How Amazon’s New Kindle Oasis Outperforms Its Competitors
Amazon dominates the e-book market to a large extent at the moment, but that hasn’t stopped the company from regularly introducing new features and designs. We had a high-quality Kindle Oasis last year, and now Amazon is doubling down on its eye-catching (albeit unfortunately named) New Kindle Oasis .
The new model is cheaper, with a larger screen and many new benefits, including water resistance and audiobook support. But is it worth upgrading from last year’s Oasis? And can other companies still compete with Amazon in the e-book market? Let’s figure it out.
The new Kindle Oasis is better than the old, but how much better?
The New Kindle Oasis is a big improvement in many ways. It’s waterproof with an IPX8 rating, which means you can submerge it in water up to 5 feet deep for 30 minutes. Amazon even claims it can survive in salt water, which is rare among waterproof gadgets.
It is also the first Kindle e-book with audiobook support from Audible, which is also owned by Amazon. This means you can start reading the book and then switch to the audio version without losing space – Amazon will even offer a discount if you buy both the e-book and the audio version of the book at the same time. The only problem is that the New Kindle Oasis doesn’t have a headphone device or even USB-C (which supports audio output). Instead, you need Bluetooth headphones to take advantage of this feature.
Other perks include more storage (8GB instead of 4GB), additional LED backlighting, a larger screen (7 “instead of 6”), six weeks of battery life, and a slimmer design. The Kindle software is also getting an update for faster page flipping and additional customization options, including an inverted dark mode where the screen is black and text is white. It’s also cheaper – $ 250 compared to $ 290.
If you really need a waterproof e-reader or listen to a lot of audiobooks, the New Kindle Oasis is a worthy upgrade. Otherwise, you will probably stay with last year’s model.
Other non-Amazon options
If you’re looking for a new e-book but aren’t an Amazon fan, you have another choice. Barnes & Noble sells a full line of equipment including the luxurious but inexpensive Nook GlowLight Plus . There’s also the Kobo Aura One , which offers similar features and a larger screen for slightly less than the New Kindle Oasis.
The Nook GlowLight Plus has a sleek aluminum body, six weeks of battery life, and a 6-inch screen for just $ 129.99. It’s also IP67 certified, which means it’s waterproof for up to 30 minutes in about 3 feet of fresh water (not salt water like the New Kindle Oasis). On the other hand, it lacks the page-flipping buttons that Amazon prefers and only offers 4GB of storage.
Barnes & Noble’s biggest selling point is the hundreds of physical stores. You can go anywhere and get fast tech support or free Wi-Fi for your Nook. Amazon can’t match it – at least for the time being . However, since Barnes & Noble is currently ditching the e- book business , the future design and ownership of the Nook is uncertain, so if you don’t already have one, this may not be the time to invest.
Finally, there is the Kobo Aura One, which costs $ 229.99. It has a 7.8-inch screen, which might be too big to carry around comfortably, but is great if you read most of the time on the couch at home. It’s also waterproof for up to an hour and offers 8GB of storage.
If you’re looking for something cheaper with a premium design, the Nook GlowLight is a good choice. If you need a big screen the most, try the Kobo Aura One. Otherwise, the New Kindle Oasis is the best all-around option.