Review | Kindle Paperwhite 2021 review: Amazon e-reader has bigger, brighter display and switching between reading modes is made easier

The all-new 2021 Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon, from US$139.99, has a larger, 6.8- inch display, is brighter and light, weighing in at just over 200 grams

Both the standard and Signature editions are waterproof. The latter has wireless charging, a sensor that will adjust display brightness and 32 GB of storage

Reading Time:2 minutes

The Paperwhite is the latest in Amazon’s long-standing Kindle line that serves as your personal, portable library.

Published: 5:15pm, 28 Oct 2021Updated: 5:22pm, 28 Oct 2021

With smartphones and tablets, we’re packing digital Swiss army knives: tools capable of multiple tasks, from email and web browsing to streaming videos and taking pictures.

The all-new Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon, now available from US$139.99, proves it’s OK to own a device that mostly does one thing, so long as it does that one thing really well.

In the case of the 2021 Paperwhite, the latest in Amazon’s long-standing Kindle line that propelled its endeavours into tech gadgets, that one thing it’s great at is serving as your personal, portable library.

I’ve had the chance to use the Signature Edition of the Paperwhite for about a week now. Reading books on the Paperwhite is a delight, and Amazon has added some key features that make it easier to dive into a book no matter where you are.

Reading books on the Paperwhite is a delight. Photo: Getty Images

The latest edition of Paperwhite has a larger display at 6.8 inches (17 centimetres). The display is brighter, too, and glare-free according to Amazon. The device is also light, weighing in at 204g (7.2oz). Set-up was simple. I pulled up the Kindle app on my iPhone to add my account and perform some additional steps before finishing on the Paperwhite.

Like previous Paperwhites and Kindle e-readers, this version has an E-ink display, so content is in black and white. E-ink displays are also not as responsive when scrolling as a smartphone. It feels more like you’re flipping a page upwards to “scroll” instead of the fluid movement you experience on a smartphone.