Amazon Kindle vs Paperwhite vs Oasis: Which Kindle is best in 2020?
In the beginning, buying a Kindle was a simple job. There were two models: Amazon’s Wi-Fi Kindle and the 3G -enabled Kindle, and they were effectively identical aside from offering different levels of connectivity. These days, however, the choice of Kindles is more complicated – there are three different models at three very different prices. So, which Kindle is best for you?
The cheapest Kindle is the 6in touchscreen model, first introduced in 2016, which is available from £70 and has recently been updated with a built-in front light under the screen. The most expensive model is the Kindle Oasis 32GB with Wi-Fi and 4G, which will set you back £320. The Kindle Paperwhite sits between the two, but there are multiple configurations for each model as well.
If you’re confused as to which Kindle to go for, we’ve helped you make the decision by comparing all Amazon’s Kindles below.
Amazon Kindle vs Paperwhite vs Oasis: Common features
All of Amazon’s Kindle ebook readers share a handful of core features. Each one has access to the same Amazon store for books, which offers a huge array of reasonably priced books and magazines.
Unlike other ebook readers, they’re not set up to buy books from elsewhere, so all Kindle users can only buy books from Amazon. Thankfully, Amazon still has the largest range of titles and are generally very well priced.
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can also access the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, which lets you borrow one book a month from a catalogue of 600,000 ebooks.
There’s also the Prime Reading service, which provides access to a range of free ebooks, magazines, and short-form material. It’s not just cheap, self-published stuff here, either – on the list of books are Man Booker Prize-shortlisted titles and premium magazines such as The Week.
Every Kindle supports Amazon’s Family Library, which lets you share your ebooks with other members of your household. Essentially, this allows you to join two accounts together, so you can read each other’s books, plus you can add up to four child accounts to the pair of adult accounts.
Finally, Amazon is often improving the user experience across its devices as well. Updates improve the interface on all its Kindle devices, adding new fonts for instance.
With that covered, let’s move on to the models in the current range.
Amazon Kindle
Price: From £70 | Buy now from Amazon
The newly updated budget Kindle costs £70, or £80 if you want it without lock screen adverts (or, as Amazon describes them, “special offers”). The standard Kindle has a 6in touchscreen, a 1GHz processor and 4GB of storage, which is ample space to store thousands of books. What’s new is that the basic Kindle now has Bluetooth and the screen is backlit. Battery life is also very good at around two weeks per charge if you read for an hour a day.
If you own the 2016 Kindle and are tempted to upgrade to this one, I would suggest saving your money. If, however, you’re looking at taking your first tentative steps into digitising your library, then the basic Kindle is definitely the way to go.
Read our full review of the Amazon Kindle (2019) for more details
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
Price: From £120 | Buy now from Amazon
The current Kindle Paperwhite was released in November 2018 and it’s a huge step up from the 2015 model. In fact, it’s probably the best Kindle there’s ever been considering what it delivers for the price. Not only does this latest iteration – the fourth in the Paperwhite range – have double the storage capacity, but it’s now fully waterproof like the Kindle Oasis. And the premium features don’t stop there; it’s got Audible integration now, meaning you can continue to feed your brain when your eyes are too tired to read.
The design is classier than before too, with the backlit touchscreen lying flush to sleek black bezels – just like on the Kindle Oasis. Starting at £120 for the Wi-Fi, 8GB model with Amazon’s “special offers”, which is £10 more than the cheapest 2015 Kindle Paperwhite was but for all those extra features, it’s a fair trade. For the time being, this is the best value Kindle you can buy – and the cheapest way to get a waterproof Amazon ebook reader.
Read our full review of the Kindle Paperwhite for more details
Kindle Paperwhite | Waterproof, 6″ High-Resolution Display, 8GB—with Special Offers—Black
£119.99Buy now
Amazon Kindle Oasis
Price: From £230 | Buy now from Amazon
The Kindle Oasis is Amazon’s luxurious e-reader. With a £180 price tag to match, Amazon’s refreshed Oasis’ big new feature is its adjustable warm light, which lets you switch from the standard white LED over to a more eye-friendly amber light. This promises to reduce the amount of blue light when you’re reading before going to bed. It also has a slightly bigger battery and can be picked up in a rather fetching gold colour.
As for the rest, the latest Oasis boasts several features not included in other Kindles on this list. Firstly, it has Audible integration for listening to audiobooks on the go, and it’s also waterproofed up to two metres, so there’s no need to worry about dropping your ebook reader in the bath ever again. With a beautifully lit 300ppi 7in touchscreen with 12 LEDs for glare-free reading, it’s the ultimate e-reading experience, no matter the lighting conditions.
Despite its extra size, it’s lighter than the Paperwhite at only 188g. If your budget can stretch, this is the best Kindle available to buy right now, no question.
Read our full review of the Kindle Oasis for more details
Amazon Kindle vs Paperwhite vs Oasis: Specifications
Below, you’ll find a detailed breakdown of all Kindle models currently on sale.
| Kindle | Kindle Paperwhite | Kindle Oasis | |
| Starting price | From £70 | From £120 | From £230 |
| Screen size | 6in | 6in | 7in |
| Built-in light | Yes (4 LEDs) | Yes (5 LEDs) | Yes (25 LEDs) + adaptive light sensor |
| Page-turns | Touchscreen | Touchscreen | Touchscreen + page turn buttons |
| Pixel density | 167ppi | 300ppi | 300ppi |
| Available colours | Black, white | Black | Graphite, gold |
| Waterproof | No | Yes (IPX8) | Yes (IPX8) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi + free 3G/4G | Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi + free 4G |
| Battery life | Weeks on a single charge | Weeks on a single charge | Weeks on a single charge |
| Dimensions | 160 x 113 x 8.7mm | 167 x 116 x 8.2mm | 159 mm x 141 mm x 3.4-8.4 mm |
| Weight | 174g | Wi-Fi: 182g4G: 191g | 188g |
Alongside the choice of black or white, Amazon also offers the regular Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite in two variants: “with special offers” and “without special offers”. These are adverts Amazon pushes through to your device’s lock screen. If you prefer to remove the adverts, you can do so by paying an extra £10.
The Kindle Paperwhite and Oasis also come in “Free 4G” models, costing a little more than the Wi-Fi-only variants. The 4G model of the Kindles comes with no monthly fees or additional costs. Amazon covers the 4G connectivity, giving you the ability to download content to your Kindle almost anywhere in the world. You can see Amazon’s full 4G coverage map here.
Which Kindle should you buy?
The new budget Kindle is a nice start for people buying an ebook reader for the first time but a pointless purchase for people considering upgrading from the 2016 model.
The 2018 Kindle Paperwhite is, overall, the best Kindle in terms of value and performance. It has an excellent touchscreen and backlight and is the best upgrade option for people with old Kindle models. With its new waterproofing and Audible compatibility, it’s nearly as good as the luxurious Oasis.
Finally, the Kindle Oasis is the best choice for those who use their Kindle every day. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s a genuine pleasure to use and own and it’s the Kindle to buy if you want the very, very best.
