What to know
- Leaks of Amazon’s 12th-generation entry-level Kindle peg it as a very unimpressive model update.
- Kindle (2024) is almost the same as Kindle (2022), except in a new color.
- The few notable changes include faster page turns and a new inverted monochromatic dark mode.
Just when we’d given up on seeing a new Kindle this year, a recent Kindle 2024 leak proved us wrong. The new 12th gen Kindle is the latest version of the basic Kindle that was last updated in 2022. But one look at the upcoming Kindle (2024) is enough to dash any hopes for new features we’ve been yearning for years. Here’s everything you need to know about the Kindle (2024) – what’s new, what’s not, and should you consider upgrading?
TL;DR: NO!
Kindle 2024 is here! But it’s not what any of us wanted
The new 2024 version of the basic Kindle was first spotted on the Amazon Spain website, and subsequently Reddit, where users gave it the welcome (read treatment) it deserves.
The ‘upgrades’ – if you could call them that – are not in keeping with anything that current Kindle users and prospective buyers have been dying to see on the basic Kindle.
For instance, there are no physical buttons that users have been requesting for years. Why? One Reddit user summed it up perfectly:
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Some other expectations included better colors, warm light on the basic Kindle, better placement for the Power button, and waterproofing. None of these are outlandish requests for the basic Kindle. But there’s none of that. Here’s what we get instead.
Kindle 2024 new features and specifications
Some of the ‘new’ features and upgrades on the entry-level Kindle (2024) include:
- A new ‘Matcha Green’ color.
- 25% brighter backlight.
- Faster page turns.
- A slightly lighter device at 154 grams.
- A new dark mode that inverts monochromatic E-ink screen.
And that’s about it! Everything else remains the same. Kindle 2024 is set to release on October 1st, though no official announcement has been made yet (at the time of writing).
Kindle 2024 vs Kindle 2022
Other than the ‘Matcha Green’, Kindle 2024 will be available in the traditional Black, and possibly in Blue Denim as well, which Kindle 2022 also sported.
Most things are the same on the two, including the six-inch display with 300ppi, 16GB storage, almost the same weight (difference of 4 grams), USB-C charging, eight weeks of battery, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and no warm light. There’s no information on the screen yet. But in all likelihood, it would be the same E ink Carta 1200 screen that’s on the Kindle 2022.
As we await an official release, there’s little reason to think that Kindle 2024 will be anything other than a refresh. Kindles anyway tend to last long (I used my dad’s 7th gen Kindle Basic until 2023 – and it still works great!). So a basic refresh of the models without any new additions is pointless.
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Should you buy Kindle 2024?
Though it’s as basic an upgrade as it can get, the green model doesn’t look half bad. If you’re smitten by the new color and are looking to get an entry-level Kindle, go for it. The inverted monochromatic dark mode could also sway some users. But if you recently bought the Kindle (2022), don’t worry – you’re not missing much.
There’s every chance that we may get another new Kindle, possibly a new Paperwhite. But time will tell what it ends up being. The disappointing new Basic Kindle (2024) will definitely be one of them, though Amazon hasn’t made an official announcement yet. We hope the other Kindle has some better upgrades. Or just give us a mini Scribe with buttons.
