In October, Amazon announced its refreshed Kindle lineup, its first significant redesign in years. Highlights included a new edge-to-edge design that eliminated traditional raised bezels, thinner and lighter Paperwhite and Colorsoft models with better screens, and page-turning accessories like a Bluetooth remote control and a magnetic cover with page-turning buttons.
However, given the impact of the global memory chip shortage caused by the AI boom, the new Kindles also debuted with prices that increased by $40 to $50 across the entire lineup. This makes it more difficult for the average consumer to consider purchasing one of the more premium devices.
For this reason, the Kindle I most wanted to get my hands on was the entry-level 6-inch device, which starts at $169.99 for the ad-free version. With the increase in prices, the Kindle will remain the most affordable for new e-reader buyers.
The question I asked myself was whether the base Kindle is worth buying at this price when there are arguably better Kindles on the market. The answer, after a few weeks of testing, is yes – if you can live without the bells and whistles and prefer a smaller, lighter device.
On the 6-inch Kindle, there’s no warm light to reduce eye strain, no color screen, no automatic brightness adjustment, no option to use the page-turning cover, and it’s not waterproof. Obviously, due to its size, the screen is smaller, as is the battery. Battery life is 6 weeks, compared to 12 weeks for the Paperwhite or 8 weeks for the Colorsoft.
Still, even this basic Kindle has seen its own improvements, mostly from a physical design standpoint.
The plastic Kindle 2026 is 11% lighter and 14% thinner than the 2024 model, weighing 140g versus 158g and measuring 6.85mm thick versus 8mm. While it seems like a small change, the 18 gram difference is noticeable and especially welcome for a device you’re likely to carry in your purse or bag. Plus, it’s easier to hold on for hours when you’re actually plowing through a book.
(The aluminum version, meanwhile, is slightly heavier at 162g, or 4 grams more than the Kindle 2024, although it still benefits from a slimmer design.)
And although this is the “starter” Kindle, the base 6-inch device still received the new front display update. This makes it more comfortable to hold, especially for long reading sessions. Amazon explained that you also don’t have to worry about no longer having a bezel to rest your thumb on, as the new Kindles have been updated to detect a dead zone in capacitive touch that will readjust to account for the fact that your finger is there.
In practice, this doesn’t mean you can simply tap your thumb anywhere on the Kindle’s screen while you’re holding it – that would register that as an attempt to highlight or search for a word. Instead, it means you can rest your thumb or fingers on the outer edge of the Kindle’s screen (the colored border) without triggering an unintended press, even if part of your finger touches part of the Kindle’s capacitive screen.
In terms of software, the new base Kindle is a bit snappier than its 2024 predecessor. This is especially noticeable when opening books, which Amazon claims to be 30% faster.
If you’re coming from the 2019 Kindle Basic, the 2026 version is an even bigger upgrade, as you get USB-C, more storage (from 4GB to 8GB to now 16GB or 32GB), the new flush display, and the screen resolution increases from 167 ppi to 300 ppi. It’s also faster, thinner and lighter, and the battery lasts weeks longer.
Another advantage of the basic Kindle, beyond its small size (this thing fits in the back pocket of your jeans!), is that you can now pay a little more for an upgraded version with an aluminum stand instead of plastic and more storage. The new $189.99 aluminum option comes in Seagrass and Alpine Sky hues and comes with 32GB of storage. Meanwhile, the $169.99 plastic model offers 16GB of storage.
However, even if you go with the cheaper option, you can at least now choose a fun color other than black (aka Graphite), because Amazon has introduced a cheerful purple option called Ube. (I almost wish I had chosen this one, just for its fancyness, although I prefer the feel of aluminum.)
I should point out that you can use the Kindle Click, the new Bluetooth page-turning remote, with the base Kindle, but I’m not sure why you’d need it other than for some accessibility reason. The 6-inch Kindle was already the smallest, and now it’s also lighter and easier to hold. (But maybe I just don’t understand the appeal of the remote? I’ve barely used the remote with my Kobo either!)
The big thing to consider here is whether you want to spend this much on a Kindle that lacks the warm light. While this is a personal preference, for some readers no warm light is a deal breaker. The warm light changes the color tone of the Kindle’s screen from a cooler bluish white to a softer amber glow, which is intended to help reduce eye strain and improve reading conditions in low-light conditions or at night.
Whether or not you need this feature depends on where you like to read and how long your sessions are. If you read every night in bed with little light, you may prefer to pay extra for a $199.99 16GB Kindle Paperwhite. (This version is only available in Graphite. The 32GB Paperwhite may also be available in Seaglass, but costs $249.99).
If you often read by the pool or on vacation, you may also want to upgrade to a waterproof Kindle.
But if you can live without extra features and want the best handbag or pocket-sized device, the 6-inch Kindle is still a viable option.
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