Kindle Oasis

[olbriar]

I bought the first generation Kindle when they were first released. It's likely still around somewhere but I can't put my hands on it. I read a book now and then on my tablet but the battery drains before I'm ready to stop reading. They say that the glare from a tablet could cause a problem with going to sleep which I suffer greatly from and need not contribute to the problem. I checked into Audible but the price of the service is more than I want to subscribe to. So, long story short, I'm considering the purchase a new Kindle. From reviews the Oasis seems to be the model to purchase with the Paperwhite model being the second to consider. I plan to read a lot now that I've retired from one of my jobs. I'm seeking advice from those I respect. (AF family) Any hands on experience with either of these models? Are the ad supported models over run with BS. There is a considerable difference in pricing between ad supported and ad free models. I truly appreciate any guidance on my upcoming purchase.

 

[Unforgiven]

I have a Kindle Paperwhite, my wife has the newer waterproof version.

I'll start with my biggest fear first, the "ad supported" is no big deal. When the tablet is idle an ad for a book is displayed on the screen. When you want to read a book you swipe to unlock the reader and you won't see another ad until it is locked and idle again. It's possible there are other ads that I haven't noticed in other menus or when buying books, but if they are there they are unobtrusive.

Looking at the feature list it looks like the extras with the Oasis, beyond having a 1" larger screen, aren't worth it to me for ~$155 more, but that is really my opinion. Since I've never put my hands on one it's probably unfair for me to make any kind of definitive recommendation. I'll give my opinion of the "extra features" with my experience using the Paperwhite.

• Larger screen size - I guess this is preference. For me the smaller reader fits in a jacket pocket if I'm bringing it somewhere where I may have to wait around like a doctor's visit or Jury Duty. I don't wear glasses, so I'm not sure if that extra inch combined with a larger font makes enough of a difference. I'm not knocking it, I just don't know.
• 25 LEDs vs. 5 LEDs - The PW seems plenty bright so I assume the extras are multicolor to allow for the warm light.
• Adjustable Warm Light - I may be interested in this as the PW is as described, a white light, but I've never had a problem.
• Auto-Adjusting Brightness - meh, tap the top of the screen, tap the gear, slide the brightness where I want it on the paperwhite. Also, sometimes I adjust the light brighter or less depending on other lighting beyond the ambient light, but I'm sure you can toggle off the auto adjust.
• Ergonomic design - I really don't know what this means, it is a rectangle. My only guess is the bezel on the right hand side instead of the top and bottom for holding. The would actually be a slight negative for me as I am left handed.
• Automatic rotating page orientation - I may be interested in this, but I'd have to see it in action.
• Page Turn buttons - Again, not sure. My OG Sony had them and I preferred that over Kindle when I first changed (I had an original Kindle before my PW) but I adapted fairly quickly.

Like I said, I don't see anything on the additional features the would make **ME** pay the premium. Even reading further and seeing that it has an aluminum shell doesn't move the needle. Mine is from 2016 and I don't baby it and it still chugging along today. I've dropped it numerous times with no appreciable damage. I do have a case, but I think the larger factor is it weighs so little that when it does fall there just isn't a lot of mass.

The only update I would pay for is to get the waterproof version. Though I've only used it a few times on vacation it's nice to use in a pool. The larger reason is I always bring it camping and the likeliest way mine would get damaged is being left in a chair pocket or on a table in the rain.

 

[Unforgiven]

A point I wanted to make originally that I failed to include is that unless you want a large library of audio books you don't need the 32GB. I have 281 books currently loaded on mine, and many of them are trilogies or multiple book collections so actually significantly more than 281 actual books. I'll have to check when I get home, but I bet I'm well under 1GB of storage used.

 

[olbriar]

The reviews I've seen talk like upgrading from the PW to the Oasis is likely not worth the money. They do say that as a first time consumer (I virtually fall into this category) would appreciate the extras and find them worth the additional Expense. Ad free comes at a premium so I feared that the ads were quite obtrusive. The ad free model boast four times the storage and I find no option to buy less. I know I will not be storing 32gb of text.. good grief! Just saw your second post... I agree. I appreciate your thoughts about the two models.

Are you subscribed to the Prime or Unlimited plan? I'm struggling to find the difference between the two.

 

[Unforgiven]

Are you subscribed to the Prime or Unlimited plan? I'm struggling to find the difference between the two.

I have Amazon prime and get a new unreleased book per month and occasionally some other free books. I do not subscribe to Kindle Unlimited.

I do subscribe to email lists from BookBub and BookGorrilla that send me a daily email with book offers. I've got hundreds of books ranging in price from free to $1.99 from Amazon. You enter your preferred genres and that's what you'll be sent. There is also a feature that will recommend books based on what you read, but I don't do a good enough job of updating my status on books I've finished for that to work for me.

