The New Kindle (2015) – which is really no longer new ! – has been replaced this year by a version 2016. No major revolution in the program of this ereader. The New Kindle (2016) retains a piece of equipment very close. It sports the same screen e-Ink Pearl touch-6-inch (600 x 800 points), offers the same capacity of 4 Gb, and retains the same connection (a single micro-USB port, no drive, Micro SD card, not headphone jack). Its dimensions, however, are revised downward. Turns out-there for as much as compelling as its predecessor ?
Less expensive because it lacks a built-in light
At Amazon, the Kindle is the model that puts the reader within the reach of all budgets, since it costs in its version 2016 than 70 euros. Hard to find least much less expensive on the market, even opting for the version without ” pub ” that has added to the invoice of eur 10. At Amazon, it consists of displays of the advertising (in the reading) on the standby screen : nothing too intrusive.
Almost two times cheaper than the cruise ship Kindle PaperWhite, the New Kindle 2016 (or 8th generation) is positioned a notch below in terms of equipment. On the one hand because it is happening to the built-in lighting, on the other hand, because its design is less sophisticated. Nothing insurmountable, however, for the consumer who wishes to get a first idea of digital reading, without spending too much !
It was alleged that actually the 2015 model (7th generation) plastic housing less qualitative than that of the PaperWhite. On the new Kindle, it’s worse… but for the good cause.
Of the plastic of course, but the levity
Now available in white and black, the ereader is encased in a plastic, yet less dense, less rubbery, less pleasant under the fingers, and certainly more fragile. It presents the advantage of being much lighter. The Kindle loses 30 grams from just 160 grams. A true joy to carry in a small bag or a large coat pocket.
01net – LM – The New Kindle 2016 Amazon gains in finesse and comes in white.
More fine of a millimeter, the ereader also displays the edge of the screen is less wide, especially in the lower part. Everything is done to make it more compact and it is successful !
On the edge of the Kindle, the design wins in roundness. The grip is nice, no edge, not just to scratch hands. It just feels under the fingers, the logo Amazon inset on the back and one button which allows turning it on, creates a slight protuberance at the bottom of the case. A short press is enough to wake it from sleep.
Side view, the user is faced with a diagonal measurement standard of 6 inches. The definition is not as good as those displayed by the PaperWhite or the top-of-the-range Oasis. The quality, however, remains at the rendez-vous with a well contrasting on a background screen clear enough while pulling a little on the green. Electronic ink technology is, it is true, of older generation. This is the e-Ink Pearl so that the models the more high-end now have the e-Ink Carta.
As the version 2015, the New Kindle has a touch interface that seduces by its reactivity. Whether it is to open a book or turn a page a swipe of the finger, the reader reacts instantly, which is very pleasant to use. Amazon has doubled the memory of its reader, but the software, perfectly optimized plays an important role on this point. It must be said that the latter no longer has much to prove in terms of proper functioning, and ergonomics. And it offers each version of the new possibilities.
Only drawback, this reader uses a proprietary format of ebooks, the AZW, while all the other brands sold in France (Kobo, Bookeen, Nolim, Tea, etc) are compatible with the ePub. It will not be possible for owners of a Kindle to buy ebooks in other online bookstores as Amazon. This is not necessarily a tragedy, since the bookstore Amazon was among the richest in the market that it is in French books or those in foreign languages.