They are two of the best-selling products in the world, and even though they are very similar, the difference in price between them means that each one is focused on different types of readers.
Years ago there was a real fight, one that put the buyer in serious trouble when it was their turn to buy an eBook reader. Different brands, different models, etc. But all that passed away when Amazon took over the market thanks to its Kindle.
Since then, the decisions have become something easier because almost all the doubts are between choosing the Kindle or the Kindle Paperwhite, or what is the same, the reference model and the advanced model of Amazon.
To resolve the doubt, we are going to review the key sections of both eReaders point by point:
- Design differences
- Screens
- Hardware
- Price
Kindle is lighter, Kindle Paperwhite is thinner
At first glance, they are almost identical, as you can see in the photographs. The only point where they do stand out is in color since the basic Kindle can be purchased in white or black, while the Kindle Paperwhite only gives the option in black.
In terms of dimensions and weight, they also differ little between the two, since the Kindle has dimensions of 160 x 113 x 8.7 mm and 174 g of weight.
The Kindle Paperwhite model has dimensions of 167 x 116 x 8.2 mm and 182 g (or 191 g for the model with mobile connectivity).
And in buttons and ports, both have a power button and a micro USB port on the bottom edge (they still do not give the step to USB-C).
For the rest, from the outside being able to differentiate one from the other is really complicated, being a few small details that can differentiate them: color intensity, satin material in front of the grain, rear logo. And let’s stop counting.
Kindle Paperwhite gains in resolution
Here we find ourselves in a similar situation since both models have a 6 “screen that is impossible to differentiate from the outside … until we turn on the device.
The Paperwhite model stands out again in this section for its sharpness thanks to 300 dpi (pixels per inch) compared to the basic Kindle model that stays at 167 dpi, so the Paperwhite wins in this section with almost double the sharpness, something key when we read PDFs or comics.
Both screens have front lights to be able to read in the dark, and here the Paperwhite solution is better by having 5 LEDs distributed around the screen, while the Kindle uses 4.
Despite this, both lights do their job perfectly.
Kindle Paperwhite has a more complete hardware configuration
Otherwise, they are similar or almost the same, including the software and the battery life, since both models offer weeks of duration on a single charge.
To highlight something, the Paperwhite model is waterproof (something very important now in summer) while the Kindle is not.
