Kindle Paperwhite vs Oasis: Which is Better? [Full Guide!]

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The Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Oasis are two of the most popular e-readers amongst Amazon’s Kindle lineup. While they both have some really good features to offer, the question that buyers often have is which is better between the two: the Kindle Paperwhite or the Kindle Oasis?

In this article, we’ll compare the two devices in detail. We shall take a look at their specs, features offered and the key differences between the two devices. In the end, we shall also understand which of the two Kindles is best suited for your needs!

I own both, the Kindle Paperwhite as well as the Kindle Oasis. Thus, it is worth noting that all the points that I’ve shared below are based on my experience.

So, let’s get started!

Summary: The Kindle Paperwhite offers a better value of money. It has a better battery life, comes with a USB-C charging port, has all the necessary features for a good reading experience for an average reader. Kindle Oasis is nearly twice as expensive, and the incremental features don’t justify the higher price.

Kindle Paperwhite

The Kindle With The Best Value for Money

The Kindle Paperwhite is an mid-range product offered by Amazon. It strikes the perfect balance between budget and the features offered!

It comes with a 6.8 inch screen that has 300 ppi screen resolution. The 17 LEDs on the device make it easy to read be it day or night!

The Kindle Paperwhite’s modest price tag is perhaps best suited for budget buyers.

Pros

• Upto 10 weeks of battery life
• Value for money
• USB-C charging port
• Adjustable warm light

Cons

• Lacks 32GB storage option
• Screen is less bright comparatively

Check Price on Amazon

Kindle Oasis

Kindle With The Most Premium Experience

The Kindle Oasis is a premium category product offered by Amazon. It aims to provide the most ultimate reading experience for its users!

It comes with a 7 inch screen that has 300 ppi screen resolution. The 25 LEDs on the device makes brighter than the Kindle Paperwhite and easy to read during the day or night!

Pros

• Ergonomic design and light weight
• Physical page turn buttons
• Auto-adjustable warm light

Cons

• No USB-C support
• Only 6 weeks of battery life
• High price of the device

Check Price on Amazon

Kindle Paperwhite vs Kindle Oasis: Quick Overview

Amazon offers the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Oasis at two different price points. While they have a lot of similarities, both these devices actually cater to a different set of target audience.

While the Kindle Paperwhite is a mid-range product, the Kindle Oasis offers a luxurious, more premium reading experience with advanced pricing.

In order to know which product is better suited for your needs, it is important to know the key differences between the two devices.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the key differences in the features offered by the two devices:

Let us understand all the features and key differences in detail below.

Key Differences Between Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Oasis

The most significant differences between the two Kindle models offered by Amazon is the price, the dimensions, build quality, and a couple of other additional features. Let us go through all these details one-by-one:

1. Display and Size

The Kindle Paperwhite comes with a 6.8-inch glare-free e-ink display. The overall screen resolutions stands a 300 ppi pixel density. The text looks really crisp and clear even on a bright sunny day.

The Kindle Oasis offers a very similar display. It comes with a 7-inch glare-free e-ink display at a 300 ppi screen resolution.

Overall, the text looks just as crisp on both the devices, however, the larger 7-inch display of the Kindle Oasis provides more screen real-estate. This can be pretty handy to fit in more text or increase the size of the text as per the reader’s comfort.

One thing to note here is that even though the Kindle Oasis has a slightly bigger screen size, the overall size of the Kindle is much bigger due to the presence of the panel on the side that include the physical page turn buttons.

2. Design and Build Quality

The Kindle Paperwhite differs from the Kindle Oasis when it comes to the design as well as the build quality. This is where the premium, more luxurious, feel of the Kindle Oasis is accentuated.

While the Kindle Paperwhite comes in a standard, bare-back, plastic body, making it similar to just about any other e-reader on the market, the Kindle Oasis stands out in its build quality.

The Kindle Oasis comes in more premium looking, metallic frame design. The Kindle Oasis is also the most slim among all the Kindle models coming at thickness of 3.4 mm at the slimmest point. The tapered ergonomic shape makes it easy to hold in one hand.

Overall, the Kindle Oasis looks and feels more premium in the hand.

3. Battery Life and Charging

The battery life is also where the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Oasis differ quite significantly.

According to Amazon, the Kindle Paperwhite offers upto 10 weeks of battery life on a single charge. However, our real-world tests showed that 10 weeks is at the higher end of the expectation. Check out our full review of the Kindle Paperwhite to know more!

On the other hand, the Kindle Oasis offers just 6 weeks of battery juice on a single charge. The Kindle Paperwhite does offer a much better battery life over the Kindle Oasis.

One other factor to consider is that, unlike the Paperwhite, the Kindle Oasis has a USB 2.0 (micro-USB) port. Kindle Paperwhite comes with a more-modern, USB-C type charging port.

