The Kindle Oasis has been reduced on Amazon by a not insubstantial $75, bringing it down to its "Amazon Prime Day reduction" low price of $175 at Amazon. While this makes it cheaper than full price, it's still around $50 more expensive than the next Kindle down the list, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition. But what are you getting with the Kindle Oasis, and why is it worth choosing the most premium Kindle over other e-readers in the range? Well, I've got one — and I'm going to tell you why.
Before we get started, it's worth keeping in mind that the Prime Day deals will only last until tonight, and after that, the Kindle family is going back up to full price. So if you're looking for a base model Kindle or a Kindle Oasis, then you're going to have to move fast as they'll be back up to full price before you know it.
With an adjustable warm light on its e-ink screen and a sumptuous aluminum shell, the Kindle Oasis is at the top of the Kindle tree. It's also $75 off on Prime Day, making it $175.
Why get a Kindle in the first place?
I love books. I love the smell of them, the feeling of turning the page, the colorful covers, and the "thud" that a hardback makes when you put it down on a table. What I don't love is the amount of space they take up. It's nice to have them all on shelves to show off what kind of books you like reading, but it reaches a point where there's not even enough space available for any new books to slot in. Instead, if you're anything like me, you end up with boxes upon boxes of books in cupboards or in the loft that occasionally enter a kind of bookshelf rotation, with the books swapping around on the shelves every now and again, or when I can be bothered.
I never thought I'd like a Kindle or any kind of e-reader for that matter. There aren't any pages to turn and sniff, no colorful covers, and no thud when you put the device down on a table. That was until I bought my first Kindle. It was the base model, with no touch screen and a bunch of buttons all over the place. I didn't think I'd like it, even as I unboxed it, making myself look happy for the very generous people who had bought it for me. It wasn't until I had to pack up for a holiday that the little device truly came into its own.
Oddly, it wasn't the e-ink screen that convinced me. I'd never used the best iPad to read any books and generally avoided anything with a screen to read for long periods of time so as to not get eye strain. Sure, the e-ink screen was nice on the eyes, but it still wasn't a page.
It was the space-saving aspect of it that made me realize just how useful a Kindle is. I'm a book-a-day kind of gal when I go away, and when you're heading off into the deepest darkest depths of the North of England for two weeks, you tend to bring more books than you know what to do with. Suddenly, I didn't have to restrict my book intake. I could download all the books I could ever read onto my little Kindle and pop it in my rucksack. Those 14 books I'd leave with and 20 I'd come back with two weeks later were no longer a space issue — it was all on a little device I could almost fit in a pocket.
But why the Oasis?
Once I'd realized that the Kindle was the future of reading, I used it for years until I dropped it down a mountain path, and watched it tumble to its doom at the base of a rocky outcrop. I don't think devastated quite cuts it; I was bereft of my Kindle. A replacement was necessary, and I wanted all the features.
The tactile click of the buttons had become like a replacement for the act of turning the page for me
I wanted a warm light, a sturdy aluminum chassis, and, most of all, buttons. The tactile click of the buttons had replaced the act of turning the page for me — I don't think I could do without it. When I went shopping, I looked at the whole Kindle range and each one had at least one of my requirements. Only one, however, had all of them: the Kindle Oasis.
Its sleek aluminum shell is a joy to hold, the e-ink screen is the clearest I've ever seen on an e-reader, and the warm light does a surprisingly good job of making eye strain a thing of the past as you read in the dark. I wish it had a USB -C charging port (it remains with a micro USB connector) and the Bluetooth connection it has, for some reason, is useless. But besides those two things, the Kindle Oasis is the best Kindle you can buy.
What about the other Kindles?
They're great! But they're not the Oasis. If you're looking for a cheap way to dip your toe into the joys of reading on an e-ink screen then the base model Kindle is an absolute steal at the moment for $45 at Amazon on Prime Day. It's even got a front light, so you won't have to buy an extra light. It's got everything you need in an e-reader, but not necessarily what you might want. Nothing extra. Nothing that says "I read books all the time." The base Kindle is a fine device and likely good for almost everyone, but if you're like me, you'll want something more.
The Kindle Paperwhite is also a solid e-reader and it's down to $95 at Amazon at the moment for the Prime Day sale. It features some of the best aspects of the Kindle Oasis. There's an adjustable warm light for reading in the dark and a 6.7-inch screen that covers the front of the device — but that's also the problem. There are no buttons to bring at least some of the physical feeling of reading a book. Again, while the Kindle Paperwhite is a stunning device it just doesn't really offer enough over the base model anymore to be worth it.
The Kindle Paperwhite signature edition is not worth the money either. At the moment, it's barely cheaper than the Oasis, and the only feature you gain is wireless charging and a USB-C charging port. If it wasn't $135 at Amazon, it would be worth it. But for $40 extra with the Oasis, you gain a lot more.
There's more heft to the Oasis, with its aluminum shell, and the light is more pleasing on the eyes thanks to the extra LEDs that Amazon has packed in next to the screen. It's got this great feel, with an ergonomically designed shape that contours and twists around your hand to make reading even more comfortable than reading a book. Sure, you can use the screen to turn your pages, but there are two marvelously clicky buttons that do a far better job in the widened bezel on the device's right-hand side. Left-handed? No worries, turn the device upside down and the screen rights itself, and the buttons are on the correct side.
Look, just buy the Oasis
Do you need to buy the Kindle Oasis? No, if you need a really basic portable reading device, then skip the Paperwhite and Oasis and go for the base model. It's light and is less than half the price of its bigger sibling. If you're looking for the absolute best experience that an e-reader can muster, then buy the Kindle Oasis. It's beautiful, comfortable, and currently $75 off. Just please, please don't read on your iPad. Your eyes will hate you. However, if you're looking to buy an iPad for reasons other than reading, there are currently some great Prime Day iPad Deals.
If you're looking for other Prime day content, we have you covered. Watch the iMore homepage for the best deals that come throughout the day and keep an eye on our Live Apple Prime Day Deals for more great Prime Day deals as they appear.
