Is Kindle Paperwhite Waterproof?

By far, the most popular eBook readers are Amazon’s Kindles, and they’re only getting better. For years, Kindles remained roughly the same: 6-inch tablets with black-and-white E Ink screens wrapped in pudgy black plastic frames.
With its tiny, sleek design, the first Kindle Oasis made a splash, and the second-generation Oasis went one step further by being the first “waterproof” Kindle ever built. Now, is the Kindle Paperwhite waterproof? Take the plunge and read to the end to find out if our expectations are dampened or if any claim of waterproofing needs to be watered down.

A Kindle that was water-resistant enough to survive a two-hour soak in a tub of water was a dream come true for eBook fans everywhere.There was only one issue: the cost. The Kindle Oasis was $250, the Kindle Paperwhite was $130, and the cheapest Kindle was $80. Although a waterproof Kindle was desirable, many customers were put off by the significant price increase.

Why is a Waterproof Kindle Desirable?

A vacation is a great time to lie on your sun lounger, by the pool and spend your free time absorbed in a great book. With wet kids running around, water puddles about and soggy towels finding themselves thrown in all directions a durable way of reading, is a blessing. That’s forgetting the worst type of drop: straight in the pool. If that happens there probably is no way back for a paper novel but then there’s the invention of the waterproof eBook. The upshot is yes, a waterproof Kindle is very desirable.

Amazon seemed to have heard the Kindle users’ cries for help, and in 2018, it has responded with the water-resistant Kindle Paperwhite. Over the course of six years as a tech product reviewer, we’ve evaluated a variety of Kindles and eBook readers, including the $80 Kindle, the older Paperwhite, the high-end Oasis, and many eBook readers from Kobo, Amazon’s major competitor in the market. Although we believe the Oasis is worth its high price, with its IPX8 rating and ability to withstand 2 meters (6.5 feet) of water up for up to 60 minutes. That it is our preferred eBook reader, but we recognize that not everyone has that kind of money to spend on an eBook reader.

For several days,by the pool, I’ve been testing the 2018 Kindle Paperwhite, and I can certainly state that it’s the best Kindle for the money, as well as the best eBook reader. Finally, a Kindle that can be taken to the beach is available The most significant upgrade to the new Kindle Paperwhite is that it is now water-resistant. You may submerge this Kindle in freshwater with its  IPX8 waterproofing,  in up to six feet of water for up to an hour  without it harming your eBook reader That means you can finally read in peace, stress free at the beach, pool, or in the bath.

Specifications of the Waterproof Kindle Paperwhite

The 6-inch E Ink screen on the 2018 Paperwhite is black and white, just like the previous model. Because of the excellent resolution of 300 pixels per inch, the text appears crisp and clear. It features solid, wide, black bezels and a wonderful gripping feel, just like all other Kindles. There are no page-turning buttons, so the power button and Micro-USB charging connector are your only options. Unfortunately it doesn’t run with a USB-C which I believe was a bit shortsighted of Amazon.

Read in The Dark With The Paperwhite

You can read in the dark without turning on a light because the eBook reader has a built-in backlight. I especially like this feature when we’re reading late at night because we don’t have to worry about disturbing other’s sleep. It’s also perfect for reading on flights when the overhead lights are turned off. I’ve never been big fans of the basic, entry-level Kindle because it doesn’t have a backlight, which means you can’t read in the dark, making it feel more like a physical book.

“..books look as if they contain knowledge, while e-readers look as if they contain information.â€
― Julian Barnes

You can store thousands of eBooks on your Kindle with the upgraded 8GB device so that most people won’t need the 32GB model. Thanks to its enhanced Bluetooth connectivity, you can also listen to Audible audiobooks by connecting the Paperwhite to a pair of wireless headphones or a wireless speaker.

The battery should last six weeks if you read for half an hour a day with the wireless turned off and the light set to 13. We found Amazon’s battery-life promise to be completely true in our testing. With usual use, the Paperwhite’s battery lasts a long time, and I’ve only had to charge it once when Jack Reacher became a bit too addictive.

Of course, increasing the brightness or reading for longer periods of time reduces battery life. If you don’t turn off Wi-Fi by tapping the little Airplane icon, you’ll run out of energy much faster and have to recharge more frequently, so always use Airplane mode when you’re not browsing the Kindle store for new eBooks to buy or downloading new eBooks.

Because the Bluetooth feature necessitates turning off Airplane mode in order for your Kindle to connect to headphones or the speaker, you’ll have to charge it more frequently if you’re listening to audiobooks on it.

The Kindle Paperwhite’s Reading Experience

I never imagined I’d like to read on an eBook reader. The Kindle Oasis was the eBook reader that won me over, owing to its page-turning buttons and slim design, making it simple to hold and read one-handed. It’s still my favorite eBook reader, being the top of the range. But I’d recommend the new Kindle Paperwhite to most people. I completely admit that the Oasis’ $250 price tag is not a price a lot of people will pay, and the Paperwhite, which costs just $130 (Buy on Amazon), has nearly all of the same capabilities.

I miss the page-turning buttons, but the Paperwhite makes reading a delight. Because of its broader, rubbery bezels and grippy plastic back, it’s easy to handle. With a simple tap of a finger, we can easily turn pages, and we can easily alter the brightness, typeface, and text size to fit our preferences. I also enjoy highlighting passages from the books we’re reading and sharing them on Goodreads, the reader’s social network that’s built right into all Kindles. Being an author (though not a celebrated author) I appreciate that. I already had a Kindle, so when I joined in using our email address, all of our eBooks from our Amazon account were displayed on the Paperwhite. I then chose which ones to download, waited for them to complete, and then switched to Airplane mode to conserve battery life. Nice.

Using A Paperwhite

Because Amazon has so many eBooks, you should be able to find most titles quickly. You may subscribe to BookBub, a free service that gives you a daily email with eBook offers and discounts if you want to obtain deals on eBooks.
Many of them are also available for free from a variety of sites. Prime members can read a selection of free titles through Prime Reading, and anybody can browse Amazon’s inventory of free Kindle eBooks or Project Gutenberg’s collection of free classics.

I also enjoy borrowing eBooks from our local library, which is a breeze with the Libby or Overdrive applications. Simply use your library card number and PIN to search for Amazon-friendly eBooks that are available for borrowing. When you want to borrow an eBook, when you sign in with your Amazon account, you can request that it be sent to your Kindle. The library eBook will download the next time you connect to Wi-Fi with your Kindle.

In Conclusion: Sink or Swim With The Paperwhite?

At the end of the day, the Paperwhite is a great upgrade and it won’t matter if you sink or swim with it for a short period of time, though I’m sure you’ll want the best reading experience as a primary feature; this device offers a great reading experience and it won’t be harmed if it does get submerged

Buy the Kindle Paperwhite on Amazon for a Competitive Price here (we may get a small commission)

• You may like: 10 Best Kindle Oasis Cases and Covers (New Generation)
• Read: 8 Best Gift Ideas for Kindle Owners

References

IPX8 waterproofing: Wilikpedia

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