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…
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.