Overview
I must start with saying that I don’t read lots of books. I’m not like a bookworm, but I do enjoy reading a dozen pages a day. I always liked regular books over e-reader, in fact I never used any e-reader before February 2022. I just like the feeling of holding heavy books, turning physical pages, and the smell of books new and old. And also it’s worth mentioning that you put regular books on display in your library for your guest to see what’s in the collection.
I like new technologies and I enjoy a bit of minimalist lifestyle, and yet it took me a good decade to finally purchase my first e-reader. I’ve seen some Kindles in the past, but they’ve never impressed me until now. After reading many reviews I decided to buy Kindle Paperwhite 2021 and I can tell that it was my best decision when it comes to books. So how did I go from regular books to all electronic in 2 weeks?
Specs and features
This new Kindle Paperwhite 2021 (or Kindle Paperwhite 11th generation) has great 6.8-inch screen with 300ppi of resolution. It is a black and white screen. My version comes with 8GB of storage, because seriously you don’t need 32GB (signature edition) for e-books, since they’re so light in weight. Battery with 1700mah should last most users from 5 to 10 weeks and you can charge it through USB-C port. Kindle is packaged with charging cable, but there’s no power brick. Weight of this device is only 208 g (7.3 oz) and it’s slim, so now I don’t need an extra luggage for my books, when I’m going on vacation (ironical joke).
Many people were complaining in the past that Kindles are slow to turn pages, but in this 11th generation the software solved that issue. I don’t see any lag or delay while swiping pages. What I don’t like is navigating through my library, cause often it would click and open some random book instead of scrolling page up or down.
Device has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for transfers and sync of books with Amazon. You can adjust level of brightness of the screen, also there’s warm light mode for night time. You can switch Kindle to dark mode as well. While reading you can tap on the word for its definition, which I love to use. This e-reader is waterproof, so I will use it by the pool and at the beach.
Kindle vs regular book
So, is e-reader better than real books? It’s really a personal choice based on your needs. After 2 weeks of testing and reading books on Kindle Paperwhite 2021 I am now convinced of the advantage of the e-reader. The main one is that I can store thousands of books and take them all with me anywhere. Besides no need to charge Kindle often. There’s no glare of the screen on the sun, and my eyes are not tired after hours of reading compared to Kindle app on the smartphone. Given that it’s my first e-reader I’m impressed with this device, and I will keep it on my shelf instead of regular books from now on.