Why You Shouldn’t Expect a Miniature Kindle Anytime Soon
Earlier this week , I noted that the recent boom in tiny e-readers—I’m talking about those Chinese-made, credit-card-sized e-ink devices that have become incredibly popular on BookTok and Reddit —has been the most interesting development in the e-reader world in years. From the Xteink X4 Pro to the upcoming Boox Picco , these tiny devices, small enough to fit in any pocket, have garnered a cult following who value ultra-portability above all else. Today’s announcement of the redesigned Kindle lineup hasn’t changed that sentiment one bit. Aside from the addition of long-requested accessories like a Bluetooth page-turning remote and a charging dock , the new Kindles essentially offer the same familiar Amazon e-reader experience in a slightly more refined package. And if you were hoping that Amazon would also release its own tiny e-reader—or even a phone-shaped e-reader like the Boox Palma —I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Yesterday, Amazon invited me and other journalists to the company’s New York headquarters to check out the new Kindles , and during our conversation with Kevin Keith, vice president of the Kindle team, we asked him if the company was following the trend toward pocket-sized e-readers and whether it ever planned to release a Kindle with a screen smaller than the standard six inches. His answer didn’t surprise me at all. “Our answer to that is, I think [ the basic Kindle ] is when it’s only 140 grams and so light that you can carry it almost anywhere. I carry it in my pocket. In my bag, you wouldn’t even notice it’s there,” Keith said. “I think that’s the most important thing I would say.” That is, Amazon already believes that a six-inch device is sufficient for most readers, and as a company, Amazon generally targets most readers. “The small e-book audience is a very active group of people,” he added, “but I don’t know how big that group of people is.”
According to Keith, while the company is monitoring discussions about devices like the Palma or even more compact models like the X4 Pro, the existing entry-level Kindle is a “really good format.” “I think at four or five inches, you have to make a lot of compromises. The key is to simply create a better entry-level device.”
Chris Green, Kindle’s vice president of design and a veteran who has worked on every Kindle device except the first generation (which was released just as he joined the company), agreed, but left the door ajar: “I think they’re interesting,” Green said of smaller alternative e-readers, while admitting they’re not his cup of tea (he prefers the larger Kindle Scribe). “Will we do one? I don’t know. Are we considering them? Yes.”
What do you mean, “we’re looking into them”? Well, “we’re looking into everything,” he said, noting that Amazon had previously explored both foldable and rollable e-readers. “But these things are very interesting,” he added. “I don’t know if they’ll be successful, but they’re definitely worth watching.”