Review: Amazon Kindle Oasis (Should You Upgrade?)
If you’re like me, a good book is great anytime. I enjoy reading to help me wind down after work, during a rainy day, or while lying in bed at night. Basically, if I have time, I want to read. With today’s technology, however, paper books are becoming a thing of the past, and e-readers are preferred.
There are several different e-readers on the market, such as Nook or the Amazon Kindles. Amazon has had several generations of Kindles since its beginning in the year 2007. Each has had new features added, such as making it faster, lighter, and smaller. Their main objective is to make it feel like you are reading on digital paper.
The newest Kindle yet, the Amazon Kindle Oasis, is the closest yet to completing this goal. I decided to give the Amazon Kindle Oasis a test to find out if it is worth the upgrade from an earlier model.
Review: Amazon Kindle Oasis
I ordered my Amazon Kindle Oasis from, of course, Amazon for $289.99 that included a leather charging cover which claims to boost battery life to months. The cost is much more than the other Kindle models, I know, but I figured (and hoped) there must be a good reason.
The Amazon Kindle Oasis arrived quickly. I was excited to test it out and knew exactly what book I would use first. After opening, the first thing you will notice is the look is slightly different than other Amazon Kindles.
Rather than in a rectangle shape, the Kindle Oasis is more square shaped. The same metallic construction was used with the Oasis as was used with the Kindle Voyage. Amazon was not looking for an amazing look design but one that ensured comfort and greatness with use.
Amazon Kindle Oasis: Design
While holding this product in your hand, you will immediately notice it is much thinner and lighter than previous Kindle models. The Kindle Oasis is the lightest Kindle yet, weighing only a mere 4.6 ounces compared to 5.7 ounces for the entry level Kindle, up to 7.6 ounces for Kindle Paperwhite.
When looking at these numbers it may not seem like much, but when I took it into my hands, you can feel the difference. You can read for extended periods of time without your hand becoming uncomfortable.
Also, you will immediately feel how much thinner the Oasis is at only 0.13 inches. While reading for any length of time, the thinner the better for both our hands and wrists. The entry level Kindle was 0.36 inches, showing us that Amazon has succeeded at creating an e-reader that is almost paper thin. You will feel like you are holding a magazine in your hand rather than an e-reader screen.
Amazon Kindle Oasis: Display
At first glance, many people might assume the viewing screen is smaller than other models. However, looks can be deceiving. The Oasis screen size is the same as other Kindles with 6-inches of viewing space.
One of the big changes Amazon has made with the Oasis is with the lighting system. There is now 10 LEDs compared to 6 and 4 on the Voyage and Paperwhite. Also, rather than embedding them on the bottom, the LEDs are now embedded on the side. The result is a whiter, brighter display for viewing. Keep in mind, the lighting does not automatically adjust for a different environment, instead, they are on always.
Amazon Kindle Oasis: Resolution and Text
The resolution has come a long way since the first Kindle model of just 167 ppi to an amazing 300 ppi on all later models, such as the Oasis. When comparing text on the e-ink display, there is much similarity to what you see with both the Paperwhite and Voyage models.
As with other models, Amazon Kindle Oasis uses the touchscreen to turn pages. However, with this newest version, there is also page turn buttons on the devices side. Due to a built-in accelerometer, the page, as well as the page turn buttons, automatically rotate allowing for easy use in either hand.
Amazon Kindle Oasis: Battery Life & Cover
Amazon Kindle Oasis claims to have battery life that can last up to nine weeks when using the included Oasis cover. This cover is available in three different colors, black, walnut, and merlot. It slips on and off easily by adhering magnetically. While the Kindle Voyage cover folds up to create a cover, the Oasis cover does not. Battery life when not using the cover is two weeks. Take note, however, these battery life claims are with Wi-Fi turned off.
To give the Kindle Oasis such as long battery life, Amazon had some work ahead of them. The Oasis goes into hibernation mode when not used for one hour. Hibernation mode is different from past models sleep modes or the screensaver mode on the Oasis. Memory is shut off and the processor is placed into a state that uses very-low-power when in hibernation mode. When the screensaver mode is used, memory is not shut off but rather put into a low-power state.
Amazon Kindle Oasis: Specs:
- 1GHz Processor
- 4GB Storage Built-in
- 60 Percent More LED
- Touch-Screen Display
- Easily Read with Either Hand
- Able to Hold Thousands of Books
Amazon Kindle Oasis: Overall Impression
As soon as I received my new Amazon Kindle Oasis I was eager to begin testing. I loved the feel of this new model in my hand, noticing the difference in comfort immediately.
Switching from my left hand to my right to read was no problem. With one hand operation, you can read and switch pages easily using the same hand to operate the buttons. I did enjoy the page-turn buttons with this model.
The claims from Amazon that the Oasis battery life would last for nine weeks when using the charging cover is a little off. I got a little more than seven weeks but was still very impressed.
I loved almost everything about the Amazon Kindle Oasis. The only negative I see is the price, costing much more than other e-readers. However, as an avid reader and user of e-readers, I would recommend saving up and spending more to have this great little piece of modern technology.
Delightful reading to you!
If you’re looking to read reviews for other cool gadgets that we’ve reviewed, we recommend you check out our article on Renpho’s Bluetooth Body Fat Scale while you’re here!
