Hi there,
I listen to/read on average one book a week on the Libby app. People gift me books as well. There’s a lot of books where the voice actor is like nails on a chalkboard for me – those books I rather read the actual book. So I’ll go to the library and borrow that book.
I read A LOT at night. I would love to get something I can read at night next to my newborn without waking her up. So I have been looking into a kindle paperwhite.
I don’t really spend much money on myself. I thrift and/or borrow what I need lately. I looked into older kindles and from what i gathered they are very slow.
Someone suggested an iPad mini is a better option because it’s versatile.
I’m very much on the fence if I should get one. I have looked into a book light to help with nighttime reading, but idk this seems annoying to me. Does anyone have one? Do they like it?
If you have a kindle paperwhite – is it worth it? I’m trying my best to make an intentional choice vs a dopamine choice.
Thanks for listening to my rambling if you’ve made it this far 💛
Kindle paperwhite? Do I need to be deinfluenced?
byu/Risingwiththesun inFrugal
Posted by Risingwiththesun
36 Comments
Get the Paperwhite. Much easier on the eyes than phone or iPad. Cheaper than iPad, too. Worth every penny. I’ve had one for years
I would get a paperwhite. I got a cheap Galaxy Tab and put a matte screen protector on it, but it is heavy and the screen is still pretty bright for nighttime reading compared to a paperwhite.
I LOVE my e-ink ereader. It is SO NICE to read in bed and way better than the phone. You sound like the perfect candidate. Mine is my best friend
I’ve had a Kindle Paperwhite for the last 5 years, and gone through 2-3 versions of them. I’m an avid reader (on average 115 books a year) so it’s well worth it for me, especially as I commute regularly and taking a light ebook reader is so much easier than most physical books. I use Libby to borrow books and it syncs seamlessly with it. The screen design is especially good for reading at night and is less glaring than a typical ipad/iphone screen. Well worth it, imo.
You don’t need the latest generation Kindle Paperwhite (I think it’s currently the 12th). I gifted an older one (the 10th) to my younger sister and it still works perfectly. You can find secondhand/refurbished Kindles at a great price.
I fucking love my paperwhite and read wherever I am basically now.
This all depends on your personal reading preference. I like to read books on my cell phone. Husband must read physical books- digital mess with his adhd. And another friend went with a paperwhite to avoid distractions, and it’s invaluable to her.
Imo if you will use it, it’s worth the money. If you’re really only going to read physical books, or don’t have a preference and can use a phone/tablet you already have, then it’s not worth the money. This is up to you.
Edit to add: yes a tablet/ipad is more versatile, but if you don’t have a use for its other features like internet and other apps and are really only going to use it for reading, then you may as well save money and stick to the paperwhite.
I really like my kobo e-reader. I have the clara 2 (equivalent to the clara bw I think) and it’s really nice. Fits in my purse more comfortably than a book can. I can read in the shower. I can upload my own books, so it’s easy to get free books online. Connects directly to my library’s Libby, so I can borrow ebooks anytime. Super customizable, I changed the screensaver to random pictures of my friends and family.
If you read a lot, and it sounds like you do, the Paperwhite will be real nice.
The eye strain and battery life of a tablet will suck. The Paperwhite battery lasts weeks or months.
Be sure to get the ad-free version, not worth saving a free bucks.
So, I have the kindle paperwhite and i absolutely love it. It does what i need it to do. It’s compact, and as long as you leave it on airplane mode on you won’t lose any books you’re reading if you got them through the Libby app even if it’s past the return date. The book will still get “returned” so another person can read it but you’ll still have access on your kindle so you can keep reading. Once you turn airplane mode off, you’ll lose access to the book (unless it’s been on for more than 30 days then the book will stay on the kindle).
I have it for over 3 years now, no regrets. Haven’t had a physical book that I bought. I guess it will depend if you will really use it all the time.
I think I have the regular one with the backlight and it’s great. I’ve had it for years and it’s still working.
I’d get a Kindle or Kobo, no reason to spend money on a tablet for a subpar reading experience just because you can also watch videos or whatever. A few generations old is probably fine as well.
I bought a used paperwhite for $25 and replaced the battery for $15. Best $40 total I ever spent. I do not miss reading on an LCD / OLED
I love mine had it for years with no issues
I have an iPad and a paperwhite. I love them both but they’re not really interchangeable. Kindle is a much much much better reading experience.
Do you only/primarily use amazon for ebooks? With kindle you’ll be locked into it.
Alternatively if you wanna not pay a subscription I reccomend the Kobo Libracolor , its customzable , and you can search up a guide on how to download book Pdfs!
Treat yourself with a Paperwhite, it will be well worth it. Besides the ink like screen, it is much better on your eyes than an iPad – the lights face the screen instead of your eyes. The problem with reading on an iPad/phone, is that it IS too versatile, like your friend said. People like e-readers because they are distraction-free from notifications and no temptation to switch over to a doom-scroll app. And the battery lasts weeks.
