My old Kindle is finally dying, I decided to order a new one and I check Amazon.ca (I'm Canadian). Cheapest option is $140 and lacks buttons? Then I look at the other two models $300 and $400?! Wtf. These things don't even have colour e-ink yet. I guess I might just settle for a Paperwhite at $140.
-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
When did Kindles get so expensive?
- Thread starter Fou-Lu
- Start date
- Status
NeOak
Member
I was going to say I thought there was a model for around $80...
I must have missed it since it is just called a Kindle. Probably will go with that then. I am still flabbergasted by the Voyage and the Oasis, how do they justify those prices?
The Albatross
Member
Bought a standard Kindle for $50, marked down from $80 during a Kindle sale in may or June.
Kindle Paperwhite was $80 marked down from $110.
The base models are pretty cheap. But yeah they mkstly have touch screens now, which is cheaper to make usually.
Kindle Paperwhite was $80 marked down from $110.
The base models are pretty cheap. But yeah they mkstly have touch screens now, which is cheaper to make usually.
Atraveller
Banned
Those are premium and ultra premium models. Buy Paperwhite.
Leona Lewis
Banned
Worth every penny.
The Albatross
Member
Kindle oasis is a really nice device, but it's like the high end of any market. The you can spend $300-$400 on dozens of great video cards, but if you want the best the price can easily hit $700 or $800 (maybe more?). Or TVs ... $800 will get you a great new TV with tons of features, 4k, and who knows what else, or you can get the best oled for $5000. The feature list doesn't seem that much greater but for someone focuses on truly the best device, 3x or 4x the cost doesn't matter.
There is an audience that will pay $300 for the best reading experience even when the $100 experience is pretty damn good already.
NullPointer
Member
I've got no problem spending that much for a device I use and enjoy as much as I do my Kindle, but nothing about the Oasis seemed really worth the premium. 4 extra LEDs and a longer battery on an already rarely recharged device don't seem worth the extra hundred and change.
And the Paperwhite is awesome.
friskykillface
Banned
Kindle DX the goat, was pretty cool to own that for a while, huge screen and surprisingly not that heavy
NeOak
Member
Agree with this. Paperwhite is the way to go. It hits the sweet spot of good features at a decent price.
I just got a 2015 Paperwhite used at a Half Priced Books for $60. It was like, near-mint and even came with the original box AND the $40 official leather case, also like-new. Pretty impulsive purchase, my old Kindle had stopped charging a long time ago and it was quite a deal.
The device itself is excellent.
The device itself is excellent.
SodiumBenzoate
Member
The paper white is absolutely worth it. That backlight is worth the extra $40 no question.
The voyage and the oasis seem really unnecessary and overpriced, though.
The voyage and the oasis seem really unnecessary and overpriced, though.
I don't know how the hell I ever used a kindle without a backlight.
IlGialloMondadori
Member
Canadian inflation, dude. I remember when videogames in Canada were 50 bucks, and now they're like 90.
But yeah, get that paperwhite. Worth it.
But yeah, get that paperwhite. Worth it.
Ravensmash
Member
Yeah, the Paperwhite is my top level Kindle. I wouldn't be prepared to go above that.
345triangle
Member
i had the paperwhite and upgraded to the voyage, which i don't regret at all. the flush screen and thinness make it totally worth it.
i do wish it had proper page-turn buttons, though. maybe i should get an oasis...
i do wish it had proper page-turn buttons, though. maybe i should get an oasis...
TalkingToast
Member
Somehow thought it was called the paper weight even after buying one for my sister last year after the overwhelming majority of people seemed to prefer the back(front?)lit version over the 80 dollar regular Kindle.
My girlfriend, who I didn't know at the time has a regular Kindle, and wishes she splurged and got the paper white. Apparently it's a significant upgrade that's worth that price increase.
My girlfriend, who I didn't know at the time has a regular Kindle, and wishes she splurged and got the paper white. Apparently it's a significant upgrade that's worth that price increase.
Herr Starr
Member
There's actually no backlight on the Kindles. It's a front-lit system using small lights along the edges of the screen. The nature of e-ink makes backlight about as useful as trying to read a physical book with a light underneath it.
345triangle
Member
scratch that, i'm going to get this dope porter voyage travel case i just saw on amazon japan instead
Pestilence11
Member
Another vote for the Paperwhite. Managed to snag one for cheap and compared it side by side to the base model in a home environment. The light is more than worth the price difference.
Langdon Alger
Banned
Physical buttons. Checkmate.
Get the Paperwhite, ignore the other models. The Voyage was made completely pointless when the Paperwhite got an equivalent 300 DPI screen (made out of slightly different materials). I got the Voyage when the Paperwhite still had its old lower DPI screen, oh well. Oasis is sweet but too expensive, they should drop the Voyage and make the Oasis the same price as the Voyage.
BoosterDuck
Banned
well you could've mentioned its removable battery cover that converts the Kindle for one-handed reading but I guess that works too
Definitely a good feature, but doesn't justify the price considering my old ass like $70 kindle has physical buttons.
I love my Paperwhite but this have has happen to me as well. It is due my preference of reading non-fiction books. I truly wished Amazon made a cost effective larger Kindle Paperwhite/ Voyage. A lot of non-fictional books don't work at all at the 6" diagonal screen size.
You say this, but the ergonomic single hand design, physical buttons (lawd!), and form-factor of the Oasis are really attractive features.
Also, the screens do tend to have much more even lighting in darker settings. Many PW and Voyage users report banding style lighting, or uneven spread of light on their devices.
I would absolutely buy an Oasis if the price wasn't so ridiculous.
If you can only afford a PW (or simply don't want to spend more), the PW is a great reader.
The design of the Oasis is definitely better, but it's not worth the extra cost.
Are E ink displays more expensive to produce?
VistraNorrez
Member
eInk tech is more costly to produce than LCD. So that's why the Kindles are more expensive than the Fires.
I have a PW Gen 1, but when I upgrade I intend to get a Voyage but only when they go on sale for $150. I don't really care about the haptic "buttons", but I want the smaller form factor and the completely glass screen does look clearer than even the latest PW.
I have a PW Gen 1, but when I upgrade I intend to get a Voyage but only when they go on sale for $150. I don't really care about the haptic "buttons", but I want the smaller form factor and the completely glass screen does look clearer than even the latest PW.
lcd's a cheaper older technology with economy of scale in effect, they are used everywhere and are cheap as a result.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
Agreed. I do like the flush bezel that doesn't trap dust, but that's not worth the price bump now that the Paperwhite has the same screen.
velociraptor
Junior Member
I kinda wish the Paperwhite has buttons for page turning.
I guess different markets. The market is super overloaded with 7" tablets..well, maybe not so much now as it was a few years ago, but you can easily find a decent 7" tablet for under $100 - especially if you go the chinese route.
The kindle e-ink are priced competitively to the competition (kobo, nook, etc.). When you buy an e-ink kindle you do it for the sole purpose of reading - and for that it performs fantastically. Also, unless you damage the kindle they will last a really long time. I just replaced my keyboard kindle last year because it dropped from the nightstand and my wife accidentally stepped on it, and I have had that kindle for a LONG time.
- Status