I am a voracious reader: mostly tech magazines, biographies, sci-fi and some philosophy. I tend to do most of my reading on my mobile phone or computer. I use the Kindle app on there, and it’s a pretty decent experience. However, battery life drains using it; and it’s not too good for the eyes.
So I figured, seeing as I have hundreds of Kindle books, that it was about time I bought a Kindle to read them on. And not just any old Kindle. I wanted the best! And the best at the moment is the Kindle Oasis, complete with 7″ screen, which should easily cope with my tech stuff.
It comes in a sexy slim box with a USB lead (not USB-C) and a tiny – can’t be seen with the naked eye – user guide. If you’ve ever used a Kindle before (I had the cheap and cheerful bargain-basement version many years ago but didn’t really get along with it), then once you tap the screen it’s a simple process of signing in and hanging about while it syncs all your books and what-not.
There are many settings you can apply (I prefer the ‘dark mode’ enabled under accessibility) and you can set it up on a per book level. Page-turning is faster than other Kindles, either via tapping the screen in one of the designated areas or by using the handy buttons! The buttons work great and I tend to use them most of the time.
Amazon has still retained its’ experimental browser’ feature and it’s still rubbish. However, if you can be bothered to call up some RSS feeds it is usable in a pinch.
Reading books is a pleasure, though. Since adopting it as my main reading vehicle (I still use my phone / PC for magazines – hello Readly!) my eyes are not feeling so strained. The text is super clear and crisp.
Finally, special mention must go to the screen features. You can set it up to go all warm and cuddly on a schedule and to also auto-dim depending on the ambient lighting. This works really well.
Conclusion
If you want the best reading experience out there, then there is no competition. Best screen, most responsive UI, waterproof (!) and possibly the biggest bookstore in the world, you really can’t go wrong. For me, the larger screen is what makes it. Everything else is a bonus.