Amazon more or less completely overhauled its entire Kindle range in 2024, discontinuing all of them, except for the Kindle Scribe that was released in 2022. And that's despite a new 2024 edition of the large-screen Kindle now available. That means, there are now five current models to choose from, but which one is the best for the average Australian reader?
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You'd think it would be easy to choose between the five Kindles but, in all honesty, it's not really that simple at all.
Of course, your budget will definitely play a determining factor, but there are other things to consider before choosing the best Kindle for you. For example, it's good to know what features are important to you before you shell out the cash – like screen size, waterproofing, battery life, writing capabilities, etc.
No matter your personal use case, a Kindle is a fantastic investment for an avid reader as you get to carry an entire library – typically numbering hundreds of books, if not thousands – on a device that weighs only a few hundred grams.
With excellent E Ink displays that render text crisply and offering days of battery life, if not weeks, a Kindle ereader is a good digital solution that will also save you storage space at home and can be cheaper on the long run as ebooks typically cost a little less than the printed versions.
Moreover, all Kindle ereaders get you access to both Prime Reading (available for free as part of the Amazon Prime membership) and Kindle Unlimited, so anyone with a subscription to either can find their next read without any extra cost over the monthly fee.
It's important to note that the Kindles currently available in Australia no longer support a Bluetooth connection for listening to audiobooks, meaning if you have an Audible account, you won't be able to listen to narrations of your favourite titles. Moreover, the 2024 Amazon Kindle Scribe's AI features are also not currently available outside of the US. This diminishes the overall value of the Kindles, especially since they have all received a price hike with the October 2024 release.
If you are still keen, take a look at what the experts consider to be the best Kindle for Aussies.
The best Kindle in Australia
RRP: $299 for 16GB
Release date: October 2024
Why we recommend the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)
The 2024 edition of the Kindle Paperwhite is the 12th generation model and represents a massive upgrade in terms of the screen it uses. It's also a couple of millimetres larger than the 11th generation model and has better battery life too. With a default 16GB storage capacity, you can store thousands of titles, but do note that no audiobooks will play on the latest Paperwhite.
Expert consensus
There was a time when the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite was an ereader with a 6-inch screen. That is the case no longer. It became a 6.8-inch display with the 2021 release and is now a 7-inch model. While the extra two millimetres are neither here nor there, the general consensus among expert reviewers is that the 12th generation Paperwhite is the fastest, most responsive and sharpest Kindle yet.
It's biggest upgrade is the screen, which is now an E Ink Carta 1300 display that adds even more contrast to an already-excellent Carta 1200 screen to make text darker against the background. Darker text means the words on screen are sharper, which makes reading a wonderful experience. Also, at 7 inches, it's a good size that's neither too small nor too large in terms of both portability and readability.
Amazon no longer sells any Kindle with just 8GB of storage – 16GB is now standard and that's what you'll get with the 2024 Paperwhite. That's a decent amount of storage for thousands of ebooks.
Another upgrade is the battery. While Amazon isn't disclosing the battery capacity, the company promises that you'll get up to 12 weeks (up from the previous 10 weeks) of use if you read for about 30 minutes a day.
All other features that made the previous Paperwhite popular are still here. It's got an IPX8 waterproof rating and it now supports the EPUB file format natively. You just need to use the Send To Kindle app to upload files to your library. The good thing about that is it all gets saved to the cloud and you can find them again if you change to a different Kindle or use the smartphone/tablet app instead. You still get full access to the Kindle Store and you can use a Kindle Unlimited subscription too, just not your existing Audible one as Amazon has disabled Bluetooth support for the Australian models.
This lack of audiobook support and its higher price tag compared to the previous model means it's no longer as good value as its predecessors were, but it's still worth picking up, especially during major sales like Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday.
Sources: Tom's Guide (4.5/5) | T3 (5/5) | TechRadar (4/5)
User reviews
Having gone on sale only in October 2024, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (12th generation) has already garnered nearly a thousand user ratings, with an average of 4.6 out of 5. As a point of comparison, the 11th generation Kindle Paperwhite had an average rating of 4.7/5. While 84% of users gave the previous model a 5-star rating, currently 82% of them have done so for the latest Paperwhite. That's still a fantastic rating, with most users liking its ease of use, readability, screen size, battery life and its value for money. The only complaint some users had was a display issue that produced a bar of yellow on the screen, but Amazon was quick to fix the problem.
