Key Takeaways

  • The Kindle Paperwhite (11th Gen) is the best mid-range Kindle to date and arguably the company's best e-reader. It has a large 6.8-inch E Ink display and up to 10 weeks of battery life.
  • The upgraded lighting system and Warm Light feature make the Paperwhite 11th Gen a pleasure to use at night. It has a more evenly diffused light and a mellow tone that is easier on the eyes.
  • The Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen offers a distraction-free reading experience, with a bigger display, upgraded lighting, and customizable features. It is more responsive, has a long battery life, and charges with a USB-C port.

As an avid reader, I have always been a fan of Kindle e-readers and the convenience they offer. So when Amazon released a new Kindle Paperwhite back in 2021, I was immediately intrigued, although I resisted the temptation to upgrade since my 10th-generation Paperwhite could easily serve for a few more years.

Despite my initial reluctance, I eventually caved into the allure of the new features and improvements offered by the Paperwhite (11th Gen). And having spent more than 20 days with the device, I have to say I’m glad I did it. The Paperwhite 11th Gen is the best e-reader in the company’s lineup. Its 6.8-inch display is a big step up over the last model, which always felt a bit cramped, and the upgraded lighting system and Warm Light feature mean it's a pleasure to use at night. And with up to 10 weeks of battery life and USB-C charging, it outperforms even the top-of-the-line Kindle Oasis.

About this review: I purchased the Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen for the purposes of this review. Amazon had no editorial input in this review.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (11th gen) on transparent background.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (11th Gen)
The best Kindle yet

One of the best e-readers on the market

9 / 10

The new Kindle Paperwhite (11th Gen) has a large 6.8-inch E Ink display and up to 10 weeks of battery life. It's the best mid-range Kindle to date and arguably the company's best e-reader.

Screen Size
6.8-inch glare-free E Ink display
Resolution
300 PPI
Front light
17 LEDs with adjustable Warm Light
Storage
8GB/16GB
Connections
USB-C port
Battery
Up to 10 weeks on a single charge
Weight
205g
Connectivity
Wi-Fi (2.4GHz + 5GHz)
IP rating
IPX8 water resistance
Pros
  • Big display with fantastic sunlight legibility
  • Great warm light for comfortable nighttime reading
  • Insane battery life
  • Water-resistant body
Cons
  • Not suitable for comics or graphics-heavy content
  • Fingerprint magnet
  • No built-in speaker for audiobook listening

Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen: Pricing and availability

The Kindle Paperwhite starts at $140, and it comes with lockscreen ads, so you'll occasionally see products recommended to you on the lock screen. The base model comes with 8GB of storage, but you can pay $20 more for the 16GB version.

For an ad-free experience, you'll have to shell out $160 for the 8GB model and $180 for the 16GB version. The device only comes in black, but you can spruce up the look with a case. As you can imagine, the primary place to get the Paperwhite is at Amazon, but you can find models at third-party retailers like Target or Staples.

Design

A clean-looking black slate

Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen

Like its predecessor, the Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen has an all-plastic build, so you better keep this thing covered with a protective case or it will get covered in fingerprints in no time. While it's still a clean-looking black slate, small aesthetic improvements made by Amazon give the device a modern flavor. The side bezels are thinner than the previous version, but there's still enough room to comfortably hold the device.

The top bezel has also been trimmed down. The large bottom chin has a Kindle logo imprinted on it, but it's less attention-grabbing than the Paperwhite 10th Gen while the back features the signature Amazon logo. The bottom edge holds a much-welcome change: a USB-C port (finally) tucked between an LED light and a clicky power button. The device is IPX8 certified, so reading sessions near a pool or occasional cleaning with fresh water shouldn't be an issue.

Display

Bigger and better

Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen

Let's talk about the biggest change, which is the display. The Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen comes with a 6.8-inch, glare-free, E Ink display. It's wider and taller and can fit in more text, providing a more immersive reading experience. The 6-inch panel on the previous model was a bit on the conservative side, especially in an era where phones were already approaching the 6.4-inch mark, and 7 inches was the minimum size for tablets. For a device dedicated to reading, I think the new Paperwhite panel is a perfect size. It's big enough that you can view a good number of words on the screen without being unwieldy to use singlehandedly.

The resolution has stayed the same, with the display still offering 300 pixels per inch. Where the new Paperwhite really excels is in low-light and nighttime reading thanks to its new and improved lighting system. While the previous Kindle Paperwhite came with five LEDs, the latest model has a whopping 17 LEDs.

The Paperwhite 11th Gen has a more evenly diffused light, giving the display a pleasant and natural look.

On paper, the Paperwhite 11th Gen offers 10% more brightness than the previous model, which might sound underwhelming considering it has 17 LEDs. But here's the thing: Unlike smartphones and laptops, which use backlit displays, E Ink displays aren't self-illuminating. Instead, they derive their illumination from a series of LEDs around the display's edges that are directed back towards the screen, shining light onto the surface of the display. The light is then reflected by the E Ink particles. When you have more LEDs, you get a better and more consistent brightness.

Comparing the Paperwhite 11th- and 10th-generation models side by side, I found the newer version has a more evenly diffused light, giving the display a pleasant and natural look. The light distribution was uneven in the previous model, with some spots appearing much brighter than others. The transition between brightness levels is also smoother on the latest model. More importantly, LEDs on the Paperwhite 11th Gen have a pleasant mellow tone that I found much easier on the eyes than the cool hue produced by my older Paperwhite, which felt a bit harsh at bedtime.

Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen and 10th Gen

On that note, the new Paperwhite brings another feature that's a total game changer. Warm Light debuted first on the flagship Kindle Oasis, and I'm happy it finally trickled down to the Paperwhite. As I mentioned above, I always found the built-in light of my old Paperwhite too harsh for nighttime reading. That problem is solved with the adjustable warm light, which adds an amber light to the display for a comfortable reading experience in low-light conditions.

There's also a separate slider to control the amount of warmth you want to add. You can set it to automatically turn on at sunset or another scheduled time. There's also a dark mode, but I think it's more suited for people with vision impairments than average users. The dark mode is great, but it simply doesn't translate that well to an E Ink display and makes everything harder to read.

Reading experience and software

Distraction-free reading

Kindle Paperwhite 1

Like many users, I used to read primarily on my smartphone and PC, as investing in a dedicated device that's of no use besides reading didn't sound appealing. But then I had the chance to play with a Kindle at a store, and I realized what I was missing out on. And I don't think I have ever read a whole book on my phone or laptop since I got my first Paperwhite in 2018. It's certainly something you have to experience yourself to see the appeal.

An E Ink display is the closest you can get to the feeling of reading on real paper. If you have mostly been reading books on devices with backlit screens, you'll be surprised at how much more comfortable an E Ink display can be for reading. The bigger, glare-free display and upgraded lighting system make the Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen a joy to use, and it can put any high-end OLED smartphone display to shame.

Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen with cover

Kindle offers tons of useful features and customizations to personalize your reading experience. While in a book, you can change fonts, spacing, layout, margins, and more. You can also highlight passages, take notes, look up unfamiliar words using the built-in dictionary, search Wikipedia, and even translate entire pages on the fly in many different languages.

The bigger, glare-free display and upgraded lighting system make the Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen a joy to use.

The Kindle Store has you covered for all your content needs. It has a huge selection of books, and with a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can access many of these books without paying the full price. You can also add ebooks you downloaded or purchased from other sources. But you have to make sure they're in a Kindle-readable format because MOBI and AZW formats are no longer supported, but you can transfer EPUB and PDF files. You can also listen to audiobooks from Audible, but you'll need to connect your Bluetooth earphones since the Kindle doesn't have a built-in speaker. Note that audiobook support is only available in select regions such as the U.S. and U.K.

The Kindle is great for serious reading because when I pick it up, I know exactly what I'm going to do — reading and nothing else. This singular focus allows for a more enjoyable and distraction-free reading experience, something a smartphone can never come close to. Reading on a smartphone is often a source of constant interruptions and temptations. With a Kindle, there is just focused reading.

Performance and battery

More responsive and lasts for weeks

Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen ports

E Ink displays are notoriously sluggish due to their slow refresh rate. And while the new Kindle Paperwhite is far from smooth, it's noticeably more responsive than its predecessor. Amazon says the new model offers 20% faster page turns thanks to the latest E Ink Carta 1200 display. And indeed, navigation, scrolling, and typing feel zippier on the new Paperwhite.

Kindle e-readers have always been the battery champions, and the Paperwhite 11th Gen is no exception. In fact, it takes things even further by promising up to 10 weeks of endurance on a single charge, a big leap from the last model's four weeks. Of course, the real-life battery performance will largely depend on your usage, but at least you won't be charging this thing daily like your smartphone.

Out of all the electronics I currently own, the Kindle Paperwhite 10th Gen was the only one that used a Micro-USB port. With the new Paperwhite 11th Gen finally transitioning to USB-C, I can charge all my gadgets using a single cable and officially kiss the Micro-USB era goodbye.

It takes things even further by promising up to 10 weeks of endurance on a single charge, a big leap from the last model's four weeks.

Note that the device doesn't ship with a charging brick — you only get a USB-C to USB-A inside the box. It's also a shame there's no fast charging support, as it takes around 2.5 hours to fully charge. Wireless charging is reserved for the Signature Edition, but I don't think you're missing out much here as you won't be charging the device that frequently, thanks to the amazing battery life.

Should you buy the Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen?

Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen

You should buy the Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen if:

  • You want an e-reader with a great display and warmer light
  • Kindle Oasis is too expensive
  • If you're looking to upgrade from your old Kindle
  • You want an e-reader that is future-proof

You shouldn't buy the Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen if:

  • Your current Kindle e-reader is serving you well
  • You rarely read at night
  • You want to read comics or academic books
  • You're looking for a device you can use more than just for reading

If you're in the market for a new Kindle, I can't recommend the Paperwhite enough. Although the newly launched base Kindle boasts many improvements and has a cheaper price tag, I would argue it's worth spending a few bucks more on the Paperwhite for a bigger display, better lighting system, and water resistance. But what if you have a Paperwhite 10th Gen? In my case, the upgrade was worth it. I like the bigger display of the new model, and the improved lighting system with Warm Light means I can now comfortably read at bedtime without straining my eyes.

Of course, for all the conveniences that Kindle offers, there will always be people who would never give up on physical books in favor of a digital device. And I agree the Kindle can never truly replicate the tactile and aesthetic experience of physical books. But rather than viewing the Kindle, or any e-reader for that matter, as a threat to traditional books, it's more apt to see it as a tool aimed at emulating the essence of physical books, albeit to a limited degree.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (11th gen) on transparent background.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (11th Gen)

The new Kindle Paperwhite (11th Gen) has a large 6.8-inch E Ink display and up to 10 weeks of battery life. It's the best mid-range Kindle to date and arguably the company's best e-reader.