Hello guys! As those who've read my signature reviews know, I too am a long-time Kindle reader who has had a mixed history with front-lit Kindles, but begrudgingly gotten used to them over time - and happily noted sufficient quality progress to make this issue mostly go away. I am still quite anxious about new Kindles when they arrive, whether or not the screen will pass muster, as quite a bit of individual variation has existed between units...
Long story short, got the new Kindle Oasis (3G, no ads) again with one of the Amazon (cloth) covers. This replaces my old Kindle Oasis as a daily reader, which had the black leather cover. I went with a cloth cover this time, not due to price, but due to my wish for a little bit of change. The texture of the cloth covers seemed nice in the pictures and in real-life it did not disappoint. This is by far my most favorite cover of all Kindles (and that's saying a lot because I used to love the integrated light in older basic Kindle covers)... I'm not quite as big a fan of the aluminium of the actual device as a look, but it is OK. The important part, what I see when reading, looks very nice.
The new cover does feature the standing-up action, a bit similar (but less fidgety) than the Kindle Voyage cover, but blissfully this time implemented in such a manner that the feature can be ignored. I don't need it, so I'll just never twist the cover in that direction... The cover connects in a magnetic action nearly (but not quite) as satisfying as the original Oasis, but of course this time the cover does not have a battery, which I don't either like or dislike. Together these are indeed somewhat heavier and thicker than the old Oasis (combined weight 305 g vs. 236 g for the old), but it is OK. Charging has moved from top to bottom - I would have welcomed a USB-C connector, but again, this is fine.
Biggest deal, apart from being This Year's Kindle (always a Yay!), is of course the larger screen. As some may recall, I did like the Kobo Aura H2O (see my signature) with its 6.8" screen. I haven't used it that much recently, but it has remained the best e-ink screen on any device I own - it is just that its ecosystem or software are not a match for Amazon. Anyway, the funky old Kindle DX aside (that's too big for normal books), Amazon just hasn't had larger screens and I was really looking forward to getting one...
I am happy to say the screen is very nice. Now, let's be honest, the lighting once again isn't perfectly even - there is a gradient towards the left, but mine doesn't have any big anomalies and has less stagelighting on the right compared to my old Kindle Oasis. Lower edge of the screen is a tad bit brighter than the rest of the gradient on full blast, but then I never use it on full blast. No pinholes, dirt stuck inside the screen and no tilted screen. It is once again a good enough screen in this regard. And looking beyond that, I am very happy to report it brings with itself its own rewards: it really is a subtle but really appreciable change size-wise. Someone mentioned that it looks more like a book now and I must agree it does.
The new features, Audible support (also for the old Oasis, nice touch that) and the Voyage-like light sensor I don't find interesting and don't expect to use, but they are welcome and result in one less thing for anyone to consider between Voyage and Oasis or an older audio-enabled Kindle. I also appreciate the new software features to adjust font boldness etc., though I thought the default settings still look pretty nice with maybe a font change. Mine did ship with the old firmware, so it took an upgrade to 5.9.2 to get the boldness adjustment etc., and this was available from the get-go through the menu.
No question about it, this is a keeper and is now my daily reader. A good, solid upgrade. Also, it is noticeably snappier at changing pages compared to the old Oasis, even when using the full-screen refresh I like to use. So, all in all, a good buy!
p.s. I loved the glossy printing of the boy reading the book under the tree inside the Kindle Oasis box. A nice touch.
Long story short, got the new Kindle Oasis (3G, no ads) again with one of the Amazon (cloth) covers. This replaces my old Kindle Oasis as a daily reader, which had the black leather cover. I went with a cloth cover this time, not due to price, but due to my wish for a little bit of change. The texture of the cloth covers seemed nice in the pictures and in real-life it did not disappoint. This is by far my most favorite cover of all Kindles (and that's saying a lot because I used to love the integrated light in older basic Kindle covers)... I'm not quite as big a fan of the aluminium of the actual device as a look, but it is OK. The important part, what I see when reading, looks very nice.
The new cover does feature the standing-up action, a bit similar (but less fidgety) than the Kindle Voyage cover, but blissfully this time implemented in such a manner that the feature can be ignored. I don't need it, so I'll just never twist the cover in that direction... The cover connects in a magnetic action nearly (but not quite) as satisfying as the original Oasis, but of course this time the cover does not have a battery, which I don't either like or dislike. Together these are indeed somewhat heavier and thicker than the old Oasis (combined weight 305 g vs. 236 g for the old), but it is OK. Charging has moved from top to bottom - I would have welcomed a USB-C connector, but again, this is fine.
Biggest deal, apart from being This Year's Kindle (always a Yay!), is of course the larger screen. As some may recall, I did like the Kobo Aura H2O (see my signature) with its 6.8" screen. I haven't used it that much recently, but it has remained the best e-ink screen on any device I own - it is just that its ecosystem or software are not a match for Amazon. Anyway, the funky old Kindle DX aside (that's too big for normal books), Amazon just hasn't had larger screens and I was really looking forward to getting one...
I am happy to say the screen is very nice. Now, let's be honest, the lighting once again isn't perfectly even - there is a gradient towards the left, but mine doesn't have any big anomalies and has less stagelighting on the right compared to my old Kindle Oasis. Lower edge of the screen is a tad bit brighter than the rest of the gradient on full blast, but then I never use it on full blast. No pinholes, dirt stuck inside the screen and no tilted screen. It is once again a good enough screen in this regard. And looking beyond that, I am very happy to report it brings with itself its own rewards: it really is a subtle but really appreciable change size-wise. Someone mentioned that it looks more like a book now and I must agree it does.
The new features, Audible support (also for the old Oasis, nice touch that) and the Voyage-like light sensor I don't find interesting and don't expect to use, but they are welcome and result in one less thing for anyone to consider between Voyage and Oasis or an older audio-enabled Kindle. I also appreciate the new software features to adjust font boldness etc., though I thought the default settings still look pretty nice with maybe a font change. Mine did ship with the old firmware, so it took an upgrade to 5.9.2 to get the boldness adjustment etc., and this was available from the get-go through the menu.
No question about it, this is a keeper and is now my daily reader. A good, solid upgrade. Also, it is noticeably snappier at changing pages compared to the old Oasis, even when using the full-screen refresh I like to use. So, all in all, a good buy!
p.s. I loved the glossy printing of the boy reading the book under the tree inside the Kindle Oasis box. A nice touch.
