Amazon Kindle Oasis vs Amazon Kindle Paperwhite: Should you pay for the premium e-reader?

The Kindle Oasis is the most premium e-reader from Amazon, offering an ergonomic design, the biggest display in the Kindle lineup, and a superior lighting system. But its exorbitant price often has people turning to other Kindle e-readers such as the Paperwhite, which is not only reasonably priced but also offers a feature-packed experience.

The gap between the Kindle Oasis and the Kindle Paperwhite has narrowed over the years. Many of the features that were once exclusive to the Oasis have trickled down to the Paperwhite. With the new Paperwhite 11th Gen borrowing even more exclusive features from the Oasis, Amazon’s flagship e-reader is finding itself in a very tough spot. How does the Kindle Oasis compare to the new Paperwhite? Let’s find out.

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Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen vs Amazon Kindle Oasis: Specifications

Design

The design is the most striking difference between the Kindle Oasis and other Kindle e-readers. The Oasis is all about luxury. It has an aluminum body that looks and feels premium, and thanks to its ergonomic design, it’s easier to hold with one hand. The Oasis is also the only Kindle to feature dedicated page turn buttons. The Paperwhite 11th Gen, on the other hand, sports an all-plastic build with thinner side bezels and a flush screen. It’s well-built, but it’s no match to the Oasis in terms of in-hand feel and ergonomics. Despite having a metal body and a bigger footprint, the Oasis weighs less than the Paperwhite.

Display

The Kindle Oasis packs a 7-inch E Ink display, the biggest in the Kindle lineup. However, the new Paperwhite 11th Gen has narrowed down the size difference quite a bit with its 6.8-inch display. The panel on both devices is glare-free and sunlight-readable. Both devices feature a built-in front light, but the Oasis has superior integrated lighting, featuring 25 LEDs. The Paperwhite 11th Gen is no slouch either. It packs a 17-LED array, a big step up from 5 LEDs on the 10th Gen model. More LEDs mean the Oasis provides more brightness levels and more uniform illumination around the display. The Oasis also offers auto-brightness and can adjust the screen lighting based on your environment. The standard Paperwhite 11th Gen doesn’t have this feature, but it’s available on the Paperwhite Signature Edition model.

One of the perks of getting the Kindle Oasis over other Kindles has been adjustable Warm Light, which cuts down blue light by casting a yellow tint over the screen. But this feature is no longer exclusive to the top model. The Paperwhite 11th Gen also has it and works the same way.

Performance

Although the Kindle Oasis is the top model, its hardware is three years old at this point. The Paperwhite 11th Gen being the newer model, has an edge here as it comes with the new, more powerful chipset. In particular, Amazon is claiming up to 20% faster page turns than the last model, which is a significant boost. That means the Paperwhite will feel zippier than the Kindle Oasis when turning pages, highlighting passages, and navigating around the device.

Waterproofing

The Kindle Oasis and Paperwhite are both IPX8 certified, making them water-resistant. Both devices can withstand immersion in 2.5 meters of fresh water for up to 6o minutes and 3 minutes in seawater.

Battery life & Charging

All Kindle e-readers deliver battery life that’s unheard of in the world of smartphones and tablets. Whether you get the Paperwhite or the Oasis, you probably won’t need to charge your device for weeks. In the case of the Oasis, it can spend up to six weeks off the charging outlet. The Paperwhite 11th Gen takes things up a notch by offering up to ten weeks of battery life on a single charge. Another major difference between the two devices is the charging port; the Paperwhite offers USB-C charging while the Oasis has outdated micro-USB charging.

Which of these Kindles should you buy?

The Kindle Oasis is technically the flagship Kindle, but it’s three years old at this point and starting to show its age. The introduction of the new Paperwhite 11th Gen has greatly closed the gap between the two devices.

Although the Oasis still has the biggest display, more premium design, and superior integrated lighting, it loses out to the new Paperwhite in terms of performance, charging system, and battery life. These shortcomings become even more egregious when you take into account the pricing. The Kindle Oasis starts at $249, while the Paperwhite 11th Gen at $139. That’s a massive price difference. Most people would be better off picking up the Paperwhite.

Not sure which Paperwhite model is better for you? Check out our head-to-head comparison of the Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen and Paperwhite 1oth Gen.