3 Reasons Why You’ll Love the New Kindle Paperwhite (that make it worth upgrading!)

As much as I love turning the pages of a book, my Kindle Paperwhite has become a beloved device that is one of my must-haves. For years I’ve loved the simplicity of the Paperwhite because it puts the reading experience first and allows me to enjoy favorite books free from eyestrain and glare that come with other eReaders and distractions that come with resisting multitasking on a tablet. Over the years I’ve read countless books on my Paperwhite that I’ve tucked in my backpack, purse, or beach bag for family getaways and work trips around the country and the world. While it’s hard to imagine the Paperwhite getting any better, it has.

Yesterday Amazon released the new Kindle Paperwhite and it was love at first sight all over again. If you already love your Paperwhite, here are three huge reasons to upgrade

#1 Brighter screen with crisper text

Still the same compact size and affordably priced at $119, the new Kindle Paperwhite boasts better screen resolution that is apparent the minute you turn the device on. The brighter screen boasts crisper text thanks to 300 pixels per inch and twice the pixels as the previous generation Kindle Paperwhite.

Why this matters:

Laser-quality text is even easier on the eyes on a screen that is still easy-to-read no matter how long you get lost in your book. Despite the brighter screen, Paperwhite still boasts a lenthy battery life that Kindle says is “measured in weeks rather than hours.”

#2 Improved page layout and typography

Another noticeable change is the “all-new typesetting engine” that lays out words just as the author intended. With features such as hyphenation and improved spacing, words break at the right place, paragraphs have consistent lines, and the space between words is more natural than ever.

Why this matters:

Improved spacing between letters and words helps our brain process the words on the page faster so we ultimately read faster. A new typesetting engine allows eBooks to have drop caps, text, and images on Kindle appearing as they do in print versions. eBooks now look more like their print versions as the author intended them to. To see an example of what the new typesetting engine does for the new Kindle Paperwhite, visit www.amazon.com/dropcaps.

#3 Customizing fonts preserves page layout

The ability to select the font size based on personal preference provides a comfortable reading experience. Some choose a small font to fit more words on a page while more than half of Kindle customers select a larger font to minimize eye strain. When selecting a larger font, Kindle Paperwhite now automatically adapts when the largest font sizes are selected by customizing the margins, columns, indents, nested lists, borders, and drop caps.

Why this matters:

Pages are easier to read and have less distractions like large white space or broken sentences. The typesetting engine also automatically adjusts the layout as the text size changes so the eBook is as the author intended it. See an example of larger fonts on the new Kindle Paperwhite: www.amazon.com/largefonts.

Plus the 14 features you came to know and love!

Over the past seven years, the Kindle Paperwhite has been one of the best-selling e-readers in the world. Kindle kept all of the great features that users loved about the device including:

1. Weeks of battery life— Battery life is measured in weeks, not hours.
2. No set up required— Kindle arrives pre-registered so you can start reading immediately. It literally took me 2 minutes to get my new Kindle Paperwhite loaded with my favorite books so I could keep reading exactly where I left off.
3. Whispersync— Saves and synchronizes your last page read, bookmarks, and annotations across all of your devices and Kindle apps, so you can always pick up where you left off. This is a great feature when upgrading to a new Kindle!
4. Worry-free archive— Automatically backs up your Kindle books in the cloud, so you never need to worry about losing your books—re-download your books wirelessly anytime for free.
5. Goodreads— Kindle is integrated with the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations, with over 40 million members, 1.1 billion books added, and 43 million book reviews.
6. X-Ray— Explore the “Bones of the Book”— see all of the passages across a book that mention relevant ideas, fictional characters, historical figures, places or topics of interest.
7. Word Wise— Available on many popular English language titles, Word Wise makes it easier to enjoy and quickly understand more challenging books. Short and simple definitions automatically appear above difficult words, so you can keep reading with fewer interruptions.
8. Family Library— With Kindle and Kindle reading apps, you can access not only your own books, but also books from the Amazon account of a spouse or partner.
9. Kindle FreeTime— Gives parents a simple, engaging way to encourage kids to spend more time reading. Hand-select books for your kids to read, and achievement badges are earned when they hit reading milestones.
10. Time to Read— Tells you how much time it will take to finish a chapter or a book based on your personalized reading speed.
11. Kindle Page Flip— Skim page-by-page, scan by chapter, or jump to anywhere in your book, all without losing your place.
12. Vocabulary Builder— Compiles words you look up in the dictionary into an easy-to-access list. Use these lists to quiz yourself with flashcards and instantly see words in context. This feature is great for kids!
13. Share your favorite passages— Share book recommendations, highlighted sections, and meaningful quotes with friends via Facebook and Twitter. It’s like a virtual book club!
14. Smart Lookup— Integrates a full dictionary definition with other reference information via X-Ray and Wikipedia.

I received the new Kindle Paperwhite for review purposes. All opinions are my own and based on personal experience. Amazon affiliate links included in this post!