Amazon Kindle Paperwhite - 2021

Now that it's waterproof, the Kindle Paperwhite is the only e-reader you need to know about.

As with most Kindle upgrades, if you already own the 2018 Paperwhite, there’s not enough here to be worth shelling out the money for a new upgrade. The larger display is certainly nice but comes with its own drawbacks in the form of a harder-to-hold device. And while USB-C and wireless charging have been at the top of the list for Kindle upgrades for years, neither is worth the investment of an entirely new device. At its core, the reading experience on the new Paperwhite is still too similar to the old model to recommend existing owners rush to upgrade.

Ultimately, if I was buying the Kindle Paperwhite for someone as a gift, I’d probably get the standard edition. If I was buying for myself, I’d get the Signature. But either way, I’d be buying a Kindle Paperwhite — it remains the best e-reader on the market.

For most readers, then, the new Kindle Paperwhite slots neatly into the sweet spot for everyday usability. I appreciate the Signature Edition’s auto-brightness adjustment and Qi support, but even without those features there’s still a day to day improvement over the last-gen Paperwhite. Most important, the newest Kindle’s hardware supports reading but doesn’t overshadow it, leaving your ebooks to hold the attention.

Some aspects of the new Kindle Paperwhite still feel stuck in the past, but in general, this is an elegant e-reader that is enjoyable to use.