I've used the best Kindle accessory ever launched – it's an essential addition
The Kindle Page Turn Cover is gorgeous (with a catch)
Over the past couple of weeks, I've been on something of a deep dive into Amazon's new Kindle launches. I've tested both the standard Kindle and the Kindle Colorsoft to see how their new aluminium designs feel in the hand, and have found both to be impressive from a design standpoint.
They also share the same big flaw, which is that their prices are now extremely hard to swallow compared to even a year ago. Well, sadly, there's one thing making that situation even worse: the best Kindle accessory we've been given for years.
The Amazon Kindle Page Turn Cover does almost exactly what it says on the tin, finally bringing us an official case with physical page-turn buttons. It only works with the new Colorsoft or Paperwhite models, since it needs a magnetic connection on their back, and also doubles as a good case even without the buttons.
It's made out of a sort of vegan leatherette and has a soft-touch interior to avoid scratching your display. On the right, meanwhile, you'll find the two buttons that let you go forward or backwards a page – and it's surprising how much comfort this unlocks.
The moment Amazon went touch-only with its page controls (generations of Kindle ago), it ensured that reading involves at the very least moving a perched thumb or finger to turn your page. Doing so one-handed is really tricky, and means that plenty of reading postures or situations don't work quite the way you'd like.
With the case on, though, I was able to turn the page easily with just a single hand holding the Kindle Colorsoft, and found it to be really quite a major upgrade the more I used it. Since I'd advise almost anyone to stick their Kindle in a case the moment they buy it, it's a fairly obvious shout to point people at this one.
That is, it would be obvious if the case wasn't priced so painfully. It comes in at £74.99 in the UK and $79.99 in the US, which is roughly the price for which you could have bought an actual Kindle in previous years during sales. That's a huge ask for what is just a case with some buttons on it – even if those buttons are massively useful.
In that way, the cover feels like it can stand in for the whole Kindle launch as a microcosm. It's basically the best accessory Amazon has debuted in memory, but the pricing makes it hard to stomach – just as the Kindles themselves are the best they've ever been, but also harder than ever to recommend if you're price-conscious.
Still, if you do have the budget for an expensive revamp of your e-reading experience, then here you go: the best way to do that right now. It might not be priced how I'd like, but I can't argue with the quality.
