New Kindle Paperwhite (2022): what we want to see
We finally saw a new Kindle Paperwhite in late 2021, and it’s a great ereader, with a long-awaited USB-C port, a bigger, brighter screen, better battery life, and an assortment of other upgrades. But given how long it had been since the last model, this still isn’t quite as much of an upgrade as we might have liked.
So we’ve therefore got a significant wish list for the next Kindle Paperwhite, which for now we’re calling the new Kindle Paperwhite (2022). You’ll find everything we’re hoping for below, along with information on the likely release date and price.
We’ll also be using this article to house any leaks and rumors about this Paperwhite, though so far, we haven’t heard anything about it. Check back soon though, as that could change at any time.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next mid-range Kindle
- When is it out? Not before late 2022, and probably later
- How much will it cost? Maybe around $129.99 / £129.99 / AU$199.99
New Kindle Paperwhite (2022) release date and price
The Kindle Paperwhite (2021) was announced in September 2021, so the absolute earliest we’d expect to see the Kindle Paperwhite (2022) is September 2022. But in reality, the wait will probably be a lot longer, as Amazon doesn’t operate on a yearly upgrade cycle for these devices.
The previous Paperwhite for example came out in November 2018, so there was a roughly three-year gap between the last two. There was also a three-year gap between the 2018 model and the one before it, though before that we were looking at 18-month and 12-month gaps.
So a new model this year isn’t out of the question, but 2023 or even 2024 is probably more likely.
As for the price, there’s no news there, but the Kindle Paperwhite (2021) starts at $129.99 / £129.99 / AU$199.99 with adverts, or $139.99 / £139.99 (about AU$260) without adverts, so we might be looking at something similar with the new Kindle Paperwhite (2022).
What we want to see
We want a lot from the new Kindle Paperwhite (2022), but the following things top our list.
1. Wireless charging as standard
Wireless charging has been around for years now, and no longer feels like a premium feature. We wouldn’t necessarily expect the basic new Amazon Kindle (2022) to get it, but it doesn’t seem unreasonable that the new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2022) should.
It’s arguably less useful on ereaders than phones, since we charge these devices less often, but it’s still a nice option to have when it does come time to charge, so we want to see this on the next Paperwhite model – and don’t want it reserved for a premium Signature Edition.
2. No Signature Edition
Speaking of which, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2021) feels a bit unnecessary. While it’s a good device, it doesn’t add much to the standard Paperwhite, and doesn’t really justify the price leap.
So for the next generation of Kindle we’d like to see Amazon skip the Signature Edition and just add those features to the standard Paperwhite.
3. A lower price
One complaint we had about both the standard Kindle Paperwhite (2021) and the Signature Edition was the price, as you were paying more than for previous models.
It’s not unusual for tech prices to go up, but given that this is a mid-range model and feels fairly low-tech in a lot of ways, we don’t think the price should be too high.
Maybe if Amazon adds major new features like a color screen (more on which below) then charging the current prices (or even higher ones) could be justified, but otherwise, we want the Kindle Paperwhite (2022) to cost a bit less.
4. Faster page turns
One issue we found even with the Signature Edition of the current Paperwhite model is that page turns feel slow.
This has been the case since day one of Kindles, and while the situation has improved a little in recent years, you still don’t really feel like you’re using a slick, modern device, so this is something that we’d like to see improved for the next Paperwhite.
5. A color screen
This might be a big ask, with the new Kindle Oasis (2022) probably more likely to get a color screen, but it’s something we’d love to see on the new Kindle Paperwhite (2022) as well.
Color ereaders are coming, with TCL having already announced one for example. So it’s presumably only a matter of time before Amazon gets in on this, and we’re hoping this happens sooner rather than later, as it would make reading magazines and comics on Kindles much better, and would also be good for displaying book covers in all their glory.
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