Amazon launches $290 Kindle Oasis, its thinnest e-reader ever

Amazon's latest black-and-white e-reader is its thinnest and lightest design ever, but the Kindle Oasis also comes with a hefty $290 price tag, making it more expensive than Apple's iPad mini 2.

In announcing the Oasis on Wednesday, Amazon said its ultimate goal is to make the hardware eventually "disappear," delivering the simplest possible experience for readers. In the retailer's words, the Oasis is "another step toward this mission," weighing in at 4.6 ounces and measuring 3.4 millimeters at its thinnest point.

In order to achieve this svelte design, Amazon trimmed battery life on the Kindle itself, and developed a new dual-battery design. The Kindle Oasis ships with an included charging cover that delivers "months" of uptime, according to Amazon.

In addition, the Oasis features a new hibernation mode that minimizes power consumption when the device is inactive, maximizing reading time without the charging cover.

The new Oasis features the same 6-inch, 300-pixel-per-inch display as the Kindle Voyage. But it also includes 10 LEDs with "enhanced page consistency," an improvement from the 6 LEDs in the Voyage and 4 LEDs in the Paperwhite.

Perhaps most noticeable about the Oasis is its unique asymmetrical design. Amazon says the new Kindle was designed to rest in a reader's hand like the spine of a book, balanced for one-handed reading.

"To lean back and read for hours, you need a sanctuary from distraction," said Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos. "We want Kindle to disappear, and Kindle Oasis is the next big step in that mission. It's the most advanced Kindle we've ever built— thin and ultra-lightweight, it gets out of the way so you can lose yourself in the author's world."

At $289.99, the Kindle Oasis is Amazon's most expensive e-reader. The Kindle Voyage remains available for $199.99, the Kindle Paperwhite is $119.99, and the entry-level Kindle is $79.99.

The $290 Kindle Oasis is actually more expensive than Apple's iPad mini 2, which the company continues to sell for $269. Of course, while Apple's iPad features iBooks and can even access a user's Amazon Kindle account for e-books, the iPad offers much greater functionality with a full-color 7.9-inch display, while the Kindle is intended solely for reading books in black and white.

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38 Comments

williamh

said about 8 years ago

I assume they had a lot of user testing and this thing is just wonderful. However, I just can't manage to sustain any interest. I do support their goal of making the Kindle disappear. They'd probably come closer to the goal if they stop making them.

nolamacguy

said about 8 years ago

halve the price and it could be something. as is....just too niche for us.

now, when will these jokers get their Video app on apple tv!?? if they really called about user experience this would have happened already.

smaceslin

said about 8 years ago

Still prefer reading electronic books on my Kindle. Much easier on the eyes than my iPad -- and one can read outside in bright sunlight as well.

NY1822

said about 8 years ago

Wait till Christmas....they will have a 4-pack for $99.99, only with a subscription to Prime and must be ordered through Alexa with a limit of 1 per customer

jbdragon

said about 8 years ago

I got the Kindle Paperwhite this last Dec.to replace my old Kindle 2. That price range is about the MOST I'd ever pay for one of these things. The cost of the one new Kindle is just way to costly. I really don't like the design of it either. The Kindle is a nice device to read books on if you read books. It's also better on your eye's when reading a lot of text, especially in the dark because unlike a phone or tablet where the light comes from behind the screen and blasts out the front, the Kindle is more like reading a book. Or a Book with a book light attached, it's shining the light DOWN onto the text. I love the light on my new Kindle. My old Kindle, I would have to attach a book like on it to read in the dark. It does it's one thing well. It's also a snap to check out ebooks from my local Library's and I don't even have to go there. I can do it online going to "Overdrive". Go Google that. But you can check out ebooks and Audio books for FREE. Your Taxes pay for your local Library's, why not make some use of them.

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