Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2 Pro Reviews

If you can afford it, you won’t be disappointed with the latest Paperwhite but it’s worth checking out the £49 Nook GlowLight and associated book store before taking the plunge.

The Kindle Paperwhite isn’t a huge upgrade from the first generation, and it didn’t need to be. Amazon improved on all of the issues that critics called out last year, and added some great software features on top of that. The high-quality display, even light, comfortable design, and speedy performance make for a great e-reader and a good value at $120. This asking price is in line with the competition, though you’ll have to put up with the Special Offers, i.e. advertisements on the lock screen. Many readers don’t mind the ads, but since the Kindle is an even better device for younger kids than it was before, parents may want to pay $20 extra to go ad-free. At $140 the Kindle is still a good value, it just feels wrong to have to pay not to see ads on a piece of tech you own.

Amazon’s e-reader took six of 10 categories and tied in one: battery life. We did like the Nook’s social aspect (at least until Amazon rolls out Goodreads) and the larger storage space. However, the Nook GlowLight simply couldn’t compete when it came to special features or backlight. We even prefer the look of the Kindle to that of the white Nook. With the Kindle Paperwhite 2013, Amazon simply makes the best e-reader on the market.

Still the best backlit ereader around, but the price is beginning to look steep when rivals cost less than £50. If you can afford it, you won’t be disappointed but it’s worth checking out the Nook GlowLight and associated book store before taking the plunge.

A small clutch of worthwhile improvements ensures the Paperwhite remains the best ebook reader on the market

Over the past couple of weeks, we've been bombarded with ads for the All-New Paperwhite -- and on the Special Offers screen of our All-Old Paperwhite, no less. It's a tempting upgrade; we have to admit. At the end of the day, though, is it worth the $119 starting price (or for that matter, $189 for the 3G version)? Not really. For all intents and purposes, the 2013 edition is a lot like what we saw in 2012, though improved processing speeds, better front lighting, software tweaks and forthcoming Goodreads integration are all welcome updates. Ultimately, they all help solidify the Paperwhite's status as a truly terrific e-reader. This time next year, we'd love to see a fundamental upgrade to the hardware, similar to what Kobo did with the Aura, but between the Kindle's great UI, Amazon's impossible-to-beat content selection and the price difference (the Paperwhite is $30 cheaper), the new Paperwhite is already an extremely well-rounded choice.

While the 2013 Paperwhite may seem like an unspectacular upgrade, it clearly improves on the previous version. Basically, Amazon has taken an excellent product and made it about 20-25 percent better. Still, when you review a product that has basically the same design as the previous year's model, there's always going to be a slight sense of disappointment because you always hope that a device like this will manage to drop a decent amount of weight (and some size) with each new iteration. Likewise, while the Paperwhite isn't any more expensive than last year, it's not any cheaper, either. Looking at the Kobo Aura, you can see where the Paperwhite could've achieved perfection: the Aura is oh-so-slightly smaller and lighter than the Paperwhite, and it's got more storage capacity. Of course, it's more expensive, and -- the big one -- doesn't offer Amazon's far superior shopping and content ecosystem. And that's when you're shocked back into reality. The Paperwhite's slight shortcomings are mere quibbles on what's still the best overall e-ink e-reader currently available. Toss in the best-in-class Amazon ecosystem, and you've got an easy Editors' Choice for anyone seeking a dedicated reading device.

Amazon rewrites the Kindle again, and the result is a refined ebook reader with more speed, polish, and bright, even edge lighting. The Kindle Paperwhite sets the bar high for the competition.