Having a USB-C port is a great benefit as you have one less charging cable to lug around. Plus, you don’t have to worry about losing your Kindle’s charging cable as any USB-C cable can be used for charging your Kindle Paperwhite (as opposed to the Oasis).

4. Storage Options

The Kindle Oasis comes with two storage options i.e. the base 8GB variant as well as the advanced 32GB models. Whereas, the Kindle Paperwhite only offers 8GB and 16GB options.

Honestly, I prefer the option of having a bigger storage capacity as there is no possibility of increasing the storage by installing an SD card on either of the devices.

So, this is definitely one area where the Kindle Oasis does stand out.

However, if storage space is your only concern, I’d recommend considering the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition that comes with a 32GB device storage at a much cheaper price than the Kindle Oasis.

5. Waterproof Capabilities

The Kindle Paperwhite as well as the Kindle Oasis come with IPX8 waterproof capabilities.

This means, both the Kindles can survive an accidental water immersion of upto 2 meters (or 6 feet) for 60 minutes in fresh water.

This provides you with more places for reading on your Kindle including next to the pool, on a beach or even in a bath!

Both the Kindles are equally matched in this regard.

Additional Features Offered With Kindle Oasis

So far, we’ve looked at certain features that both the Kindle variants offer by perhaps differ in terms of the options available. In this section, we shall take a look at some of the unique features that you get only with the Kindle Oasis.

After all, there is a reason why the Kindle Oasis is considered a more premium Kindle of the two variants!

Here are some of the features that make the Kindle Oasis feel premium:

1. Better Front Lighting

The Kindle Oasis comes with 25 LEDs in the front light as compared to the 17 offered by the Kindle Paperwhite.

While the front light of the Kindle Paperwhite is not bad at all, the lighting offered on the Kindle Oasis does feel more comfortable.

The number of LEDs offered might not look like a major difference statistically. However, after several long reading sessions, you will notice that the front light of the Kindle Oasis has much lesser impact on your eyes as compared to the Kindle Paperwhite.

2. Auto-adjusting Lighting

In addition to more LEDs in the front light, the Kindle Oasis also comes with an ambient light sensor that adjusts the warmth of the light based on the ambient lighting in the room.

The ambient light sensor on the Kindle Oasis automatically adjusts the light as the day goes by or as you move in and out of the room (or the cloud cover when reading outdoors).

Honestly, it is easy to forget how effective this can be until you switch to reading on the Kindle Paperwhite (only possible when you have access to both the Kindles!).

3. Automatic Page Orientation

Another unique feature that you get with the Kindle Oasis is the ability to automatically adjust the page orientation with the rotation of the device!

The Kindle Oasis comes with a built-in accelerometer that automatically changes the orientation as you flip or rotate the device.

This features makes it easy to switch your hands used for holding the Kindle. It also allows for easier one-handed reading experience on the Kindle Oasis.

4. Physical Page Turn Buttons

Another feature that is unique to the Kindle Oasis is the option to turn the pages using the physical buttons in addition to the screen touch.

The screen touch to turn pages also works on the Kindle Oasis. In fact, in my experience, the screen touch refreshed the page much faster than the physical page turn buttons. However, the difference is barely noticeable.

Still, the option of having the physical buttons to change the page allows me to hold the Kindle in one hand and makes it really easy for me to ready while commuting to work!

Price Difference Between the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Oasis

One of the major differences between the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Oasis is the price.

The base model of the Kindle Paperwhite starts at around $139 and the price can go as high as upto $169 depending on device storage chosen.

On the other hand, the base model of the Kindle Oasis costs nearly double that of the base model of the Kindle Paperwhite. Plus, if you want to go with the bigger, 32GB storage option (which I highly recommend), you may end up spending an additional $50!

I find it fascinating that you can potentially buy two Kindles, a Kindle Paperwhite along side a Basic Kindle, for the price of a single Kindle Oasis!

Kindle Paperwhite vs Kindle Oasis: Which is a Better Option?

Generally speaking, the Kindle Paperwhite is the better option than Kindle Oasis. Paperwhite offers a better battery life, comes with USB-C port, waterproof capabilities, adjustable warm lights, and all the basic features for a good reading experience at almost half the cost of the Kindle Oasis.

The Kindle Paperwhite definitely offers the best bang for the buck between the two Kindles. It has all the basic features to get a good reading experience from your Kindle.

The only important thing that it does miss out is the 32GB storage option. However, you can easily choose the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition to get the 32GB storage option and still save a good amount of money!

My recommendation is to choose Kindle Paperwhite over Kindle Oasis simply because the value it provides at its price is far higher than Kindle Oasis.

That said, if you want the ultimate premium reading experience on a Kindle and if budget is not a constraint for you, Kindle Oasis is definitely the right Kindle for you.

About the Author

Akansha is a former business journalist and a seasoned communications professional. She is the founder of TheBookBuff, an avid storyteller, and a lifelong biblophile! Check out her profile page to know more about Akansha.