Two customers who purchased the latest Paperwhite from Officeworks was disappointed by the lack of Bluetooth support and were rather disappointed, scoring it just 2 stars, although most other user reviews posted to retailer sites like JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys have praised the ereader.
How much should you pay for the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2024?
There's no denying that the 2024 Paperwhite is expensive for an ereader without any writing capabilities or physical page buttons. However, if you can pick it up during a major sale like Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday, you'll be able to save a decent chunk of change on it. The 12th generation Kindle Paperwhite has dropped to AU$247 since its release, which isn't much but, we think it will drop in price further before Amazon announces its next crop of ereaders. For now, though, we think it's not worth paying more than AU$250 for the standard 16GB Paperwhite.
Live price check
You can find the top three prices for the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite below. Compare more Aussie prices for the Kindle Paperwhite 2024 on Getprice.
Other Kindle ereaders to consider
Amazon Kindle (2024)
RRP: $199
Best budget Kindle
The Kindle has always been the basic ereader model from Amazon and remains so with the 2024 release. In fact, other than being available in a new Matcha Green colour option (alongside the standard black) and a few performance enhancements, there isn't much else that's different from the 2022 Kindle model.
That minor upgrade, however, means the entry-level Kindle now costs AU$20 more than its predecessor. But given that the previous model has been discontinued, the 2024 release of the base Kindle is still the 'budget' option.
For your money, you are still getting a lovely 6-inch 300ppi screen, although it is still the E Ink Carta 1200 display, and there's 16GB of storage. The performance enhancements, however, seem to be software based, so the actual storage you do end up with is about 4GB less. There's still no waterproofing and no adjustable light hues for nighttime reading. There's also no audiobook support now. It may no longer represent good value for money, but it's possible to pick one up for a small discount during major sale events.
- Compare Amazon Kindle 2024 prices on Getprice
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024)
RRP: $329
Best ereader with wireless charging
With 32GB of internal storage, an upgrade to the E Ink Carta 1300 screen, waterproofing, adjustable light temperature and wireless charging capabilities, the 2024 edition of the Paperwhite Signature Edition is arguably the best-value option if you have the extra money to spare. You still won't get audiobook support in Australia though.
Like the standard Paperwhite, the Signature Edition is also now 7 inches, and comes with the bigger battery too for longer reading times. It remains the only ereader on the Aussie market to boast wireless charging, but can be superfluous for some users. It's also an expensive model, now costing AU$30 more than the previous Signature Edition, but if you want a pop of colour, it's available in a Metallic Jade option that does look like it's worth the higher cost.
In terms of performance, it gets the same software enhancements as the standard Paperwhite, so it's quick, responsive and reads like a dream. Then again, with no audiobook support any longer on any Kindle, it does get hard to justify splashing out on an expensive Kindle.
Amazon Kindle Scribe (2022)
RRP: from $529
Best for reading and writing
If you really want the full E Ink experience of both reading and writing, the original Kindle Scribe from 2022 remains our pick, despite a 2024 edition now available. It's the only older Kindle to remain on the market, offering a big and bright 10.2-inch E Ink Carta 1200 screen that writes wonderfully. While you can't scribble in the margins of all books (only select Kindle Store titles have this ability), you can add what essentially look like sticky notes.
However, the full writing capabilities of this tablet have been improved since its launch, being the only e-paper writing tablet to have native MS Word support. Marking up PDFs is also an excellent experience, provided the PDFs are editable. Everything is rendered crisply and you get access to the Kindle Store to stock up your library. Of course, access to Prime Reading, Kindle Unlimited and Audible can also be had like all other Kindles.
Its premium price tag is also justified by its metal chassis, making it one of the best-looking Kindles available today. You can opt for a Basic Pen model, which is just 16GB storage and the stylus lacks an eraser, but opt for the 32GB or 64GB options and you get the Premium Pen which has an eraser at the top end of the stylus.
Amazon has promised to add the new features of the 2024 Kindle Scribe to the older model some time this year, but the AI features on the new tablet don't work in Australia anyway, so there's no guarantee it will be pushed out to the older Scribe either. We can hope though, but it would make the new Scribe obsolete.
- Compare Amazon Kindle Scribe prices on Getprice
