My Kindle Paperwhite Review

Up until about a year ago I was a tried-and-true physical book type of girl. I had zero interest in reading books on a tablet of any sort. To me, there’s nothing better than holding a physical book and flipping the page as you dive into a good book. However, I was forced to alter my thinking last summer when it came time to plan for my month-long trip to Europe. I’m a chronic overpacker as it is, so I knew adding 10+ books to my suitcase wasn’t an option. But neither was not reading for a whole month haha! As I started looking at e-readers, I discovered the Kindle Paperwhite. And after doing a bit of research, I ordered it.

I share a lot of the books I read on IG stories and via my book review series. Anytime I share a photo of an e-book I’m reading I get questions regarding the Kindle Paperwhite, so today I’m going to share a full review of the Paperwhite with you! P.S. We got one for my husband too because he enjoyed reading on it so much- that’s why we have two! 🙂

KINDLE PAPERWHITE REVIEW

Like I said above, I originally got my Kindle Paperwhite for my month long trip to Europe. I was a little nervous about transitioning from a paper book to an e-book, and I wasn’t sure I would enjoy reading as much without a physical book. While I have an iPad and could read via the Kindle app on there, it was easy to get distracted with other apps and programs on my iPad and my eyes always felt strained after a while due to the blue light. Getting the PaperWhite really changed my mind on e-books. Below are a few “pros” of the Kindle Paperwhite.

SIZE & WEIGHT | This e-reader is really lightweight and can fit in virtually any bag. I can fit my Paperwhite in almost all of my bags, including my smaller crossbody bags. Being so lightweight and small, it’s easy to take with me and read on the go! It’s small enough that you can even hold it with one hand.

SCREEN DISPLAY | One of the things that drew me to the Paperwhite was the screen display. It’s an e-ink display, meaning it’s easy to read in sunlight (no glare) and there is no bluelight (like on a phone or iPad) or backlight to strain your eyes when reading at night. As far as a physical book goes, this screen is the closest to a physical book that you can get. I will note, because this is an e-ink display, you will notice page transitions. It’s not as fast as our iPhones & tablets. I know people have had trouble with this at first, but you do get used to it, promise!

BATTERY LIFE | The battery life on the Kindle Paperwhite is unreal. I’m so used to having my devices die quickly (ahem, iPhone & iPad!) that I was shocked -and still am- at the battery life. I charged my Kindle on the way over to Europe and didn’t charge it until I got home 30 days later! I read seven books during that time. Now, I charge it probably once every other month and I use it almost daily.

STORAGE | Because the Kindle is solely an e-reader, there is a lot of storage on this device. I have over 100+ e-books and documents on it and it’s nowhere near capacity. The Kindle has 2GB of storage.

WIFI & 3G CAPABILITIES | You have the option to buy the device with Wifi or Wifi & 3G. Both of my Kindles have Wifi only and I’ve never had an issue with not having 3G. Nowadays, you can pretty much get WiFi everywhere, so it’s no issue to connect to download a book.

PERSONALIZED COLLECTIONS | One feature that I recently discovered (and love!) is the collections. You can add numerous collections as a way to organize your e-books. I have a to read collection, an advanced reader copy collection & a collection for Nick’s books. Books can be sorted into more than one collection, so it’s nice to have it organized a bit.

KINDLE X-RAY | This feature is GENIUS! Have you ever read a book that had a large cast of characters and you had a hard time keeping them straight?! With a physical book it’s easier to go back and figure out who is who. With an e-book it’s a little more difficult. However, by tapping the X-Ray feature, it provides a list of characters in the book & tells you the first time they’re mentioned and how many times they’re mentioned throughout the book. It also provides a list of terms, a map & photos for certain books.

CONNECTED TO GOODREADS | I use GoodReads to keep track of my books and my reading challenge progress, so I like that my Kindle Paperwhite is connected to my Goodreads account. It automatically updates a book as “currently reading” when I begin reading it on my Kindle & it provides recommendations on the home screen.

READING PREFERENCES | You can easily change the font, font size, and spacing on your device. You also have the option to show your reading progress in the bottom lefthand corner. It can show your location in the book, how much time left in the chapter & how much time left in the book. I always like seeing how much time I have left in the chapter!

As you can see, I absolutely LOVE my Kindle. Are there a few things I would change? Sure! But not many. Below are a few things I wish I could change about the Kindle!

CAN ONLY READ KINDLE BOOKS | If you are part of a local library, chances are they offer free e-books to check out. If you’re not, go get yourself a library card ASAP! The only downside to the Paperwhite is you can ONLY read Kindle e-books or Docs. A lot of libraries have apps like Overdrive & Libby that you can download on tablets (like the Kindle Fire) where you can read e-books, but you don’t have as many “kindle book” options via those apps. For the most part though, it hasn’t been a problem since Amazon has so many books.

SCREEN SENSITIVITY | The screen on the Kindle is much more sensitive than the screens on our phones and iPads. I would 100% suggest getting a screen cover or having the kindle in a case. I try to keep ours in a protected pocket or case because the screen is so sensitive. Our black Kindle is in the process of being replaced by Amazon (under warranty) because the screen had gotten a small crack and was really noticeable when reading at night. Once we get it back, we will be ordering this case for it. 

SHOP KINDLE E-READERS BELOW