Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2015) review

Another year, another Kindle update. This time it’s the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite that’s getting an overhaul, but while such updates often amount to little more than a processor upgrade or some tinkering with contrast levels, Amazon has gone much further here. The new Paperwhite, or Paperwhite 2015 if you prefer, has had its display upgraded from 212 to 300 pixels per inch, putting it alongside Amazon’s flagship Kindle Voyage in terms of resolution.

As far as we can tell this is exactly the same 6in E ink Carta display in the Voyage, but now available for £120, some £50 less than the Voyage. It’s come just in time though, as we recently saw the very same display on the £110 Kobo Glo HD. That puts Amazon and its rival roughly level pegging again when it comes to displays and prices.

Not sure which Kindle is for you, read our guide

The new Paperwhite looks almost identical to the first two models, dating back to 2012. There are some small changes to logos, on the front a black logo replaces the silver one and on the back the shiny logo is replaced by a matt one. The rubbery rear panel is a little more matt in its finish and a little more fingerprint resistance. These are all minor details though, with the basic curved-off all-black design remaining intact.

The ageing design means the Paperwhite is bigger than its main rival, the Kobo Glo HD. The Kobo is as thick, but is slightly narrower and much shorter. The difference aren’t huge but the team agreed that the Kobo felt more comfortable held in one hand. Compared to the basic £59 Kindle, it’s around the same size and a touch heavier, but the rubberised finish is infinitely preferable to the cheap-feeling plastic box of the entry model.

Display

The new display is very sharp, in fact we can’t see anyone ever needing more pixels than this from a 6in eReader – Apple for example has marketed screens as being ‘Retina Display’ at far lower pixel densities. Contrast could be improved in future we suppose, but it really is an easily readable display. Amazon is still using a slightly textured finish to the screen, it feels like running your finger across a coarse piece of paper, we prefer the smooth finish on the Kobo Glo HD, but it’s really down to personal preference.

^ Here’s the Kobo Glo HD, the old Paperwhite and the new one, in that order

For those coming from a pre-2012 Kindle, the built-in light (which looks like a backlight but is technically more of a sidelight) is as much of a boon as the increased resolution. As well as being able to read in the dark (a feature that has killed off paper tomes for us), it also improves contrast in almost any lighting conditions. The light is consistently even, at maximum brightness we could discern just the subtlest shadow at the bottom edge of the screen but it’s not an issue in general use.

^ With the sidelights turned up full they all look bright and clear (old Paperwhite, new Paperwhite, Kobo Glo HD) – click to enlarge

As a simple upgrade to the old Paperwhite, one remaining annoyance is the lack of an ambient light sensor. This means you have to set the brightness manually, which feels decidedly retro when every phone and tablet around does so automtically. The Voyage does have a light sensor built-in and very handy it is too, even dimming further ever-so-slowly as your eyes adjust to the dark, but it’s not enough to justify the extra price.

Text handling

Text here is noticeably crisper than on the old Paperwhite, though it’s not a huge upgrade admittedly. Our Paperwhite review model included Amazon’s new Bookerly font, which is designed specifically for eReaders. It’s less chunky looking than the old default Caecilia font, and has some finer touches that become apparent at larger sizes. This font hasn’t yet been rolled out to older models, though it will shortly, and so we’ve used the Caecilia font for most of the comparison shots here.

^ Our new Paperwhite has a slightly different software to the old model, for now

The new font is an improvement, but there’s still issues here. With higher-resolution screens and better contrast, we’re now happy to pack more words onto a page. However, Amazon’s font size options are still pretty limited, with only eight sizes in total and only two we’d consider. It needs to introduce finer graduations, so you can choose the exact size you want.

Amazon also has a new typesetting engine, which is designed to solve the long-running issue of its eReaders justifying text across a whole line. This means that words line up with the near and far edges of the line, but spaces are littered throughout the text to achieve this, often a lot of them. The new typesetting will be more like a real book, with a space at the end of the line, or a hyphenated word split across two lines. This update is yet to roll out for E ink readers, though you can see it on the new version of the Kindle app.

For now, ePub readers such as the Kobo Glo HD, have a far more refined and flexible appearance. With more fonts, more font sizes, font weight tweaking, the ability to use custom fonts from ePub eBooks and text justification options – these eReaders are well ahead of Amazon, which is only now beginning to catch up.

Finally it’s worth noting that as usual there are both Wi-Fi and 3G models available. With the increased proliferation of Wi-Fi and smartphone-created hotspots we’re not sure who really needs the 3G version and at £180 it’s an expensive convenience. Both models are available for £10 less if you’re happy for Amazon to advertise to you on the lockscreen, Amazon calls this ‘With Special Offers’.

Conclusion

For most, the key question will be whether this new Kindle is worth upgrading to from their current model. The new Paperwhite is certainly a step up from the old one, but it’s not enough to justify an upgrade. Those with older, unlit Kindles should seriously consider buying this new one, it’s far cheaper than the top-of-the-lineKindle Voyage, yet the only real downside is the lack of a light sensor.

If you’re buying an eReader for the first time, the new Paperwhite is the obvious choice. However, the Kobo Glo HD is smaller, smarter-looking, has better text-handling and an equally great screen. If you’re set on Amazon then the Paperwhite is the way to go, but if you want to keep your options open when it comes to booksellers then the Glo HD is arguably better.