The Kindle Voyage has a pixel density of 300 - the same level that most printed pages have. This means that text is crisp which makes it easier and less distracting to read.
You can expect about 20 hours of reading time (30 minutes per day for 6 weeks, or 1 hour per day for 3 weeks) at moderate brightness before needing to recharge the Kindle Voyage.
Page turn buttons are back on this version of the Kindle (they used to be available on older Kindles, but were missing on the previous generation). There are two capacitive page turning buttons on either side - 4 in total. The long strips are for next page, and the small dot is for the previous page. This makes it easy to turn the pages whether you are left or right handed. The long page forward button means it should be fairly easy to find in the dark, even though it isn't backlit.
The screen is flush with the bezel on the Kindle Voyage, unlike the more affordable Kindles (original Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite). This means there are no shadows from the bezel, and also swiping across to turn the page feels much nicer as well.
There is an ambient light sensor which will automatically adjust the brightness to suit your environment. It will also adjust the brightness gradually so it's less noticeable. This also means that you will be able to read at night, or in dark rooms without needing a lamp or flashlight.
While fairly large, this Kindle' page turn buttons are capacitive, which means that you may accidentally press them if the sensitivity is turned up too much, or it may be difficult to find and press them if the sensitivity is too low. Plus they aren't backlit which makes finding them in the dark harder.
As with most Kindles, unless you opt-out (which costs $20), you will have an ad as your lock screen and also as a banner on the bottom of your home page.
The Kindle Paperwhite has a resolution of 1024x768, which on a 6" display makes for a very nice 300ppi (similar pixel density to iPhones and iPads). The display is also backlit, which means you can read it at night. The lights won't bleed unless it's a very dark room,which is also less distracting than some competitors. The display also isn't glossy, which means you can read it outdoors without worrying about glare or other reflections.
The background of the Kindle Paperwhite actually looks white-ish instead of a very noticeable shade of grey which is common on other Kindles (and other E-readers for that matter), which greatly improves contrast (the text looks more distinct) and makes it more comfortable to read on.
There is only 2GB of storage available which is plenty for books (which have a very small file size), however if you are going to be downloading PDFs or other files you may find yourself run out of storage quickly.
To keep the price low, Amazon has included ads on the Kindle Paperwhite. You can remove ads for an additional $20. If you don't though, they will appear as a screensaver (whenever you aren't reading they will display on the screen - this doesn't take power as the Paperwhite uses an E-ink display). They will also appear as a small banner on the bottom of the screen when browsing in the store.
Amazon doesn't include a charger in the Paperwhite's box. It requires a micro USB charging cable and a wall adapter which are commonly found for Android phones (although not the newer phones which use the new USB type C charging port). You can find these Micro USB chargers for fairly cheap, however it would have been really nice if Amazon would have included one in the box.
The Paperwhite can display PDFs, which is a nice utility to have. Even though scrolling has a very slow refresh rate, it's still usable. You can even pinch to zoom to enlarge whatever is on the display, and you can view it in landscape as well because the 6" screen is a bit small for portrait viewing.
When you open up the options menu on any Kindle, along the bottom you can see an estimate of how many minutes left until you finish reading the chapter (great for seeing if you have enough time to keep reading, or if you should stop now at a decent spot), as well as how much longer it will take to finish the book. It also displays battery life, and how many pages you've read out of the total amount of pages.
The Kindle Paperwhite (like the other Kindles) allows you to choose the settings that best suit your reading style. You can customize the text size (8 different sizes to choose from), font (6 to choose from, including a serif font), and there are 3 options for both line spacing as well as margins.
There is an included web browser, although it's in an 'experimental' stage. It allows you to connect to the web, however because of the E-ink display the refresh rates are extremely slow which means displaying a new page or any moving parts on the screen don't look great.
The bezels aren't very big, which means that it will be a bit harder to hold onto it without constantly touching the display. It looks nicer, however isn't as functional.
There is only a single physical button on the Paperwhite - and that is the power button. You will need to swipe across the screen to turn the pages, which not all users like. It's convenient to use a dedicated hardware button to turn the page, because you can hold the Paperwhite and not need to move your fingers to the screen to turn the pages.
This is the most comfortable Kindle to hold yet. At just 4.6oz, it feels very light and because the back isn't flat (about 1/3 of one side is thicker), it feels better to hold in one hand as the weight is mostly along that edge (the center of gravity is held right in your one hand). You also don't need to worry about where you put your thumb as much - the 'spine' has ample room to rest your thumb.
The Kindle Oasis brings back physical page turning buttons after previous Kindles which didn't have them. On that 'spine' edge are are dedicated page turning buttons that physically stand out so you can find them even in the dark. These buttons are rather clicky, and feel high quality.
On it's own (without the cover), the Kindle Oasis will last around 4-5 hours of continuous reading which isn't anything special (Amazon claims 2 weeks). With the official Kindle Oasis cover attached, this time is extended to 20 hours (Amazon claims 8 weeks) - which is a really good result.
The only way to charge the included Kindle Oasis' cover is by attaching it to the Kindle and charging them both at the same time. It would be handy to be able to charge the cover separately, although then it would need a port which could be more susceptible to damage.
The leather case is odd at first as it doesn't cover the whole back (it covers the thin section but not the thick 1/3) and wraps around the front. It adds functionality though - it includes a battery which helps you read for longer. The case attached magnetically through pogo pins so there's no locking/unlocking required.
Along the 'spine' side, there are 10 LEDs which provide the backlite for the Oasis, and you can see them pretty clearly. This is more of a cosmetic issue than a utility one, however it can provide a distraction until you get used to it as it makes the screen appear less uniform.
Thanks to the Kindle E-reader's E-ink display, this Kindle can go weeks (or up to a month with just light use) before needing to charge it. The E-ink display can display a static image virtually endlessly without drawing any power (it only takes power when refreshing whatever is on the screen - flipping to the next page or bringing up a menu).
Amazon still offers it's fully featured UI even on this budget Kindle E-Reader. You can make notes, look up the definition of words, change the font, size and spacing, and you have access to all the same books and content that the more expensive Kindles have.
It even includes Amazon's X-Ray feature, which gives you a reminder of important people, terms, and images (as well as how many times they're mentioned which gives you an indication of which ones are more important than others). This is really handy, especially if you put down a book for a while and need a quick refresher on who's who.
The only connectivity offered in this base Kindle E-Reader is Wi-Fi. Other more expensive models offer this, which allows you to download books while away from Wi-Fi as long as you have cell service.
To keep the price low, Amazon has included ads on the Kindle E-reader. You can remove ads for an additional $10. If you don't though, they will appear as a screensaver (whenever you aren't reading they will display on the screen - this doesn't take power as the Paperwhite uses an E-ink display). They will also appear as a small banner on the bottom of the screen when browsing in the store.
While 4GB of storage doesn't sound like much, this Kindle can hold over 1000 books. If you download a lot of PDFs you may start to have some memory shortage issues, however this won't be the case for most users.
The Kindle 2016 allows you to choose the settings that best suit your reading style. You can customize the text size (9 different sizes to choose from), font (6 to choose from, including a serif font), and there are 3 options for both line spacing as well as margins.
There is an included charging cable in the Kindle's box, however this is only useful for plugging it into a computer to charge. You will need to have an extra wall adapter to charge it on a wall, or you will need to purchase one.
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