Last year Amazon released a whole new line of Kindles with a new basic Kindle, a new Paperwhite, a new Kindle Scribe and the first Kindle with a color E Ink screen, the Kindle Colorsoft.
That was the most action the Kindle brand has seen in many years, and it’ll probably be a long time before Amazon releases that many new Kindles at once again, but I think we could still get one or two new Kindles in 2025.
Amazon has already released one new Kindle in 2025, but it wasn’t really “new”. They released a 16GB version of the Kindle Colorsoft in July. It’s exactly the same as the original Colorsoft that came out in 2024, but without the Signature Edition upgrades, so it’s a bit cheaper. It’s also available as a kids bundle that includes a cover and an upgraded warranty.
Considering all the current Kindles were released less than a year ago, that doesn’t leave much room for anything new, but there are some things Amazon could do to capitalize on the growing color E Ink market.
Last year Amazon announced the new Kindles on October 16th, so if Amazon is going to release something new in 2025 there’s a good chance it will happen within the next month.
New Kindle with 6″ Color Screen
Based on a leaked prototype, Amazon is expected to release a 6″ Kindle with a color E Ink screen later this year.
Some people think the leak is a hoax, but the pictures look real to me (compare the picture above to the current basic Kindle; the design is very similar), and the details given make it seem even more plausible, and the fact the original post didn’t last one day before it got taken down lends credence to the leak.
It also makes sense for Amazon to release a new Kindle with a 6″ color screen. Kobo has been selling the Kobo Clara Colour for the past year and a half, and plenty of people seem to like it. It was popular enough for Kobo to release a new white version, so of course Amazon is going to want in on that action too.
It’ll be interesting to see how much Amazon decides to charge for a 6″ color Kindle. The Kobo Clara Colour sells for $159, and considering Amazon charges more for the Kindle Colorsoft than Kobo does for the Libra Colour, it’s safe to assume the 6″ color Kindle will be more expensive as well. My guess is it’ll cost $179.99.
Odds: 9/10 – Maybe I’m just a sucker, but I believe the leaked prototype was real, so I think there’s a 90% chance a 6″ color Kindle will get released later this year, but there’s always a possibility it could get delayed until 2026.
New Kindle Scribe Color
Amazon is rumored to be working a Kindle Scribe with a color E Ink screen, but so far there aren’t any leaked images or prototypes to go off of. Most companies that sell eNotes offer color variants now so it makes sense for Amazon to release a color Scribe as well.
So far Amazon has released two versions of the Kindle Scribe, but the changes were so minor with the second one it’s still considered a first gen model. If Amazon releases a color version it would make sense to include some hardware upgrades to make it a true generation upgrade. I don’t know if that’s going to happen so soon after releasing the Scribe 2 with first gen hardware.
Odds: 5/10 – I just don’t think Amazon is ready to release a color Kindle Scribe yet, and I don’t think the Scribe is nearly as popular as Amazon had hoped it would be—the sales numbers are way lower than other Kindles so I don’t see it being a big priority. I think a color Kindle Scribe is more likely to get released in 2026.
New Premium Kindle with Page Buttons?
This is more of a wish than a genuine belief, but it would be nice to see Amazon release a premium Kindle with page buttons again like the Kindle Oasis or Kindle Voyage. A lot of people miss having a premium Kindle in the lineup.
Odds: 1/10 – There’s always an outside chance Amazon could surprise us by releasing a new premium Kindle, but I just don’t think they care about that anymore. Amazon is a company that prefers to sell cheap products in high volume, and a premium Kindle just doesn’t fit that metric. They already have the Kindle Scribe, which could be considered premium with its aluminum frame, and I doubt they want to add a second low volume, high price model to the lineup. I think a Kindle Scribe Mini with an 8″ screen is the best we can hope for at this point.
I think a color Scribe, or a color Kindle with a big 9-10″ screen, would be ideal for reading graphic novels. On my Colorsoft, I have to use panel-by-panel view. The page is too small to read comfortably without it. Of course, I have poor eyesight and a strong prescription lens, so I might be in the minority. I downloaded my black-and-white graphic novels on my Scribe and they look amazing.
If new models do come out this year, I could only see myself buying one if it’s an upgraded color screen. I’m sure it would be a “minor” improvement as opposed to 300 PPI in color, but if it’s significant enough for me, I wouldn’t be opposed to a trade-in.
I wouldn’t be surprised if a Paperwhite with stylus support comes out at some point. Earlier this year, I had to replace my tablet. I noticed a trend in the reviews of tablets from all price ranges and productivity ranges: the desire for stylus support. I bought a tablet without stylus support. I personally don’t care either way, and the tablet suits my needs just fine, but the lack thereof was a prominent complaint in professional and customer reviews.
“(AMZN) is set to hold a hardware event in New York City on Sept. 30, the company said in a statement emailed to MT Newswires on Monday.”