’t designed for E Ink screens so it’s a lot more glitchy than the interface on a regular Kindle, and you have to sacrifice features like using custom fonts. Personally, I’d still chose the Oasis over any Android device if all I wanted to do was read Kindle books.
I have both Oasis 3 and Page and I read mostly in Kindle app on Page. It’s as fast as Kindle and the screen is light years ahead of Oasis’ one (sharpness, warm colour, way less glary). The only thing I miss as Nathan mentioned are costum fonts. But on the other hand Amazon’s fonts look better on Page. Specificaly Bookerly I hated on Oasis (it’s too bold and it drains my eyes) but it is much thinner and easily read on Page. So yes, I think Page is a good replacement for Kindle. Unless you read in bath, because it doesn’t have IP68. I use Oasis for that.
Not for me. I don’t like the Kindle app, too few customization options. OTOH I sold my Oasis 3 a while ago, as it was no longer satisfying for me either. I just read my Kindle books on my Kobos.
That’s always kind of sad to see models drop off. I did pick up a refurbished Oasis in the last month or two plus I splurged with a 3 year warranty since I know some have battery issues I have a love/hate relationship with the Oasis. Although after my last hand surgery, I really needed page turn buttons that I could use with my left hand. I don’t really like swiping, like with my two Signature PWs. I have a remote page turner on one of them in the bedroom. The other one is in my office and the Oasis is in the living room.
I feel like I can’t really “leave” the Kindle world because I like having multiple e-ink devices that synchronize. I mean, I could buy more than one Kobo device, but… my Kindles all still work just fine.
If you can an Android e-ink device, you can just use the Kindle app to read and keep those books synced.
Boox and Meebook both offer models with page turn buttons and updated specs, like usb-c.
I was afraid the Oasis would be discontinued so I bought a brand new one a couple of months ago. I already had an Oasis but the battery was not holding a charge as well as when new. Now I’m glad I did. I also own the Paperwhite Signature Edition and the Scribe but don’t really like either one. The Scribe is too big for reading and neither one has page turn buttons. I guess it’s time to switch to Kobo or Boox when I need a new eraser. Hopefully that won’t be for a long time.
Love my Kobo Elipsa for reading during the day and then love my Kobo Libra for reading at night for the lighter weight and page turn buttons. I will never go back to Amazon Kindles. Kobo’s devices to me have a better feel and I really like their software.
I have a kindle oasis and a kobo libra 2. When my oasis dies I will move to all kobo, unless amazon makes another device with page turn buttons. I love them, there’s extra room on the side of the device to hold one-handed, and the external page turner device is really awkward for me.
I’ve been more or less resigned to the fact that Amazon is likely to stop making the Oasis completely. But I’m not going to buy a second one, I’ll just let my Oasis 2 die a natural death. With luck, it still has a few years before that happens. When it dies, I’ll likely replace with a Paperwhite, unless something better has taken the place of the Oasis line.
I just hope Kobo continues to make an 8″ device, as it’s really the perfect size for me.