Amazon Redesigns Kindle Lineup With Flush-Front Screens, Drops Raised Bezels
Amazon has unveiled its biggest physical makeover of the Kindle e-reader in years, with a new lineup whose defining change is the removal of the bezel.
The models, announced Thursday, replace the raised frame that has traditionally surrounded the screen with a flush front that sits level with the display, giving the devices a cleaner appearance. Bezels, however, have a practical function: they give readers somewhere to rest their fingers without accidentally touching the screen and turning a page or issuing another command. Amazon says it has found a way around that.
Speaking at a press briefing, Kevin Keith, Amazon's vice president of devices, said the company combines capacitive touch technology with haptics to establish what he called a "dead zone." The device works out where a finger is resting and then adjusts the touch-sensitive area to match.
"When you're gripping the Kindle, wherever you put your thumb, it will self-detect a dead zone in the Cap touch. It will just readjust, and it'll know that the finger is there," Keith said.
Beyond the bezel-free look, the standard 6-inch Kindle now measures 6.8 millimeters in thickness and tips the scales at 140 grams, making it slimmer and lighter than the model it replaces. Amazon is marketing it as the most pocket-friendly Kindle on offer. The company also says the new display turns pages 30% faster than the earlier version. Buyers can choose from new colour options: Ube, Alpine Sky, Seaglass Green, Graphite and Fig.
Pricing for the new Kindle begins at $149.99, with Ube and Graphite among the finishes. Amazon is also selling an aluminium-backed model for the first time, offering 32GB of storage and colour choices that include Alpine Sky and Seaglass Green.
The same redesign carries over to the Kindle Paperwhite, which is likewise thinner and lighter than its predecessor. According to Amazon, the Paperwhite has the biggest display in the Kindle range as well as the highest contrast ratio. The company says the pairing is meant to produce "deep blacks and crisp text, and images that pop off the screen, whether you're reading in bright sunlight or under the covers at night."
The standard Paperwhite carries 16GB of storage and is priced at $199.99 in Graphite, while a 32GB Signature Edition sells for $249.99 in Graphite and Seaglass Green.
The Kindle Colorsoft, introduced by Amazon in 2024 as its first Kindle with a colour screen, also gets the thinner, lighter, flush-front treatment applied across the range. The standard Colorsoft comes with 16GB of storage and starts at $289.99 in Graphite. A 32GB Signature Edition is priced at $319.99 in Graphite and Fig.
Sales of the new Kindle and its aluminium version begin today in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Australia. The new Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft can be preordered in those same markets.
Amazon is keeping its Kids range going as well. The Kids Kindle is on sale now, while the Kids Kindle Colorsoft is up for preorder in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany and Japan.
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