With the newborn, get a flip cover case. If you flip it around backwards you can easily [hold it with one hand](https://i.redd.it/dgrn22m7iw1b1.jpg). Or a popsocket will also do the trick. If you get a flip cover, look for the ones that auto wake/sleep.
I love my Paperwhite. I’m on my third or fourth generation, and I’ll always have one. I saved some money and got my current version secondhand – still works fabulously, the previous owner just got a newer one.
It’s not like a tablet where it eventually begins to feel the bloat over time and you have to swap it out as technology changes. These things are simple and rock solid, and they do their intended function very well.
My current Paperwhite is a 10th gen from 2018 and it’s still zippy. I wouldn’t mind a newer version because this one has a micro USB port, but I have to charge it so infrequently that it’s not a huge deal to dig out the adapter.
Get the Paperwhite. Woot has them on sale with some regularity.
Yes, it is worth it. When my paperwhite died a few years ago, I cheaped out and got a regular Kindle and I hate that the lowest light level setting is still far brighter than my paperwhite. I also got my kids Kindles and got them the fewer dpi version to save a few bucks, omg, they were sooooo slow. I might have to proactively lose my current kindle so I can justify getting a paperwhite again. Life’s too short to be antagonized while reading, ya know?
I love my kindle. Idk which one I have but I love it
I absolutely love my Paperwhite! Try your local Buy Nothing group first to see if anyone has one just collecting dust – or you might be able to check out one from your library to see if you like it?
Get the kindle!! The battery life is crazy long. I can go for days without charging it. It feels so good to just pick it up and be able to read without always having to charge it. I buy a lot of useless shit but that Kindle I could never regret. You are going to love it.
The paperwhite, and invest in a stand that can hold it. Life saver. I’ve read over 20 books on my Kindle since my baby was born 10+ months ago. It is a mental health saver. If you want to splurge, you can even get a little clicker to turn the pages. There were a solid 3 months where I regretted not getting that too.
I used my phone with my first, and scrolling social media was a way worse option.
ETA: My paper white is at least 7 years old. It might be 10+ at this point.
You don’t have to worry about a paperwhite getting wet, it’s a lot easier to read in direct sunlight than a tablet and the battery lasts a hell of a lot longer on a charge. I’m in the midst of moving overseas with my paperwhite currently sitting in a storage unit and I really wish I had it with me. I’m using Aquile Reader on my phone and PC as a temporary solution, but much prefer the kindle.
Got the last version of the Oasis that had physical buttons. It’s perfect.
I have both a paper white and a book light. I don’t find the book light annoying to use, but I love the paper white for traveling (which I do a lot for work). I don’t have to worry about my book getting messed up in my backpack and it takes up less room. It’s also much better for the eyes than reading on an iPad.
I have an Oasis which is a fancier version of the Paperwhite, and my wife has a Paperwhite. We both love them and find them to be worth it with how often we read, the ease of obtaining ebooks (even from the library), the portability and long battery life. You can even transfer your own ebooks onto it from other sources if you can get it in epub format. It’s much better than reading from an iPad or other tablets which have harsh backlighting.
That being said, there are other e-reader options. Since Amazon doesn’t make the Oasis anymore and I’m a little fed up with Amazon in general, my next one will probably be either a Kobo or Boox or some other brand..
I will try to deinfluence you just because its an Amazon product. There are other similar products like meebook or a kobo where you have a lot more capability to actually own the books and aren’t locked into the Amazon ecosystem. This product is called an eink tablet generically and there are a lot of options.
A kobo is similar in terms of being easy on your eyes, but it’s a better option in terms of reading library books and side loading books you’ve downloaded or purchased from another seller. Kindle is deep in amazon land, so you don’t actually own the books you buy. Kobo is waterproof, works in hot sun or Canadian winter, and I use mine 6+ hours a day and drop and step on it and mine still last for years
E readers + Libby is super frugal. I still use my first Paperwhite from 2015 as my main ereader so I would say they’re very durable. They don’t have the same planned obsolescence as a lot of tech. I was SO lucky to find 2 kindles at a local non-goodwill thrift store for $10 each. I’ve also had luck on eBay getting a little older (but not as old as my 2015) kindles for about $30. It’s worth digging around a bit! Otherwise buying new is honestly still a pretty frugal choice imo.
Will you *realistically* use it enough to make it worth it? If yes, do it
I love my ereader – I got a Boox Go 7, which is an e-ink tablet that runs android. I don’t only use Amazon for books and the Boox lets you download all the book apps (I use Nook, Libby, Hoopla, Cloudreader, and Kindle depending on availability). It cost more than a kindle but much less than an Ipad mini.
I absolutely adore my Kindle Paperwhite. I read with it EVERY SINGLE DAY. It’s super comfortable to read with at night. You can adjust the brightness and font size to your comfort, and you can also read with the kindle app on your phone or tablet if you’re out somewhere and then synch to the page you’re on when you pick up your Paperwhite later on. It totally rocks.
I love mine. I haven’t been using it much while I read through my backlog of physical books, but now my husband has been using it and he enjoys it a lot, too.