The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite ($119 direct) is a spectacular?ebook reader?for the price, thanks to its new capacitive screen and superior, integrated lighting. It also features a sleek, soft-touch design in handsome black, with a much-improved home screen.?You could argue the more-expensive 3G-equipped Paperwhite is actually the best ebook reader on the market. It does everything this model does, and also lets you buy books wherever you can find a cell signal, but at $180 it's heading into full-fledged tablet price territory. The base-model, Wi-Fi-only Paperwhite model, though, represents the perfect balance of price and features, so it's our Editors' Choice.
There's actually very little different between the two models. For a full review from top to bottom, read our?Paperwhite 3G review. Here, I'll just touch on the differences.?
The Kindle Paperwhite keeps the same dimensions as the 3G model, measuring 6.7 by 4.6 by 0.36 inches (HWD). However, it weighs 7.5 ounces instead of 7.8 ounces; you won't notice it unless you're holding both and trying to feel the difference.
What "No 3G" Really Means
Since there's no cellular radio, it means you'll have to log into a Wi-Fi network whenever you want to buy a book. This is less of a pain than it sounds, because you can set up your home network once, and the Paperwhite will always connect to that. Aside from not being able to buy a book while in a park or on the beach, the only other downside is that you'll need to program in the Wi-Fi network of a hotel you're staying at, or a coffee shop you're in, if you plan on shopping for new books, or if you want to download something to the Kindle that's still only in the cloud.
The latter case is pretty rare, though; most likely you'll download all purchases to the Kindle itself, and only download some of your collection to other devices, like an iPhone or Android phone. And again, it's only when you need to shop for new books. You can pick up the Kindle Paperwhite and read without connectivity whenever you want.?Otherwise, we've confirmed in testing that aside from the lack of 3G, the Wi-Fi-only Kindle Paperwhite looks and works exactly the same as the 3G version.
Paperwhite vs. the Competition
At $119 with Special Offers, or $139 without, the base Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is now $20 more expensive than the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch With GlowLight, thanks to a recent price cut. The?Nook supports the popular ePub format, lets you borrow from many public libraries, has a headphone jack for listening to audio books, integrates a microSD card slot, weighs less, and, of course, works with B&N's Nook ecosystem. But the Kindle Paperwhite has a brighter, more-even light; a more responsive screen; a sleeker design, and a larger, more robust ecosystem for books, magazines, and newspapers. Both are top-notch ebook readers, but the Kindle Paperwhite has better hardware, and just edges out the Nook.
If you don't need a lighted screen, we're getting in the base Kindle in for testing soon, now that Amazon has refreshed it and lowered the price by $10 from last year's model; stay tuned for that review. But for now, our pick above all is the Wi-Fi Amazon Kindle Paperwhite.
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