I started with the first edition Amazon Kindle and, six or seven years later, upgraded to the Kindle Voyage. Over a decade later, I decided to try the latest model, the Paperwhite Signature Edition. I like it.
As I source most of my books from my public libraries, via the Libby app, whose integration with the Amazon Kindle ecosystem is so functional, I find that I rarely need to step outside it. As the Kindle e-reader was nearly perfect, if just far too slow, in its first iteration, I haven't been tempted to upgrade often. Reading is reading, and the e-ink screens have been good since day one. Adding meaningful features to reading is difficult. Once Amazon hit the 2013 Amazon Voyage's screen and lighting quality, the only differentiating factors seemed to be buttons or no buttons, and screen size. USB-C instead of the aged Micro-USB connection is also lovely, but none of these things seemed worth making the change. And so I waited.
Last month, the battery on my Voyage started to go out again, and I had to consider spending $30 to replace it or trying a new device. I went back and forth a lot about it, as for some reason, after a decade, I feel an attachment to the old device. Finally, I decided that the screen size and faster response times would probably make a difference, so I went for new instead of swapping the battery again.
I missed the haptic sensors in the Voyage for a few days. The lighting is smoother, making the reading experience much better. I never notice the auto-adjusting warmth or brightness working for me, and I have never run into issues where I want to take over manually. The older model needed help. Also, the new-to-me Dark Mode is excellent. I could have tried it in KO Reader, as my old device is jailbroken, but I find KO Reader to be more effort than it is worth when the Amazon reader does a good job. Again, reading isn't a feature-rich thing that needs bells and whistles. You mostly want everything to get out of the way.
The screen is sharp, and the newer processor makes it more responsive, which is nice but not a game-changer. I will keep the smaller, old Kindle for times when a pocket-sized reader is appropriate, while the larger screen is great for everyday use. I hope it also lasts ten years.
