Review Date: October 2024 – Review unit purchased from Best Buy
Overview
The latest new basic Kindle was released on October 16th, 2024, alongside the new Kindle Paperwhite 6. Amazon always refers to their base model as “Kindle”; they’ve been reusing the name ever since the first Kindle came out in 2007, so it gets rather confusing after seventeen years.
To help differentiate different models, Amazon tags Kindles with generation numbers. Usually every new Kindle gets a higher number, except this time Amazon has decided to call this latest new model an 11th gen Kindle, which is the same as the previous model that came out in 2022 (it’s a confusing carnival show, all right).
Granted, Amazon only changed a few things on the new 2024 model, but when they went from the 4th gen Kindle to the 5th gen Kindle all they changed was the color and that was enough for a generation bump. They could’ve at least called this new Kindle an 11.5 generation.
Nomenclature aside, the 2024 Kindle is almost exactly the same as the 2022 Kindle. In fact, the overall design remains unchanged. Basically, they updated to a newer E Ink screen with better contrast, and they made the frontlight a little brighter. They also added a new matcha green color option to go with the standard black, and they did away with the blue denim color that was an option on the 2022 model.
Another thing Amazon changed with the 2024 Kindle is the price. It’s $10 more expensive than the 2022 model, up to $109.99 for the ad-supported version and $129.99 for the version without lockscreen ads.
Like usual, Amazon is also selling a Kindle Kids Edition bundle with the new Kindle, which includes a cover (there are three different designs), an upgraded 2-year warranty, and a 1-year subscription to Amazon Kids+. It goes for $129.99.
Kindle 11.5 Quick Review
Pros
- The new screen has darker black ink for better contrast, and overall the screen has a slightly clearer appearance than the screen on the 2022 model.
- Very small and lightweight—it’s highly portable and easily pocketable.
Cons
- Still no warm lighting, no user-replaceable parts, and it’s not waterproof—all things the Kobo Clara BW offers for the same price.
- The plastic casing feels tacky and cheap.
- Amazon has removed the Download and Transfer Option from newer Kindles.
Verdict
The 2024 Kindle is like the new Kindle Paperwhite in the regard that Amazon didn’t change very much, but the one main thing they did change, the screen, is a worthwhile improvement that does improve the overall reading experience.
I wish Amazon also sold a premium 6″ model, like the Kindle Voyage or the 1st gen Kindle Oasis, with the same screen because I’m just not a fan of the cheap plastic casing on the basic Kindle. The new green color is nice, but the plastic just feels so cheap. The lack of a warm frontlight at this point is pretty disappointing as well. It’s not a bad device, and the screen looks great, but competing products offer a better value for the price.
Kindle Video Review
The Screen
The 2022 Kindle was the first basic model to get an upgraded 300 ppi screen (up from 167 ppi) so that was the biggest upgrade to hit the basic Kindle line. This new model also has a 6″ 300 ppi E Ink screen, but it has better contrast with darker black ink.
It’s not a huge difference, but it is noticeable, especially when using Dark Mode with black text on a white background. And the new screen looks slightly clearer as well, almost like it got a slight resolution boost, even though it didn’t.
The Frontlight
Amazon claims the frontlight on the 2024 Kindle is 25% brighter at the max setting than the frontlight on the 2022 Kindle. I’ve never heard anyone ever complain about any frontlight on any model not being bright enough, but apparently that’s a big enough deal for Amazon to make it one of their top selling points.
Personally, I could care less about the brighter frontlight, but I think maybe a positive side effect is the light is more uniform overall. But of course that could just be the luck of the draw (frontlight inconsistencies are common among ereaders).
The 2024 Kindle still lacks a warm frontlight like the Kindle Paperwhite has, and virtually every other frontlit ereader on the current market, but I guess on the positive side that’s one less setting to get distracted fiddling around with.
The Design
Amazon reused the design from the first 11th gen Kindle. It’s literally exactly the same, the same measurements and the same weight. Covers from the 2022 model fit the 2024 model—that kind of thing rarely happens.
The new matcha green color (more like mint green) is a little duller in person than I thought it would be from the pictures on Amazon’s website, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it or not to begin with, but I ended up digging the color. It’s subtle enough to blend in while reading; it’s not distracting to the eye like a brighter color would be. It’s particularly eye-catching when using Dark Mode.
Software
Amazon usually adds some new software features to talk about when they release new Kindles, but that didn’t happen this time around. The software is exactly the same as previous 10th and 11th gen Kindles.
The one difference is the new Kindle uses MTP now instead of USB mass storage when connecting it to a computer to transfer files, same as the new Paperwhite and the Kindle Scribe. Windows users won’t have any problems with this, but Mac users will have to use third-party software to work with MTP, something like OpenMTP or Macdroid.
More Kindle Reviews
Kindle Paperwhite vs Kindle Comparison Review – 2024 Edition
Kindle – 11th Gen (2024 Release) Specs
- 6″ E Ink screen with 300 ppi.
- Frontlight (no warm light).
- 16GB internal storage.
- WiFi: Supports 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz networks.
- Bluetooth for audiobooks and VoiceView.
- USB-C port, charging cable included.
- Battery Life Estimate: up to 6 weeks.
- Supported formats: Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), KFX, TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; PDF, DOCX, DOC, HTML, EPUB, TXT, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.
- Dimensions: 108.6 x 157.8 x 8.0 mm.
- Weight: 158 grams.
- Price: $109 with ads, $129 without ads at Amazon
