eml“Is kindle worth it?” You might ask. It was once my question as well. Kindle is an E-reader device from Amazon. I bought mine about 4 months ago. After trial and tested personally, below are my thoughts about it.
I bought the basic model Kindle 10th Generation on Lazada for RM353. It came with 8GB of storage and 1 month warranty. I choosed the one that with advertisement as it is cheaper as compared with the no-ads version. I don’t really mind as it does not affects my reading experience anyway.
What is in the box?
- Kindle E-reader
- USB cable (for charging or connecting)
- A user manual
Pros of Kindle
Easy to take care
In the era that we humans sanitise everything, including the air, Kindle has an advantage over physical books. Compared to books made of paper that are hard to clean, not waterproof, and unable to wash, Kindles are easier to take care of.
Space-saving
Moreover, Kindle is a life saver for those with smaller space. No matter you have ten books or hundred of them in your Kindle library, it will always be the size of your Kindle.
Travel-friendly
We know it is very inconvenience to move physical books around. It could be costly and not to mention, it might need lots of effort to pack and unpack. Kindles, on the other hand, is hassle free as it is easy to move around no matter you are moving or travelling. Bonus, no more choosing which book to bring to the cafe when you can have it all.
Reduce friction to read more
No more excuse not to read as Kindle apps is available for (almost) all devices. Even if you forgotten to bring your Kindle with you, you probably would have your phone, tablet or laptop with you. Kindle apps support the syncronization among your devices as well.
Hassle free highlights and note-taking
Highlight whatever you want with Kindle and review whenever you want. First, no more worrying about unable to undo the highlights or note-taking like you do on physical books.
Moreover, with Kindle, it is easier to review all your notes, highlights and even bookmarks by scrolling through your Kindle’s “My Notebook”. No more flipping through pages just to find the sentence or paragraph you have been looking for the past 10 minutes.
Online bookstore with immediate delivery
Now with Kindle store, the book on your wishlist is just a click away. Reading habits has never been this accessible in the past. Kindle store is available 24/7/365.
Competitive price
If you don’t mind whether it is hardcopy or softcopy, you got yourself an extra options through Kindle store. I found that some of the books are cheaper to purchase ebook instead of a brand new physical copy.
Distraction-free reading
As the main function of Kindle is for reading, it reduces the possibility of getting distracted. The problem with reading with a phone, tablet or laptop is they have too many distractions such as notifications, the internet and other non-related apps.
Kindles are not just for ebooks
Ebook is not the only thing you can read on Kindle. You could view any texts or files by sending or uploading them through TXT, PDF or some other supported formats to your Kindle. There are few ways to send them to your Kindle, my favourite would be by email.
Built-in dictionary
It came with dictionary installed. You can easily check the meaning by long click on the word. Besides the dictionary function, they have the wikipedia and translation column too. These features came in handy when you would like to fully emerge in the reading experience without checking the vocabulary through other device.
Cons of Kindle
Slow respond
I spent some time to get used to the slow respond of Kindle. You need to wait for a second when you want to flip to the next page.
Losing the touch
You are losing the touch of paper and warmth of physical books. For some people, nothing can replace the touch. I couldn’t as well, at first. But my bookshelf are getting overload over time, and that’s when I started to consider switching to Kindle.
Incompatible
Ebooks purchase on other platforms such as Rakuten Kobo is not compatible with Kindle device. Of course, with a little help of the technology, you still can find a way round. However, it is troublesome to do so.
Cost more
Like above mentioned some books are cheaper as compared to physical books, and there are books that are more expensive on Kindle Store as well. So make sure you do your comparison before purchase.
Titles not available
Books might not available for ebook version. In this case, you either have to get a physical book or purchase an ebook from other platforms such as rakuten kobo, or if you usually read in Chinese you could refer to a taiwan website, 博客来, however, the books might mostly in Traditional Chinese.
Be careful or you might lost your book
Not a huge deal but if you accidentally delete the book you purchase from your kindle library, you might need to repurchase it. There will be pop up confirmation before it got deleted, so just be careful.
Limitation on sharing
There’s some limitations to share your “My Notebook” content. Each book might have different limitation based on the publisher setting.
Slow to no respond from web browser
Personally, I would avoid using the Kindle’s experimental web browser at all cost. I think user suppose to key in the full link to access to a webpage and the loading speed seems to take forever. I would suggest to use other gadgets for webpage reading. It is not ideal to read using the web browser consider the speed and also the trouble you would need to go through.
Is Kindle worth it?
Back to the question, is kindle worth it? Personally, yes, it does enhance my overall reading experience.
First, it is not as harsh on my eyes, especially after a long day of work facing the screens. I love the adjustable text size on Kindle (for the compatible formats). As you know, the texts could be too small on physical books.
Second, it’s compact size and design is far more comfortable to hold for reading compared to my phone or tablet.
Third, it helped to escape from distractions like I said in one of the pros.
Yet, Kindle is just a tool for reading, it won’t suddenly change or improve our reading habits. Unless you make good use of it, else, it is just another device.
So, you decided to get a Kindle, but which one shall you get?
Kindle 10th Generation
We will start with the basic which is the model I got. This is the basic model of Kindle. It does not come with any fancy features like Kindle Paperwhite or Kindle Oasis. Kindle 10th Generation has a 6” grayscale display screen with 167 pixels per inch. The ultra-thin design which only weigh around 174g suits the need for one-hand reading. You could get the basic model in black or white. Naturally the basic model come with a more affordable price. (I bought mine which have 8GB storage with ads for RM353 on Lazada.)
Kindle Paperwhite
An upgrade version of Kindle. Kindle Paperwhite latest 2021 release came with bigger screen of 6.8” grayscale display screen with 300 pixels per inch. While the 2018 release has a 6” grayscale display screen with 300 pixels per inch. The weight of Kindle Paperwhite is slightly heavier than the basic Kindle which is around 182g (2018 release) and 205 g (2021 release). Besides the sharper display, another upgrade feature (from Kindle basic model) of Kindle Paperwhite would be the waterproof feature. The latest 2021 release only came in black while for the 2018 release model you could choose from black, blue, plum or sage. The price would normally range between RM509 up to RM740 depends on which year release, storage, ad-supported or not and also warranty period you got.
Kindle Oasis
Last, it’s the premium option among Kindle devices, the Kindle Oasis. It has 7” with 300 pixels per inch grayscale display screen which is the largest screen among three. Moreover, it has 25 LEDs that enable the more uniform back light. Kindle Oasis’s design is different from the previous two, it has a metal finish and available in Graphite or Champagne Gold. It also came with the feature of auto brightness and ability to adjust the warmth of the display. Same with Kindle Paperwhite, it is waterproof too. Not to mention, it has phyical page turning buttons. It would cost from RM1650 and up.
Summary of the models
Kindle Basic 10th Generation: For someone that don’t have much requirement on the features or on a tight budget. It have all you need for reading.
Kindle Paperwhite: For someone who doesn’t mind to spend a little bit more for a sharper view. It would be great for reading comics or graphic novels. A better value option.
Kindle Oasis: For someone that have plenty of budget and a hardcore reader I would say. As the price of Oasis could purchase a tablet with more functions. Or you are a fan of the design.
Other than Kindle, what is the other alternatives?
- Kobo E-reader
- Xiaomi Duokan MiReader
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Featured Image by Jingda Chen on Unsplash
Good to know!
Hi! Great to hear that! I hope it helps 🙂 Have a great day