Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

SEE MY UPDATES AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS REVIEW I received my Kindle Oasis a day before the official release date (thanks UPS!) so I’ve had some time to explore it already. I’ve owned many Kindles throughout the years starting with the very first one (the white model with the funky liquid crystal scroll bar). I can already tell that the new Kindle Oasis is a keeper! I won’t go over all of actual interface details and how the Kindle works as these are pretty similar between models. Instead I want to focus on the hardware itself and what makes the Kindle Oasis the Kindle to get! Style The Kindle Oasis is a high-end device and it looks like it! The front is a nice matte texture that extends all the way to the outer edges of the device and is framed by the aluminum back that creeps in from the sides to form a slight border. The screen itself is beneath this textured front so there’s no edge on the screen where you can see the separate of the screen from the bezel. It’s all smooth across the entire point other than the two small page turn buttons.The only other button on the unit is the sleep/wake button along the top edge. The back of the unit is a very nice dark silver aluminum with the Amazon logo printed tastefully on it. There is a slight hump on the back that takes up about a third of the total width. I’m sure this is where Amazon has stashed the battery and other electronics, and it makes for a great grip for holding the unit with one hand. Control As I mentioned above, you can easily grip the unit with one hand using the hump on the back and then use your other hand just to support the other edge. This allows you to access the page turn buttons with your thumb. You can also flip the unit upside down if you’d like to hold it with your other hand and the display will flip accordingly so your book is always right side up. The page turn buttons feel very nice and emit a very slight click when depressed. This isn’t very loud but if you feel that your significant other may get annoyed with it if you’re reading in bed you can always just tap the left or right side of the screen for silent page turning. The touch screen on the Kindle Oasis is very responsive and makes entering text a breeze. When you initially setup the unit you will need to enter your wi-fi password so this gives you a taste of how easy it is to enter text. Adjusting settings such as the screen brightness via the touch screen seems more responsive than on earlier models and the entire interface feels more like a tablet now. You won’t get super smooth animation like with a traditional LCD display but you also won’t get the eye strain either, and that tradeoff is just fine with me! Tapping the top of the display brings up the menu from any screen. From here you can quickly return to the home screen to switch books or go to the store to buy more books. You can also quickly access the most commonly used settings such as light brightness and airplane mode. Pushing the button on top of the unit puts it to sleep and, as you guessed, wakes it back up. When you wake the unit you have to do a Apple-esque swipe to unlock it. This prevents accidental button presses from waking the unit while it’s in your bag, purse, carrying case, etc. Overall the controls are just perfect. Amazon has put just what you need and nothing else. I really like that they have included the small physical page turn buttons rather than going with touchscreen-only controls. This gives you the option to page through your book in whichever way feels best to you. Display The display is a great size and really feels like you are ready a small paperback book. The text is super crisp and looks more like paper than ever before. There are still the page refresh flickers from the eInk technology but compared to previous models they seem to be optimized now to only refresh the area of the screen that is actually changing rather than the entire page. So when you turn the page while reading the flicker is almost nonexistent unless you are changing to or from a page that has things other than standard text on it (for instance, the beginning of a new chapter that has larger fonts or stylized lettering). The lighting on the display is very even now. I had the original Kindle Paperwhite and always felt that the lighting on that model showed obvious signs of where the individual LEDs were positioned along the side of the screen. With the new Kindle Oasis you can’t tell at all where the LEDs are placed. You get a very consistently even glow across the entire screen. I have noticed a VERY slight area that seems a tad brighter in one area but it isn't enough to bother me. I'll update this review if it gets worse. The display can get very bright, but more importantly it can get very dim but still be usable. This is great for reading in bed with somebody else who’s already gone to sleep as you can have all the lights off in the room and have the Kindle Oasis at a brightness level that won’t disturb the other person but yet still be bright enough for you to read. The one issue I have with the light is the control to adjust the brightness. Tapping the on-screen brightness control sometimes isn’t very responsive. You also have to be careful if you are in the dark because if you adjust down too far the light will turn off completely and you won’t be able to see the button on the screen to turn it back on. Of course if you are reading in daylight there’s no need to even use the light and as always the eInk display is as easy to read in direct sunlight as paper. I really couldn’t ask for anything more from the display (other than color eInk but it doesn’t seem like we’ll be getting that anytime soon). Reading on it is delightful, day or night. Battery The Kindle Oasis is claimed to have weeks worth of power from a single charge and although I haven’t been able to test this since I just got the unit I have no reason to doubt this claim based on past Kindles. The display technology is very power efficient and it’s this battery longevity long with the superior display that really make the Kindle Oasis a great alternative to reading books on your phone or tablet. The unit charges through a standard micro-USB connection so if you already have cables and chargers for micro-USB you can use them with your Kindle Oasis as well. Weight Despite having a gorgeous metal back the Kindle Oasis still manages to feel light in the hand. Holding it for reading is no problem. Holding it with one hand may get a little tiresome after awhile but you can comfortably hold it with two hands with hardly any effort at all. Waterproofing Of course one of the big new features with the Kindle Oasis is its waterproofing. I haven’t tried this and hope not to, but it’s nice to know that it should survive an accidental dip in the pool or splash from the ocean when you’re reading on vacation. One of the few actual printed instructions that comes in the box is a note explaining how to drain the unit if you get it wet and how to wash it out with clean water if you happen to get it in salt water or some other potentially damaging liquid. The note stresses that just because it’s waterproof doesn’t mean that you should use it underwater, so any dreams of reading while snorkeling are going to have to remain dreams for now. Summary This is a premium device and it shows. If you are looking for a Kindle and can afford the extra cost for this one then don’t hesitate. There’s no better way to read eBooks. Amazon has taken all my wishlist items such as premium materials, touchscreen while still having physical page turn buttons, high resolution display in a great size and aspect ratio, very even and controllable lighting, waterproofing, and good overall design, and cranked out their best product ever. Verdict: Buy it now! UPDATE 11/8/17: After reading with the Kindle Oasis for a week the bright spot in the lower right corner is really bugging me. It seems to persist regardless of which level of lighting I select. It's noticeably brighter in a circular area and then the light seems to fall off gradually to match the rest of the screen. Because of this I'm considering returning the unit and just getting a Voyage or Paperwhite. Stay tuned. UPDATE 11/10/17: The bright spot on the screen really bothered me, especially with this being a premium device. If it wasn't so expensive I could excuse the bright spot, but at this price level I really expect it to be flawless. I could attempt to exchange for a different unit but my experience in the past is that the replacement unit may have even more screen flaws and Amazon will not continually replace the device when the issues fall within what they consider acceptable (I may just be super sensitive - most people may not even notice a difference). I have instead opted for the Kindle Paperwhite for less than half the price of the Oasis. The Paperwhite definitely has light issues as well, but they are mainly along the bottom of the screen and in specific areas that don't really bother me since they bright spot doesn't overlay the text area. I have also found that the Paperwhite display is actually "whiter" than the Oasis (see attached comparison picture). I had both units set on the same brightness and to me the Paperwhite is a more pleasant shade for reading. Sure, the Paperwhite isn't waterproof, isn't quite as zippy when turning pages (talking milliseconds difference), is a little smaller, doesn't have as much storage (which doesn't really matter unless you need a ton of books available when you are away from wi-fi) ,and weighs a measly 5 grams more, but for my money the Paperwhite is the better device when you factor in the cost. I also like that the Paperwhite has the rubberized back and that the back is the same thickness on both sides. It feels easier to hold. So, while I stand by my original review that the Oasis is the best Kindle yet, the light bright spot coupled with the much higher price lead me to suggest the Paperwhite for most readers.