Amazon
Tablets

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition

Bigger and better

₹ 17,999

Sambit Satpathy 25 Dec 2021 04:40 PM

Kindles are already the gold standard of e-readers, so how do you improve something that’s already so close to being perfect? According to Amazon, it is by adding a bigger screen, more storage, and new charging options. So does that make the 2021 Paperwhite worth the upgrade? Well, read on.

Design

The 2021 Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition looks like…a Kindle. But it’s a little sleeker, a little bigger, and flaunts a larger display. You still get the black plastic build with bezels around the screen, but the said bezels are slimmer than the previous models. Now they are just thick enough to hold without touching the screen, and yet thin enough that the e-reader looks ever-so-slightly more modern. 
 
The new Kindle is ‘technically’ waterproof with an IPX8 certification. In other words, it can be immersed underwater at a depth of up to two metres for up to 60 minutes. 
 
That however doesn’t mean you should dunk the Kindle into the pool at your next party. Unless you’re an intelligent species of fish. We don’t need to point this out but it is tough to read underwater, so no point trying this.

Display

One of the biggest updates is the visibly bigger screen, which will have owners of older Kindles looking at you in envy. The 6.8in display with 300ppi, and a brighter backlight makes for a better reading experience than before. The change is immediately noticeable if you’re upgrading from the previous gen Paperwhite. 
 
Words and numbers look precise and sharp, and the text is legible even when reading outside on a sunny day. Another welcome update is the automatically adjusting backlight that tweaks itself based on the lighting around you. It is not as instant as say a smartphone, but it still works. 

Readers have the ability to switch between white, a warm yellow or a black background. Text looks sharp no matter the background, and I found myself switching to Dark Mode for my bedtime reading.

Performance

It feels a tad weird to be discussing an e-reader’s performance, but we did notice a slight bump in the overall speed. Everything felt a tad bit snappier, including page-turn rates, and certain animations. 
 
A recent update makes setting up the new Kindles really easy with the help of your smartphone. The new user interface has a lot of modern elements, which have been borrowed from smartphones. Like the pull-down menu, which has buttons to quickly access a few important settings.

The Signature Edition also gets 32GB built-in memory that is plenty enough to store more books than your local library. Gotta love technology!

Battery

As is the case with Kindles, you don’t have to worry about charging it. Once you’ve juiced it up, they tend to go for over a week and more. It’s no different with the new Paperwhite Signature Edition. 
 
However, when it is time to charge, you will notice a few more upgrades. First off, Amazon has FINALLY added a USB Type-C port, which means we can now get rid of that last micro-USB cable we’ve left. It charges the Kindle fast-ish – 0-100% in just about two hours. 
 
Another upgrade is a luxury, but still good to have – wireless charging. You can use any Qi wireless charger to juice up the Kindle. It works as expected, but does involve a bit of fiddling around to place the Kindle at just the right spot.

Verdict

The 2021 Paperwhite is a welcome evolution of the Kindle lineup, and the Signature Edition is one of the best e-readers you can buy right now. The addition of Type-C and wireless charging bring the Kindle on par with other contemporary products. But it is the larger display that readers will appreciate and love the most. 
 
At ₹17,999, the Signature Edition is by no means cheap, and it feels specially pricy when you consider the standard Paperwhite is available at ₹13,999. But the larger screen, more storage, and wireless charging make the price bump worth it.

Stuff Says

Gold standard for e-readers just got a whole lot better
Good stuff
Bad stuff

  1. Larger display with even backlighting

  1. USB-C and wireless charging

  1. Waterproof

  1. A tad expensive

  1. No cellular option

Specifications
Display: 6.8in screen (300ppi)
Storage: 32GB
Battery Life: Up to 10 weeks
Size: 124.6 x 174.2 x 8.1 mm
Weight: 205 grams