Amazon Kindle test (2024): few new features, lots of efficiency

Undisputed leader in the e-reader market, Amazon has unveiled a complete range of Kindles. Here we are testing the brand's most affordable model, the Kindle 2024. And the least we can say is that this updated version is not overwhelmed with new features. The latest one promises a brighter screen, more fluidity, and is also adorned with a new matcha green color.

For the rest, the Kindle 2024 retains the essence that made previous generations successful. It has a 6-inch E Ink Carta screen with a resolution of 300 pixels per inch. The internal storage is 16 GB, allowing you to carry a large digital library with you. Connectivity is provided by dual-band wifi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) and Bluetooth 5.0. This last feature allows you to listen to audiobooks in proprietary format via wireless headphones or speakers. Finally, Amazon announces a battery life of six weeks.

The Kindle 2024 is available at the recommended retail price of €120 or €110… with advertisements.

Construction

From the outset, the Kindle 2024 seduces with its lightness, weighing just 158 ​​g. It is therefore a compact e-reader, as easy to transport as it is to use anywhere. It is instantly forgotten at the bottom of a handbag or backpack. Its sleek design and compact dimensions (157.5 x 109 x 8 mm) also facilitate its handling and prolonged use, even with one hand. We would have liked the brand to add water and dust resistance, but that may be too much to ask for a product offered at this price. This does not prevent the device from benefiting from a very successful new matcha green color, which brings a real touch of originality, while remaining quite discreet. For fans of sobriety, a more classic black version is also available.

On the manufacturing side, Amazon is banking on sobriety here with classic, but robust, plastic and finishes that are not open to criticism. The product is well assembled and there is no suspicious play to report. The e-reader has a single button that is used to turn it on, put it to sleep or wake it up. Its positioning on the lower edge did not pose any ergonomic problems for us, as our hand generally rests on the left side of the e-reader when we hold it. However, we have come across testimonials online from users who complain about the location chosen for this single button.

The manufacturer further claims that its device is designed with “75% recycled plastics, 90% recycled magnesium [et que] the packaging is made from 98% wood fibers from responsible or recycled sources.”Welcome progress, but obviously impossible to verify.

Screen

We won't teach you anything by telling you that the screen is one of the most important components of an e-reader. While color is even arriving on competing entry-level models, such as the Kobo Clara Color or the Vivlio Light HD Color, Amazon is sticking to its guns with the Kindle 2024.

It completely ignores this technology, which allows the device to maintain an aggressive positioning. The newcomer still offers a 6-inch black & white e-ink screen. Its definition has not changed either compared to the Kindle 2022 with 1072 x 1448 pixels for a density of 300 pixels per inch. The only new thing is the brightness with improved panel lighting. To the extent that we are not convinced by the usefulness of color on such a small diagonal, its absence is in no way a handicap in our eyes.

Especially since the display of the Kindle 2024 does not disappoint. Its resolution of 300 ppi ensures remarkable clarity of texts. Its maximum brightness is also very good, at 135 cd/m². The little Kindle does better than all the other models we have recently tested, with the notable exception of its big sister, the Kindle Colorsoft and its 136 cd/m².

Same observation for the contrast, measured at 17.6:1. This is a very good result for an e-reader. Finally, the reflectance at 20.3% indicates that the screen reflects a reasonable amount of light, which can affect readability in very bright environments, but remains average for this type of device. Concretely, as long as the Sun or a bright light does not reflect directly on the screen, you will not have a readability problem indoors or outdoors.

Entry-level requires, Amazon has still reduced some features found on the screens of its more upscale e-readers. Thus, the display of the Kindle 2024 consists only of four white LEDs. This is sufficient for comfortable reading, but limits the customization possibilities, particularly for nighttime reading where some users prefer to opt for lighting with warmer tones. Here, the screen does not offer adjustments to influence the color temperature. While it won't necessarily suit everyone, dark mode makes up for this a little.

User experience

If you have already owned an Amazon e-reader in recent years, you will not be disoriented by the user interface of the Kindle 2024, which does not change from one generation to the next. However, it still turns out to be just as simple and intuitive once you have mastered the basic gestures. Navigation in menus and books is fluid.

The manufacturer does not communicate on the nature of the processor or the quantity of RAM on board, but the configurations of entry-level e-readers never look like much. However, this configuration is more than enough here to provide a very fluid reading experience when reading books. Amazon however promised page changes 10% faster compared to the previous generation. While it is difficult to verify such a claim, we can guarantee that the reading sessions go off without a hitch. As for navigation in the menus, this remains very correct for an e-reader, since it generally takes less than a second between the moment you press and the moment the action is carried out.

In terms of reading comfort, the Kindle 2024 offers several customization options: choice of fonts, adjustment of character size, line spacing and margins. It is also possible to highlight words or passages and find them easily in a dedicated notebook.

In terms of additional functions, the Kindle 2024 (and Kindles in general) is very sparse. However, this interface is ideal for readers who want a distraction-free experience. The only little flourish is to be found in the additional web browser. You shouldn't ask too much of it, and we're not the ones saying that, since Amazon displays a warning window when you first launch this browser.

For the rest, the e-reader supports Amazon's proprietary formats, mainly AZW (and the old .MOBI). It also allows reading PDF files, although displaying them on a 6-inch screen can be quite hazardous for this type of document, which is not very flexible in terms of layout.

For two years, Kindles have supported the EPUB format, which makes them much less confined to their ecosystem than in the past. We also appreciate that the brand has (finally!) deployed a solution for synchronizing Kindles with Macs.

How does the rating work?

Without revolutionizing anything, the Amazon Kindle 2024 stands out as a balanced entry-level e-reader, offering a pleasant reading experience in a compact and lightweight format. The improvements made are certainly minimal, but they help to further improve a product that is already very good at what it does. Because this device focuses almost exclusively on reading books, which is not a bad thing for an e-reader… If you are looking for an entry-level model with more features or color, that's somewhere else. you will have to turn around. However, opponents that meet these criteria are offered at significantly higher prices, which puts them in competition with the formidable Kindle Paperwhite 2024.