Amazon has unveiled a new version of its all-singing, all-dancing Kindle Oasis with an upgraded e-ink touchscreen that has variables levels of "warmth". Is it our imagination, or have we finally found something worth living for? Quite possibly; the new Oasis strips out the harsh blue colours from the backlight to ease your eyes when tearing through a page-turner early in the morning, at sunset, or late at night.
You can just roll with it, and take your time.
Blue light can disturb your natural body's circadian rhythm and promote alertness – as with cigarettes and alcohol, this can disturb the quality of your sleep. The warmth of the Kindle Oasis screen can be tweaked from white to amber at any time, via the quick access settings, faster than a cannonball.
The Kindle Oasis' warmth can also be scheduled to adjust automatically with sunrise and sunset. Like its predecessor, the new Oasis e-reader has a built-in sensor that changes the brightness of the screen based on the ambient light. Of course, you can always brighten or the dim the touchscreen manually from the same menu, so you always feel supersonic.
• Pre-order the new Kindle Oasis from Amazon today
Like the first two generations of Kindle Oasis, the new model has a wedge-like design for one-handed reading. It sports physical buttons to flip pages forward and backwards, although the touchscreen can also be used for that, as with the Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite. The upgraded third-generation Kindle Oasis also keeps the 7-inch screen size – a big 1 inch larger than any other e-reader in the Amazon line-up.
With a 300 pixel-per-inch resolution, Oasis also has one of the sharpest displays of any Kindle with an e-ink display, although it's worth noting that this hasn't improved since its predecessor, which launched in April 2016.
The Kindle Oasis is rated IPX8, which means that it can survive immersion in two metres of fresh water for up to 60 minutes – reassuring for anyone who likes reading in the bath, swimming pool or sea but suffers from a chronic case of butter-fingers.
With 8GB and 32GB storage options available, you should have plenty of space for your favourite audiobooks. With Audible and Bluetooth built into the Oasis, you can switch seamlessly between reading and listening so you never lose your place.
Amazon’s top-of-the-range e-reader runs its latest Kindle OS, which includes all the usual features we've come to expect from the best-selling e-reader range, including Whispersync, Family Sharing, Word Wise and X-Ray.
"The all-new Kindle Oasis includes everything customers loved from the previous generation, including the large 7-inch display, waterproofing (IPX8), and Audible – and now we’re making it even better," yelped Eric Saarnio, Head of Amazon Devices in the EU. "We’re adding an adjustable warm light so customers can read with a warmer tone that’s customisable to their preference to easily transition from daytime to nighttime reading," he then declared.
"Kindle is designed to create a sanctuary reading experience, and the all-new Kindle Oasis exemplifies this – whether you’re reading poolside on holiday or in the comfort of your bed."
The all-new Kindle Oasis is available to pre-order today in Graphite or Gold colour options, and ships July 24, 2019. The entry-level model with 8GB of built-in storage costs £229.99, while the 32GB model costs £259.99 and the flagship 32GB with cellular connectivity is £319.99.
Amazon is also selling covers that opens like a book, automatically waking the device when opened and putting it to sleep when closed. Choose from water-safe fabric covers, all £39.99, in Blue, Red or Charcoal Black; leather covers in Black or Merlot for £49.99; or a premium leather cover for £64.99.
