Every once in a while I come across an old picture of a white Kindle (like the basic Kindle from 2019 pictured above) and wonder why Amazon ever got rid of them (yeah, they still sell a couple of white Scribes, but we’re talking about smaller Kindles here).
It’s easy to forget the first two generations of Kindles were only available in white. The Kindle DX and the Kindle 3 that came after those were also available in white, and that was when Amazon started offering a darker color as well that they called graphite.
Then they transitioned to a greyish silver color for the Kindle Touch and 4th gen Kindle. Since then, Kindles have been predominately black, with the occasional white variant thrown in (there was a white Paperwhite 3 and a white basic Kindle in 2016 and 2019). In 2022, they offered a blue basic Kindle instead, and then in 2024 they changed it to matcha (light green).
It’s surprising the last few generations of basic Kindles and Kindle Paperwhites haven’t had any white versions available at all. Other companies are firmly onboard with selling white ereaders, and in some cases they seem to be the most popular color.
Kobo sells both white and black versions of the Kobo Libra Colour and Clara Colour. Onyx does the same with the Boox Go 6 Gen II, the larger Go 7, and the Palma 2 Pro. Xteink sells black and white (mist gray) versions of their ereaders as well, and actually the mist gray is a better color than pure white since it matches the background color of E Ink screens better.
Back before frontlights, many preferred dark bezels on ereaders to make the text appear darker on E Ink screens, but with frontlights that doesn’t matter as much, and the white/grayish colors look more like paper and blend in with the background of the page better, and help make the screen look more book-like.
I have a feeling white/grayish Kindles are going to make a comeback when the next generation gets released. A lot of people clearly prefer lighter colors; that’s the way the winds are blowing, and Amazon would be wise to pay attention as lighter colored ereaders are trending back again.
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