 

[olbriar]

I have Amazon prime and get a new unreleased book per month and occasionally some other free books. I do not subscribe to Kindle Unlimited.

Are audio books available with Prime and does the PW do BT?

 

[Unforgiven]

Are audio books available with Prime

Yes, but often for extra and it is often more than the book. I've never been an audio book fan so it was never a concern for me.

and does the PW do BT

I would have to confirm on mine, but the newest version certainly has Bluetooth listed as a spec
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07CXG6C9W?ref=ods_ucc_eink_pprwhite_rc_nd_ucc

Oh, and holy crap I the Cellular version of the PW is double the price. I'd just get the WiFi version and tether if you need a new book as individual books are tiny and syncking won't blow up your data plan.

 

[olbriar]

Yes, but often for extra and it is often more than the book. I've never been an audio book fan so it was never a concern for me.

I would have to confirm on mine, but the newest version certainly has Bluetooth listed as a spec
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07CXG6C9W?ref=ods_ucc_eink_pprwhite_rc_nd_ucc

Oh, and holy crap I the Cellular version of the PW is double the price. I'd just get the WiFi version and tether if you need a new book as individual books are tiny and syncking won't blow up your data plan.

I've only been exposed to an audio book once when I was traveling with a friend. A couple that I buddy with are way into Audible and it's features. I can see it's merits but not sure I would enjoy an audio book. It is an option I want to accommodate just in case.

I have an unlimited plan so data transfer is no concern. I am certain that my original Kindle communicated with the library via wi-fi. What does cellular service buy you... remote downloads? I don't see the need as long as I can access the catalog from home.

 

[Unforgiven]

What does cellular service buy you... remote downloads?

Yes, that's it. You don't need WiFi (or tether) to get books.

 

[Hadron]

• Ergonomic design - I really don't know what this means, it is a rectangle. My only guess is the bezel on the right hand side instead of the top and bottom for holding. The would actually be a slight negative for me as I am left handed.
• Automatic rotating page orientation - I may be interested in this, but I'd have to see it in action.
• Page Turn buttons - Again, not sure. My OG Sony had them and I preferred that over Kindle when I first changed (I had an original Kindle before my PW) but I adapted fairly quickly.

I've handled the Oasis, though as I'm phasing microUSB out of my life I'm not upgrading my current reader until a suitable USB-C model is available. And I believe these 3 things here are related: I think that the "ergonomic design" refers to the bezel, which also includes the battery and acts as a hand grip with the buttons on it under your thumb (and also most of the mass in that grip, so it's balanced for holding there). And the page rotation deals with the left-handedness: hold it by the left and the page rotates (and, I believe, the buttons swap over), so it can be used equally easily in either hand.

My take on the Oasis is that it's a basically the premium model. If they produce a USB-C model I might buy one for the extra screen space (in my case more text on the screen rather than larger text). My main reservation is that it is less pocketable than the Paperwhite, though the 2 jackets I wear most do have some quite large pockets so that's probably not a show-stopper for me. Of course I'd still have the Paperwhite as a more pocketable device, but as I don't sync with Amazon (WiFi has been turned on exactly once, to register it, and never since - I manage books by sideloading from my computer) that would mean the hassle of maintaining 2 devices, which I suspect wouldn't happen often.

 

[olbriar]

If they produce a USB-C model I might buy one for the extra screen space (in my case more text on the screen rather than larger text). My main reservation is that it is less pocketable than the Paperwhite, though the 2 jackets I wear most do have some quite large pockets so that's probably not a show-stopper for me.

I think it's odd that the Oasis doesn't have the USB-C connection and that deficit is quickly pointed out by reviewers. Not a deal breaker for me though I, like everyone, prefers a USB-C compliant device. I'm certain I would enjoy the larger reading real-estate. I've been reading on a Tab10 and with old eyes have the font pumped up. The larger display the better my reading experience will be. I don't anticipate carrying the reader on my person so size is not a big factor as long as it's not cumbersome to hold and produces a comfortably read.

 

[Hadron]

I don't use tablets for books myself: working on light-emitting screens most of the time my eyes are often tired by the evening, so I prefer either paper or a reflective screen like e-ink for reading.

I figure I don't really need a new e-reader, so I can wait as long as I need for a USB-C model. I actually prefer paper, so mainly use it for travelling anyway, which isn't a big deal at the moment (I'm about to cross the threshold of not having left the country for a year for the first time since the 1980s). My understanding is that these are low margin devices (the companies make their money selling books rather than devices) and USB-C costs more, which is why they lag behind in that respect. But they'll get there eventually.

