There’s no question about it: Amazon dominates the ereader market. It’s Kindle e-reader is the most popular e-reading device of all time. In the 10 years since it was first introduced the Kindle has become synonymous with e-reading. But in that time, Amazon has also introduced a slew of different Kindle devices. Currently the company sells four individual models: the Kindle, the Kindle Paperwhite, the Kindle Voyage, and the Kindle Oasis. The latter two can be considered Amazon’s “high end” Kindles, though each is radically different. And this autumn, Amazon updated its Kindle Oasis (the Voyage is the same as it was in 2016). So just how do the new Oasis and Voyage compare? We took a look to find out.
Kindle Oasis (2017) vs Kindle Voyage: Specs
As always, let’s get started with the specs first.
Kindle Oasis (2017)
- Screen: 7-inch glare-free, 300ppi
- Built-in Light: 12 LEDs + Adaptive light sensor
- Weight: 194 grams
- Dimensions: 159mm x 141 mm x 3.4–8.3 mm
- Page Turns: Touchscreen + page-turn buttons
- Battery Life: “weeks” based on 30 minutes reading a day
- Storage: 8 GB or 32 GB
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi + free 3G
- Waterproof: Yes
Kindle Voyage
- Screen: 6-inch glare-free, 300ppi
- Built-in Light: Yes + Adaptive front light
- Weight: Wi-Fi: 180 grams, Wi-Fi + 3G: 188 grams
- Dimensions: 162 mm x 115 mm x 7.6 mm
- Page Turns: Touchscreen + PagePress
- Battery Life: 6 weeks based on 30 minutes reading a day
- Storage: 4GB total (3GB usable)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi
- Waterproof: No
Kindle Oasis (2017) vs Kindle Voyage: Display
From a resolution point of view, the Oasis and Voyage are identical: each features an all-glass screen with 300 pixels per inch. However, the new Oasis sports a 7in display versus the Voyage’s 6in display. The Oasis also features 12 LEDs illuminating its display versus the ordinary built-in light in the Voyage. Besides that, they both sport an adaptive front light. What is an adaptive front light? Amazon explains it best: “In order to more closely resemble reading on real paper, we researched and hand-tuned the optimal brightness setting for every lighting condition. The new adaptive front light automatically adjusts the brightness of the display based on your environment, and can even be fine-tuned further to your personal preferences. When reading in the dark, the adaptive front light slowly lowers the display’s brightness over time to match the way the eye responds to darkness.” In short, this adaptive front light makes reading on either device under varied conditions much easier–and since both sport it, you win either way.
Kindle Oasis (2017) vs Kindle Voyage: Design
The design is the biggest difference between the two Kindles. The Voyage uses the standard “slate” e-reader design Kindle is known for, but the new Oasis uses a tapered design with a handgrip built into the side of it. Amazon says this hand grip mimics the spine of a physical book, shifting the center of gravity to your hand, which makes it the easiest Kindle to hold for long stretches of time. The hand grip also features “page turn buttons”—buttons you can physically touch to turn the page.
Because of the hand grip design, the body of the Oasis tapers off. Its maximum thickness is 8.3mm at the hand grip—thicker than the Voyage’s uniform 7.6mm thickness. But the Oasis tapers off to less than half the Voyager’s thickness at just 3.4mm at its thinnest.
As for the Voyage, it has PagePress technology built into the bezel. PagePress uses haptic sensors in the bezel to sense when you touch it. Press a little harder than normal and it will prompt the book’s page to turn. This means your hands don’t need to leave the device to touch the screen to turn the page, enabling you to concentrate on continuous reading. Both the Voyage and Oasis also allow you to turn pages by tapping the screen.
The new Oasis is also waterproof where the Voyage is not.
Kindle Oasis (2017) vs Kindle Voyage: Battery, Storage, and Connectivity
Another big difference between the new Oasis and the Voyage is the Oasis has much more storage. The Oasis comes with either 8GB or 32GB of storage. That’s versus the 4GB of storage the Voyage has. However, note that both actually have 1GB less of usable storage after the OS takes up its room. And as for connectivity, each comes in a Wi-Fi-only model or a Wi-Fi+3G model.
When we get to battery life, the two differ are the same as well. Each features a battery that lasts for up to 6 weeks based on 30 minutes reading each day. Keep in mind though that when you use the Oasis’ battery cover, it can last for “months” at a time on just a single charge.
Kindle Oasis (2017) vs Kindle Voyage: Price and Verdict
The new Oasis is the flagship Kindle, with the unique design and that included battery cover, which means it's going to cost you more for all that extra tech–though it is cheaper than last year’s model.
The Wi-Fi model of the Oasis is £229 for the 8GB model and £259 for the 32GB model, and the 32GB Wi-Fi+3G is £319.
The Kindle Voyage is £169 for the Wi-Fi-only. So basically, the entry level Oasis is £60 more than the Voyage. Is that £60 worth it? Considering you get double the storage for that extra cost, a larger display, and more LEDs in that display, plus the waterproofing, it makes it a compelling upgrade to go for.
by michaelg via Featured Articles
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