All-New Kindle review: Amazing battery life, lightweight & sleek design

All-New Kindle (10th Generation)
Rating: ****1/2 stars
Price: Rs 7,999

Specifications: 6-inch e-ink display (167ppi glare free), built in LED frontlight (24 levels of adjustable brightness)


Pros: Lightweight design, built in frontlight at an affordable price, responsive touch interface, matte finish plastic, anti-glare screen resists fingerprints too

Cons: No waterproofing or water resistance of any kind, no automatic brightness adjustment

The Kindle enjoys a monopoly when it comes to e-book readers. Kindle users swear by it for multiple reasons and despite the lack of competition, Amazon still manages to deliver improvements, year after year, with the Kindle line-up. One complaint we heard often was that the entry-level Kindle did not have a frontlight to help read in the dark (that was reserved for the Paperwhite and more premium Kindles). Typically, one had to spend over Rs 10,000 or more if you wanted to read without other lights in the room. With the 10th generation Kindle, Amazon has now added a front light to their entry-level Kindle, further reducing the gap in features between the high-end models.


At just 174 grams, this is also one of the lightest Kindles available today. The sleek profile and lightweight design makes it easy to carry around, even when it’s in a case. The matte finish plastics and anti-glare screen gives it an elegant look and you don’t have to worry about smudges even if your hands are greasy. At the bottom is a charging port and power button. The only obvious thing missing is water-proofing which is acceptable considering the price.

Obviously, there has to be another big difference and in this case, it has to do with the screen resolution. It has a 6-inch e-ink touch display like the last generation kindle with a resolution of 167 pixels per inch. This is good enough for crisp text and strain-free reading but you will notice a difference in sharpness when compared side-by-side with more expensive Kindles. The new addition here is the adjustable front light – you get 24 levels of brightness (we never felt the need to go above level 18). It would have been great if there was an auto-brightness feature like the more expensive Kindle options. However, the reading experience is great: books load quickly, the screen refreshes fast and the touch response is also instant.

Like many others, this Kindle has 4GB internal storage of which about 2.7GB is available to use. While this might sound low by smartphone standard, it’s more than enough for e-books. You’ll be able to store over a thousand books with room to spare. Battery life is the star as always. With an hour of reading everyday, you’ll be charging once in 2 weeks. For newcomers to the Kindle platform or for anyone looking to upgrade their old Kindles without spending too much, this 10th gen Kindle is an easy recommendation.