 

[olbriar]

I pulled the trigger on an Oasis. I went all out while buying. My friend said I would be sorry if I got into buying audio books with the smaller drive. They take up considerably more space than text. I only plan on buying once so I went big. I hope that I'm not sorry. I do appreciate all of the input.

 

[ocnbrze]

I pulled the trigger on an Oasis. I went all out while buying. My friend said I would be sorry if I got into buying audio books with the smaller drive. They take up considerably more space than text. I only plan on buying once so I went big. I hope that I'm not sorry. I do appreciate all of the input.

when you get it, please give us your opinion on it. i'm interested in a e-ink reader myself.

 

[olbriar]

when you get it, please give us your opinion on it. i'm interested in a e-ink reader myself.

I will be glad to. I won't be able to provide any sort of comparison. The only other reader I have experience with was the original Kindle from years ago. I will give a run down on the Oasis features and such and things that aren't to my liking as well.

 

[Unforgiven]

Congrats my friend, I don't think you will be disappointed. Even the expensive one you got is still pretty short money, so no real harm getting the Cadillac. Enjoy it.

 

[olbriar]

Now to decide if I want to subscribe to the Kindle Unlimited service or stick with my Prime access. Unlimited, as I understand, offers a much larger library and a check out and return of up to ten titles at a time vs one free title a month with Prime. It sounded very attractive to begin with but checking the net it seems both Prime and Unlimited plans' library is lacking major titles. The kick it seems is that the five power house publishers are not on board with Amazon. I'll stick with Prime access for now and feel my way though a decision once I'm more informed.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

I just use my phone to read.

 

[olbriar]

The Oasis showed up as scheduled. It was a snap to set up and marry it to my ancient account. I went ahead and subscribed to the Kindle Unlimited plan to at least give it a try for free for 30 days. The Paper White unit has a three month deal. I think I'll like the borrow / return subscription. I don't revisit many titles and those I deem worth of having I can purchase. As far as the Oasis unit, it is well made and responsive. The light adjustments allow for a screen to my liking and found reading quite easy, I haven't utilized the auto light adjustment yet but I read day and night without any eye fatigue. (a problem I suffer greatly from with print) I'm really looking forward to see how it handles magazines. Being glossy paper just kills my eyes. The Oasis is easy to hold and turn pages with either hand. I have found that after a few chapters it's a pleasure to change hands. The unit has a bulge on the back to aid in holding one handed that works just okay. I wish that the hump had a sharper edge...it would make holding it much easier to hold one handed for extended periods. I did not purchase a charger or case with the unit. I will be shopping for a case of some sort soon. I don't want it unprotected but didn't know what I wanted until I handled it. I'm nearly through my first read and I have experienced one delay in the turn page button. Forward and back buttons work great vs touching the screen which also works. You can configure the two buttons to your preference for forward of back response and surprisingly that choice also reverses when you rotate the screen. If you decide that you want the top button to turn to the next page... when rotated it's still the top button for that function. That's my take on the new Oasis. Is it better than the cheaper Paper White... no clue. I do like the Oasis and I'm enjoying not reading off of my tablet. The Oasis is so light in comparison and frankly it's a far better reader in all respects. I'll touch on battery life and such a week or so from now when I know more.

 

[Unforgiven]

I will be shopping for a case of some sort soon.

I have something like this on mine:

Spoiler: Holy massive image...

It adds a comfortable feel to holding it and it does the magnetic turn on when you open it, turn off when you close it which I think is still a feature on the oasis.

 

[olbriar]

I think something similar to your suggestion is what I'll go with. I shopped a bit last night and didn't find anything I like better. I was hoping for some sort of case that when the front cover was folded over the back the ridge or hump on the back of the Oasis would be made more prominent and not covered by the flat front cover. After looking I realize that such a design would be near impossible. I will miss the hump as I call it for it does aid in one hand reading. Giving the Oasis some protection is a priority and outweighs the use of the hump. And yes, the Oasis can be activated by a case.

Battery life:
I finished my first book, The Enigma Cube today. After setting up the Oasis, playing with the settings, downloading my past library and adding four titles, and reading a book it drained the battery to 39%. That's plenty of battery life to make me happy. I have read that once you have your book or books downloaded you should put the Oasis in airplane mode which conserves power but I didn't. I'm only guessing but two books per charge should be possible.

 

[olbriar]

I went ahead a purchased a case similar to the one you shared @Unforgiven and received it today. It is as I figured, when the front is folded over the back the hump is covered up. However, the inside of the front has a recess so that it doesn't contact the two buttons on the face of the Oasis. That recess is just enough for a finger to rest in so the reader can be held and pages turned one handed. It's not exactly what I wanted but it will do just fine. At least the Oasis now has some protection.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

The smaller the better. My phone is like a paperback.