Best Kindle to buy strictly for reading?

[Marilyn+]

I have a Kindle Fire. I have used it daily for over a year and it is great. It does have many other options and it can be distracting. I would go with the Paperwhite if you are looking simply for an e-reader; save yourself the money. If you can easily afford the Fire it is nice to have when traveling. I used the wi-fi and skyped home over my Fire when I was away.

[SparklingOne]

Thanks so much for the info! Can anyone tell me the cons and pro of a Kindle vs. and Nook? I would really appreciate it.

Both are reading vehicles for big booksellers, both are backlit. I think you need to decide which one you have bought the most e-books from (assuming you have). I personally prefer Kindle products but, have read my brothers nook happily, and also have a nook app on my phone. You never know there may be books one or the other isn't offering. I recommend you go to best buy (to hold a kindle) or Barnes and Noble to hold onto a nook. after all you will doing your reading on this so you want it to be a comfortable experience.

[elkington]

I have a Kindle paperwhite and I highly recommend it! had a regular kindle before without the backlight which was great too, but I prefer the paperwhite

[Henry Anderson]

For me the Paperwhite is best because there are less distractions than with a tablet. It's also lighter than a Kindle Fire. And the screen doesn't strain the eyes as much.

[themistymountain]

I have an older version of the Kindle Paperwhite, and I am very pleased with it! My dad has the newer one- and that one is also very good. It gets brighter than the older model does, and has more storage, I believe. All in all, I'd say to give the Paperwhite a try if it's only for strict reading.

[Mike_Lang]

I recently got the entry level Kindle, 8th generation, basic model (not backlit) with special offers. I wasn't sure how well I would like it so I went with the cheapest option. I love it! In retrospect I wish I would have went ahead and purchased the Paperwhite but I'm happy with what I got.

[papaya12]

I have the Kindle Fire and I love it because it gives you a backlight and you can do a lot more with it than just read. But if you are just going to read on it I would recommend the Kindle Paperwight. It is cheaper than the Voyage and I don't think that any of the extra features that the voyage offers are worth it.

[kandscreeley]

I would just be aware that when you buy the cheapest kindle, there is no illumination. So if you are trying to read at night, you would need a light, just like you would with a regular book. That's something to be aware of when you are shopping and looking at prices.

[BarryEM]

I have a Voyage and a Paperwhite and they're excellent for reading. They both have lighted 6" screens. To correct what was said above, the Kindles use a front light, not a back light. The light is directed down onto the surface in pretty much the same way it is when you read a paper book under a lamp. With a back light the light is shining into your eyes. It makes a big difference.

It's important to be aware of the difference in a Kindle and a Fire. They are NOT the same thing. The Fire is a tablet with an LCD screen and a back light. Amazon confused the issue by calling it a Kindle Fire the first year they made them and quickly realized how much confusion they caused and the second model was simply a Fire. The Fire is a tablet and will do anything a tablet will do including reading books, but it's not really designed for books and it only does that fairly well. A Kindle is designed for books and won't really do much of anything else but it does that beautifully.

I prefer my Voyage to my Paperwhite but it cost a lot more and I'm not sure I'd get a Voyage if I was starting over. It's a little nicer but the Paperwhite is so good there's really not enough nicer left to be.

Barry

[nightnurse]

I will be getting my kindle tomorrow have been using my Samsung tablet and it is just so heavy and the battery life doesn't even get me through the night. Looking forward to not recharging every 6 hours.

[NikkyT]

I have been thinking about getting a paper white for a while, I have a kindle but can't really read it on holiday in the sun and as I have an iPad I don't need another tablet. If you get the version that has 3g do you pay monthly for the internet?

[jwalker73]

Hi, I am new here and also am looking for my first Kindle. Thank you everyone for the recommendations they have given. This information has made my decision a lot easier. I think I will try a Paperwhite with 3G. It sounds like just what I need. I am still very fond of the traditional book format as I love curling up with one but, due to forever running out of shelves trying to store my books and also the ease of downloading, it seems it is time to become more up-to-date!

[theweebarrell]

I have the Kindle Paperwhite and really enjoy reading on it

[BarryEM]

I have been thinking about getting a paper white for a while, I have a kindle but can't really read it on holiday in the sun and as I have an iPad I don't need another tablet. If you get the version that has 3g do you pay monthly for the internet?

I'm going to guess that your Kindle is not actually a KIndle but a Fire tablet since you can't easily read it in the sun. When Amazon first started selling those they made the mistake of calling them a Kindle Fire but that caused a lot of confusion so they stopped calling them Kindles and began calling them simply Fire tablets.

The Kindle comes in several models, one of which is the Paperwhite. There's also the one simply called a Kindle, usually referred to as the Basic Kindle, the Voyage, a more expensive premium Kindle and the Oasis, which is more expensive and premium still.

The Basic Kindle doesn't have a light. It's fine for reading as long as you have good light, either sunlight or a well lighted room. It isn't available with 3G. It's the least expensive Kindle at about $80.

The Paperwhite, Voyage and Oasis all have a front lit screen. This is different than the Fire, which has a back lit screen. The back lit screen is the one you can't read in the sun. The front lit screen is as good in the sun, in a lighted room, in a dim room or even in the dark. The screen is always perfectly well lit. It's perfect for reading; better even than paper since it's so perfectly lit regardless of lighting conditions. It's also pretty useless for anything except reading. It's simply a reading device and little else. Personally that's what I like about them.

I have a Paperwhite and a Voyage. I use both. I take the Voyage with me because it's smaller and lighter and fits in my pocket. I read at home more often with the Paperwhite. Both have 3G. When you get the 3G model you pay $70 extra for it and Amazon pays AT&T for the connectivity. It only costs extra when you buy it. But keep in mind the 3G is only good for buying and downloading books, looking things up on Wikipedia and using the translation feature. You can't check your email on it, for example.

All the Kindles have mostly the same features. The differences are that the basic Kindle has no front light and isn't available with 3G, the Voyage has a feature like page turn buttons and the Oasis has real page turn buttons. Also as they go up in price they get smaller and lighter even though the screen size doesn't change. The differences in the models are really more about status than reading.

I suggest not getting a basic Kindle since that front light turns the other models into an almost miraculous reading device. I don't think it makes a lot of difference which of the other models you get. The Paperwhite is nearly perfect.

By the way, a lot of people find they can read longer on a front-lit screen since it's a reflected light similar to lamplight or sunlight and not a light shining right into your eyes like a back light. I can read on my Kindles as long as I like. I have a Fire and I read sometimes on my phone and they're fine for about 15 or 20 minute sessions but after that my eyes begin to water.

Barry

[NikkyT]

Thank you so much for your reply Barry, yeah I got the first edition of the fire but yeah, I hate it. I will definitely look into the paperwhite, voyage and oasis. From the sound of it I won't need 3g as I can just use my phones hotspot if I need to download.
Appreciate you taking the time to explain them to me.