I’ve gone with the Oasis for screen size reasons. I like reading in landscape mode and the battery blob on the lower part works well with that. But if size doesn’t matter for you, go with a cheaper model.
I’m on my second Oasis. The first one “locked up” and no attempt to reset it has worked. I’d take it apart and check connections and such but that’s not possible. Grrrr.
By its very nature electronic paper can’t have a backlight, because it is completely opaque. You can’t shine a light through it to read it any more than you could with a sheet of cardboard.
It makes no difference. It’s just an implementation detail of the technology.
What does matter is that the unit is e-ink instead of LCD, etc. LCDs are backlit, but that’s not why they’re inferior in sunlight. It’s because e-ink is a reflective display, and thus naturally reflects the sun, which means that if ambient lighting is 10x brighter, so is the display. As opposed to an LCD, where the backlight can’t compete with direct sunlight, and thus washes out.
e-ink displays are front-lit due to their construction, but not all reflective displays are front-lit. And the lighting is totally irrelevant on reflective displays unless you read in the dark.
I have an Oasis, and I bought a very pretty third-party cover for it. The Kindle snaps into the back of it and the front folds back to make a stand. Unfortunately, the cover makes it too heavy and unwieldy to comfortably hold in one (arthritic) hand, so I only use it on trips. I tried doing without a cover at all, and it’s very light and sleek, but it’s also extremely slippery and rather cold to the touch. So I ended up getting a case that just covers the back of the device, and that gives it enough friction that it doesn’t slide off the arm of an easy chair without making it much thicker or heavier.
Technically there is a such thing as a reflective LCD screen. They work by having a reflective surface on the back. They can even in theory have a light behind the reflective part if the reflective part isn’t opaque (i.e., like a “two way mirror”).
But I’ve not seen that technology used since the Game Boy and its variations. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that also used a backlight, even though it is theoretically possible.
Agreed, though that felt like it was getting into the weeds a bit. My last car had one, for exactly the reason that it needed to be visible in direct sunlight (and at the time, high-powered LEDs weren’t available). The color quality was pretty terrible, but it remained legible in the sun.
It did have a backlight (or possibly a frontlight), of course, since it had to be visible in the dark as well. Regardless, the artificial lighting was irrelevant in the sun–what mattered was that it was a reflective display.
And yeah, it’s been many years since I’ve seen one of those. My car was from 2003. I guess it was a little newer than the Game Boy Color.
There was once a line of ebook readers that used a reflective LCD.
Worth it to me, for the screen size, physical buttons, warm light and dark mode. I think they all have dark mode now. I’ve looked at other models (I used to have the extravagant habit of buying a new Kindle every year - I’ve had the Paperwhite, Voyage, etc.) but they would all be a step down from the Oasis. I mostly use it before bed in dark mode and sometimes in the tub - I have a waterproof version. I really appreciate the ability to read in the dark without getting too much blue light.
Given the options provided by the OP. I’d go for the new Paperwhite. Paperwhites are fantastic across the board, and even better than they were before I had one.
I have a Kindle paperwhite thats getting old and the decline in battery life is getting noticeable. I’ll be replacing it with an Oasis. Is the slightly more premium build worth an extra $100 to do the same thing? It is to me, but I use mine all the time.
The Oasis was a no-brainer for me and when mine dies, assuming no major announcements, that’s what I’ll get again.
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned that seems like a small detail but matters to me: the flush screen. The base Kindle has an inset screen under a small bezel. The Paperwhite and Oasis have a totally flush face. No cracks for lint and dirt to accumulate in. I treat my Kindles poorly; they’re forever getting lost in the couch cushions, jammed deep in a travel bag or recently, taken backpacking in a dusty environment. The flush face makes them super easy to wipe down.
that’s what I ended up getting, with a leather cover.
that’s good news!
I find the talk of covers interesting. I have never used one for an ereader (had a basic Nook before the Oasises (?)). I gave up using ones for my tablets since they just got in the way. I guess I just have a loooong history of being careful with devices (and other stuff).
I’m extremely careful with my stuff (when people toss their phone around I cringe). I see the covers as part of my extreme care.
I always use cases on tablets, ebook readers, and phones. (Usually an “always on” case, but sometimes one I take it out of when using and store it in when not.)
I agree with all of this.