Kindle (2019 release) - With a Built-in Front Light - White + 3 Months Free Kindle Unlimited (with auto-renewal)

This is my first kindle. I've been a "love the feeling of the page turning" kind of gal forever. But lately I've noticed I'm reading less and it's because transporting books is difficult. They're big/heavy, so you have to limit your selections. Whichever one I pick to bring somewhere often ends up being the one I don't want to read and instead I wish I brought the other ones. My love of reading surpasses my love of feeling the page turning. So I began thinking about an e-reader. During prime day, these go on sale so I got this model, the cheapest and most basic one, just to try it out. I'll say that the kindle subscription is actually fairly nice, and when setting up the kindle, take advantage of the free trial (whether or not you choose to continue it, it's nice to have for free). My trial is 3 months long, but I believe this varies depending on the current deals. I also got a month free for audible with two book credits, even though I'm not a new member to audible. I thought this was really cool, and all these free trials/books nearly offset the cost of the kindle. So far I love this kindle. It's REALLY lightweight, which I appreciate. It's responsive. When the kindle is in sleep mode, you can choose to have the book you're currently reading as the sleep mode Lock Screen, which is a thoughtful touch and makes it feel more book-like. The screen is truly anti-glare. I live in Alaska and it's summer so the sun is about 10ft away from me around 4pm. And still no glare. The anti-glare screen also does have a nice feel, reminiscent of paper. Turning the kindle on takes no more than a few seconds. It's not instant like most devices now, but it's by no means slow. Also while reading you can look up words, which is a nice feature to have while reading more difficult texts and expanding your vocabulary. Lastly a pro that has to be mentioned is that you can borrow library ebooks/audiobooks from the app libby, and send them to your kindle. These books are free and will return on their own once your reservation period is up. There's wait times for some so leave notifications on so you don't miss the books you've waited months for. All of this is in other reviews so I'll skip to the downsides of this basic model. 1) there's no dark mode. I didn't even think about this not being a feature when I ordered. I wrongfully assumed that by now, all new devices would have dark mode. But this device does not. There will only be white page with black text. I've read about dark mode with e-readers and overall even devices with the dark mode feature leave the user wanting more. I guess the anti-glare screen technology makes it difficult to also have a crisp/clear dark mode? But I'm no expert, this is just what I've seen in my research. Now although there's no dark mode, I do find that I can read this at night in bed in the dark. The brightness levels can be turned down so low that it's not straining on the eyes. The lower brightness settings also seem to have a warmer tone to the white background which is helpful when reading at night also. 2) if you do anything but read, the navigation is fairly slow and not intuitive. this device is great as an e-reader, that's what it was built for is to only load a page once in a while. loading web graphics quickly? not so much. the video I've attached shows a reference of the navigation while reading & turning pages. TL;DR this is a very simple e-reader but has all the things to make it a great one.

I absolutely love my Kindle! The built-in light makes it so easy to read anywhere—whether it’s in bed at night or outside in the sun. The screen is clear and easy on the eyes, and it really feels like reading on paper instead of a bright tablet screen. The battery life is incredible—I can go weeks without needing to recharge. It’s lightweight, slim, and perfect for traveling or tossing in a bag. I also love that I can carry an entire library with me, which is especially nice as a busy parent when I finally get a quiet moment to read. If you’re on the fence, I definitely recommend it—one of my favorite purchases!

Works as expected, decent battery life.

This is the first Kindle I have ever owned or used for more than a couple seconds. My current employer actually told me to pick one up, and I could have chosen any Kindle I wanted. After reviewing the choices I decided to purchase this one, despite it being the cheapest. Honestly, I’m quite thankful. I wanted something of a small size, and a device that would be comfortable and easy to hold with both or either individual hand. I do not need to store a million books, nor do I plan to read in a river, or while taking a shower. If that changes, then I’ll update you on the water resistance of this device ;) As far as the actual devices goes, it is a nice size, capable of shoving into a small pocket in a bag, and is easy for me to palm and hold in a variety of ways. It is extremely light, and I could easily hold this for hours. The touch screen is responsive and flipping pages is easier and faster than I anticipated, while also avoidable when just holding the Kindle to read. I was hesitant about the lack of physical buttons, and although I still wished they were present (e.g. on the sides), I lack no confidence that they will soon be forgotten. Since I read a good bit of technical books, and like to take notes, I was wondering how well this would function. Although typing up paragraphs would be challenging, I was pleasantly surprised with the responsiveness. I will probably leave shorter notes and markers on my Kindle and elaborate more when on a computer or tablet. Although it is certainly not a smartphone or computer, it superseded my expectations. I do not have experiences to compare against, being my first Kindle, nonetheless the screen itself is bright and clear, whites being a light gray, and blacks being… well, dark. I did not find an option to invert the colors (font white, background black), which was unfortunate. I also find it odd the power button is on the bottom. I definitely foresee this being bumped while resting against a surface. At this point, I am also a bit disappointed this does not use USB-C. I am guessing Amazon is saving this for a newer, more expensive device, but honestly, I feel all devices like this moving forward really should have this. Having freedom in my choice here, I am thankful I chose this Kindle variant, and given the price point, I am doubtful anyone would complain once they held it in their hands. Any shortcomings I do have, and minor and I am doubtful they will be an ongoing annoyance. Definitely recommend.