I still have this model, and love using it. I have had plenty of excuses as a librarian and bibliophile to upgrade, but it just hasn’t become even remotely necessary, or significantly beneficial.
The only benefits of the newest generation models that I like are the water resistance, and the ability to use more storage for handling audiobooks (usually sent out to wireless headphones or receivers). Still using a deprecated and antiquated Micro USB charging system, which I fervently hate. If they offered all of the above, AND USB-C, then I might start to consider updating my 6.5 year-old hardware.
Worth paying more to get a new model when these are now under $30? Not to me.
Similarly, the Voyage model that is also on sale is not really a worthwhile upgrade for the $50-ish price; Double the storage when you can already store a few hundred more books than I will read on the device at all - hardly worth considering unless you feel like reading and then keeping EVERYTHING. The physical page turn buttons are nice for some, but they mostly got in my way and I accidentally pressed them often when I borrowed a fellow librarian’s model to test. The “improved lighting” on the screen is incremental at best over Paperwhite, and doesn’t really improve things so much as allow for slightly more uncomfortable levels of screen brightness that proved unnecessary even/especially in direct sunlight.
All told, this is a deal worth purchasing if you are wanting to get into the Kindle e-reader ecosystem. Prices won’t really get much lower for reputable stock, and accessories are still available from the mothership. Happy hunting, and reading!
I’ve been using this exact Kindle for a good 4 years I’d say and love it. I’m almost considering purchasing this as a backup because of the low price, is that overkill in that I can probably get these at a similar budget down the line if something happens to my current one? For 29 bucks for a “very good” version I feel like I’d enjoy the peace of mind, although there is really nothing wrong with my current one.
Built in light is nice, but will it flip the screen to white text, dark background? I read on my phone a lot and love that feature because it’s much easier on my eyes when reading in bed in the total darkness. And much easier on my wife.
That’s because your phone is backlit. The Kindle is electronic ink, and doesn’t shine in your face. It’s so much easier to read. Believe me, you won’t mind at all that it’s white background with black text.
Damn. Just ordered new on Prime Day, and it won’t ship for another week. Clearly, the moral here is to wait for the best deal, then don’t take it, then a better deal will come along. I will adopt this with my SiriusXM trial.
Would one of you be kind enough to help a fellow Wooter?
Just want to know-can I read PDFs on this?
Will my kindle books I have purchased be able to download to this? ( I have only used the kindle app for Apple).
Also I have prime-is there a benefit to borrow books or no?
Thanks for your time!
You can read pdf files, yes. But, the screen is only 6 inches. You’ll have to do a lot of pinching and zooming.
Your kindle books will download to this.
Prime comes with some books that are free to borrow. Is it worth it? Depends on your taste in books. Benefits? You don’t have to buy them. I believe the downside is that you can’t download to many at the same time.
This is not waterproof and the resolution on this is 212 ppi vs 300 ppi on the new. This also does not support Bluetooth for audible. This is a good deal if you are fine with the resolution and all you want is a pure ereader.
Thanks so much!
The 2015 version was my first Paperwhite and I was using it right up until this past week when I got the latest version. Something to consider is that the 2013 version is not eligible for the latest firmware so there are a few options that you may miss out on - and I believe that the “night mode” where it flips the black and white to make it easier to read in the dark is something that is only available with the 2016 and later Kindle Paperwhites.
FYI - there is no real security risk in using any Kindle with outdated software and you will still have access to all of your books, so other that a few missing features that you may never use you probably won’t ever notice any issues. Keep in mind also that even though the Kindles are very power frugal, the battery on this model could be up to 7 years old. If it hasn’t already been replaced that is something that you may need to keep in mind before long.
I tried upgrading to a S&D Kindle Oasis I got here on Woot but didn’t like the form factor. While the larger screen was nice I could not get used to the one thick/heavy side and the page flip buttons were more of a bother. And frankly the Oasis is the battery hog of the Kindle line and I was charging it every few days instead of every few weeks like my Paperwhite (I read a lot…). For me, the Paperwhite is the King of the Kindles!