Kindle vs Paperwhite
Planning on buying a new Kindle but can’t decide between Kindle vs Paperwhite, then read on about this travel gear while we look at the differences between the two and look at which one is best for your needs.
When the Kindle paperwhite first came out there was a big difference between it and the original Kindle, but since then the original Kindle has been updated and now there are fewer differences.
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What is the difference between Paperwhite and Normal Kindle?
There are many pros and cons of Kindles and pros and cons of Kindle paperwhite and below we will go through them all, but the main pro for the Kindle paperwhite over the standard Kindle is the fact that it is waterproof. The paperwhite has been designed to withstand accidental immersion into water, so no need to worry if you take it on holiday and it gets wet by the pool or at the beach, though it cannot withstand prolonged periods under water, especially the sea.
Kindle vs paperwhite Size Comparison
The Kindle Paperwhite is 7 inches, whereas the original Kindle is 6 inches, so depending on whether you are looking for something bigger or smaller will depend on which one you will want to pick.
In reality a difference of 1 inch is really not that big, and as you can adjust the size of the text you are reading in the books, personally I don’t think that this size difference would influence which of these Kindles I would buy. I would be looking at other factors to determine which Kindle I want.
Kindle vs Kindle Paperwhite Battery Life Comparison
The original Kindle has a battery life of six weeks based on 30 minutes of reading a day, so if you are reading for an hour a day it will only last 3 weeks. Personally I think this is great, it is not like a mobile or tablet where you need to charge it every day or every other day. You also need to ensure that the wifi is switched off and light setting is on 13 and that you have the best kindle charger.
The Kindle paperwhite has a longer battery life than the original Kindle as it lasts twelve weeks based on 30 minutes of reading a day, with the wifi off and the light setting on 13. This means if you read for an hour a day it will last 6 weeks which is really good.
I am not sure that the difference in battery life would make me choose the paperwhite over the Kindle, but if I was planning on spending a lot of time in places without electricity and wanting to read, then it may influence my decision.
Kindle Storage Capacity vs Kindle Paperwhite Storage Capacity
The standard Kindle has a storage capacity of 16GB, which is literally thousands of books. If you are looking to know how much storage does a book take up on a Kindle then the answer is between 1MB and 2MB, meaning that with a capacity of 16GB you can store 6,000 to 12,000 books before you need to start deleting them!!
If you have audio books on your Kindle this amount will reduce as a typical audio book takes on average 300MB of space.
The Kindle paperwhite when it first came out, it came with the option of 8GB or 16GB storage, though now it is only possible to buy a new one with 16GB of storage, the same as the Kindle.
As both of these Kindles have the same storage capacity then this is not a factor in determining which of these Kindles to buy.
Are the Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite Paperproof?
Though the original Kindle has seen many improvements in the latest version, one of the things it isn’t is waterproof. If you are wanting a waterproof Kindle then you will want to go for the paperwhite instead.
If you are planning on spending a lot of time using your Kindle on the beach or by the pool, or even in the bath, then you would be better off choosing the Kindle paperwhite over the original Kindle as you have that added security that if your Kindle is accidentally immersed then it will still work.
This is a great option for the Kindle, especially as many people buy a Kindle for travel, so that they don’t have to carry many books while they are on holiday and even a real book won’t survive a soaking or immersion at the pool or beach.
Kindle front light vs paperwhite
The 11th generation of the Amazon Kindle was released in 2024 and has a backlight, this was originally added to the Kindle in 2019, which really put it on par with the paperwhite. When I originally got a Kindle in 2012 it did not have a backlight and that was the biggest issue that I had with it.
I wasn’t able to read in the dark without either a torch or a light on, which can be a problem when you are traveling, staying in hostels and in most dorm rooms there aren’t individual lights on each bed. This upgrade in 2019 to me was a huge improvement in the standard Kindle and one that I was very pleased to hear.
The Amazon paperwhite was first released in October 2012 and was the first Kindle to have a built in light, which I loved. The latest version of the Kindle paperwhite has a front light that is adjustable that can be changed from white to a warm amber, making it easier to read in all lights.
In the past the front light was a huge deciding factor on which Kindle to buy, but since the original Kindle had an upgrade in 2019 to include a front light, this has taken this factor away.
Kindle Screen vs Paperwhite Screen
Up until the release of the 2022 Kindle, the screen of the paperwhite was much higher in quality with 300 ppi glare free screen that feels like you are reading a book. The 2022 Kindle release then matched this, making even fewer differences between the two.
The 2019 Kindle while it had an upgrade with a front light, it didn’t have an upgrade to the same quality screen of the paperwhite. With the latest releases of both the paperwhite and Kindle there is very little difference in the quality of the screens.
Both the Kindle and paperwhite have 16 level gray scale, meaning that you can only view images in black and white and not color.
Before October 2024, the only Kindle in color is the Kindle Fire, which is more of a tablet rather an e-reader, but in October 2024 they released the Kindle Colorsoft, a kindle with color that reads like real paper.
As the quality of the screens on the Kindle and Paperwhite are now the same, this would not influence which Kindle I would pick.
Kindle vs Paperwhite Colors
The original Kindle is available in only two colors, matcha and black, whereas the Paperwhite is available in three colors, jade, black and raspberry.
Having different options of colors though would not determine which Kindle I would buy.
Which is the Best to buy – Kindle vs Paperwhite
If I was picking a new Kindle to buy today and looking at this kindle comparison, then for the best value in money I would buy the original Kindle, not only is it the lightest and most compact of Kindles, it has never all the same features of the Kindle paperwhite.
The only really important difference for me, would be the fact that the paperwhite is waterproof whereas the Kindle isn’t. You just need to be careful where you are using the Kindle and make sure it doesn’t get wet.
Kindle Essentials
Make sure to also check out these blog posts on Kindles:
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