While nothing is quite like holding a paper book in your hand, e-readers have become incredibly useful for readers on the go or those who like to read with the lights off. Having full libraries and entire book series on one device has been a revolutionary invention, and tech giants are working to make e-readers even better and more advanced. The latest release is Amazon’s 2022 Kindle, which I had a chance to play around with myself. In this review, I’ll tell you what’s new, what the overall experience is like, the pros and cons and if I can recommend it for you.
2022 Kindle
Summary
All-new Kindle is a great and more economical option than some of the other versions out there. The smaller size and extreme light weight is perfect for low-strain reading and amazing for travel. Plus, the new sharper screen makes it easy to read from. But it does have a few downsides to be aware of.
Pros
- Great battery life
- Lightweight and luxurious design
- Easy to handle
- Excellent high-res 7-inch screen
- Auto-brightness
- USB-C charging
- Audible audiobooks integration with Bluetooth headphones or speaker
- Waterproof
Cons
- No headphone jack, no speaker
- No included case/drop protection
- No color display
- Laggy
Amazon 2022 Kindle: What’s New
Released in October 2022, the so-called “All-new Kindle” is quite an upgrade from the previous versions. And I should note quickly you can opt to pay full price for a version with no ads ($120CAD), or save some money and put up with advertising on the lock screen. ($99CAD) For my money its worth it to pay extra and lose the ads.
Perhaps one of the most notable features of the All-new Kindle is it comes with a USB-C port instead of the now-antiquated micro-USB port. The 2021 Kindle Paperwhite came with the newer port, but all other Kindles still used the older connection.
Like other Kindles, the All-new Kindle only works as an e-reader and does not come with anything else like games, just a simple web browser which can be handy for doing quick lookups without going to find another device. There’s no colour in this screen like you’d get with a more full-featured tablet, but this was only evident to me on things like cookbooks.
However, users will appreciate a larger storage capacity, as the All-new Kindle holds 16GB compared to the 2019 Kindle’s 8GB capacity. The new Kindle is 6.2” x 4.3” x 0.32” (157.8 x 108.6 x 8.0 mm) and weighs approximately 5.56 oz (158 g).
I can confirm it’s feather-light and easy to hold without any wrist strain.
Two color options are available for the new Kindle – black and denim (navy). The device is also more eco-friendly now, as Amazon says the black Kindle contains 75% post-consumer recycled plastics and the denim Kindle contains 30% post-consumer recycled plastics. Both color options also contain 90% recycled magnesium.
Display screen improvements
The All-new Kindle comes with a new higher resolution display: This version has 300 ppi high-resolution display instead of the previous 167 ppi display, which is what the Kindle Oasis has, and it just really means you should get a crisper more defined page reading experience. Indeed the screen is sharp and easy to read, plus it has pretty effective anti-glare technology and the new Kindle also offers a “dark mode”. After using the device for a while, I was impressed with the screen’s ability to be visible in bright light and how it was easy to switch it to a lover brightness when reading at night. Compared to other Kindles like the Paperwhite and Oasis, the display is actually now equally matched.
And speaking about the Oasis, while the screen is the same, this Kindle is missing the warm light option and it’s not waterproof.
Downloading and Importing Books
Of course, Amazon would prefer users of the All-new Kindle make use of its own ebook library for purchases and downloads, and that was pretty self-explanatory in my experience. Amazon’s Kindle library has more than 2 million titles, some of which are exclusive to Kindle devices. Users who have Amazon Prime also get a “rotating catalog” or e-books and comics through Prime Reading.
I will say the software can be a bit on the laggy side where it seems to take fractions of a second to load all movement, but when it comes to the reading experience it’s actually not that bad, and not when comparing it to the turning of actual pages. But compared to reading on an ipad, it is glacially slow. Similarly doing web searches was way too frustrating.
You can also upload content you already own, which entails emailing the documents to the email address you can find in the “Content and Devices” section within your Amazon account.
The All-new Kindle supports Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; DOCX, DOC, HTML, EPUB, TXT, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP formats.
My personal library is conveniently situated right on the top of the device, and/but it seemed like Amazon was/was not barraging me with ads for their content. There are/aren’t recommendations for books based on my reading history, which were/weren’t relevant.
What’s it like reading books on Kindle?
Despite updated display features, the reading process on the All-new Kindle is quite similar to its predecessors. Tapping one side of the screen or swiping left or right will turn the page when you are reading a book, tapping the top right side of the screen will bring up a Navigation menu, and dragging from top down will bring up the Settings menu.
In terms of font preferences, the All-new Kindle offers 10 different fonts and you can choose between 14 different text sizes. You are also able to choose line spacing, margins, and screen orientation on most titles.
Listening to Books
Dark Mode.
The All-new Kindle says it’s “compatible” with Audible audio books, but those interested in listening to books need to understand what that means. There’s no dedicated audible app or button on the Kindle; instead you can surf for audiobooks in the store. And while you can buy them, you can’t actually listen to them on the 2022 Kindle because there’s no speaker in it. You’d need to connect a speaker or headphones using Bluetooth.
In the Accessibility settings, there is also a so-called VoiceView Screen Reader that works as a speech-to-text feature. This feature would probably be very effective for people who have limited vision, and who would have thought a small tablet could read us bedtime stories as adults?! But like the Audible integration, you need a speaker or headphones for it to work.
Goodreads
Social readers will like that the All-new Kindle can integrate Goodreads into it, meaning they can connect with fellow readers to add books straight from their Kindle libraries and share their shelves with their friends. Note that this only works with books purchased through Amazon and not any other content that users have uploaded to the Kindle manually.
Battery Life
The All-new Kindle comes with a built-in 1040mAh Li-Polymer battery and Amazon says users can get up to six weeks on one charge if using it for 30 minutes a day without wireless connectivity and a certain light level. For reference, Amazon said the 2019 Kindle’s battery could last up to four weeks under similar conditions, so the new model can last up to two weeks longer.
Getting a full charge via the use of a USB cable and a computer takes around four hours, and charge time will be less if using a faster adapter.
The batteries have always been great in Kindles, and this one seems similarly effective; full disclosure, I haven’t yet had it for the full six weeks to be sure.
Overall Review of 2022 Kindle
Ultimately, the All-new Kindle is a great and more economical Kindle option than some of the other versions out there like the Kindle Oasis. The smaller size and extreme light weight is perfect for low-strain reading and amazing for travel. Plus, the new sharper screen makes it easy to read from.
Some downsides I noticed while using the All-new Kindle can actually be remedied by simply upgrading to a better model; if you want warm or auto-adjusting light, a vertical or horizontal reading experience or page-turning buttons, you can get that from the Paperwhite, and if you want to use it near water the Oasis is a great pick for that. But in short, if you’re looking for a small, inexpensive and no-frills e-reader, this one is worth the money.
The All-new Kindle costs about $129.99CAD ($99.99USD) and can be purchased on Amazon’s website.
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