Kindle Review: Amazon Kindle Oasis 3 (2019)

Yes: it’s expensive. In fact, it’s one of the most expensive e-readers around. But what my review will be examining today is whether or not it’s actually worth it . After all, there tons of cheaper e-readers out there, like the Paperwhite, also sold by Amazon. I’ve been using various Kindle devices for about a decade, dating back to when my dad first bought the Kindle Keyboard in 2010. It wouldn’t have won any prizes for beauty, but it got the job done. It actually still works, which just goes to show that these things are built to last. Next in my lineup was the super-basic Kindle 8 I bought in 2016. It was literally just a flat plastic tablet with no buttons and a touchscreen. There was no built-in light in the touchscreen (Amazon does now offer this feature even in its entry-level models). I was happy with it, but its existence was abruptly terminated when I dropped it into the bath in 2017. So for my eighteenth birthday, I got a ninth generation Kindle Oasis 2017. Then I sold it on eBay and upgraded to the tenth generation Oasis (2019), which now has the option to have a warm sepia tone to the screen, rather than plain white. There are also 25 embedded LEDs lighting up the screen rather than 12. On the outside, the two e-readers are identical. The picture below is of my last Kindle, but it looks exactly the same. So, I know what you’re thinking: WHY DID YOU UPGRADE IF THEY’RE BASICALLY THE SAME? Is it worth upgrading from the Kindle Oasis 2017? The short answer: not if you’re paying full price . I did the upgrade on Black Friday, when the price had been slashed by about £60. I would definitely not have upgraded otherwise. But since there was a discount, I do think it was worth upgrading. I’ll go into the reasons why later in this review. It is, to put it bluntly, bloody expensive. The starting model, which has 8 GB storage, clocks in at £229.99 for the UK and $249.99 for the U.S. This increases to £260 and $280 respectively for 32 GB storage. The absolute max model - 32 GB plus free 4G connection so you don’t have to wait for WiFi to download books - will set you back by £320 or $350. For all but the last model, Americans will also have to pay an extra $20 not to have to see ‘Special Offers’. Those are basically ads that show up on the lock screen every time you close your Kindle. UK buyers are lucky here, since we don’t get those. (Not often UK buyers are luckier than Americans when it comes to electronics...) ⤅ Is it a good investment? If you aren’t upgrading to this model from the Kindle Oasis 2017 (i.e. you don’t already have an e-reader, or you have another type of Kindle) I do think that price-wise, it’s a good investment for bookworms...

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