Mobile · On Paper

New Kindles Get Flush Screens and Aluminium, From $149.99

The 6-inch Kindle is on sale now; the Paperwhite and Colorsoft are preorders. A 2024 Kindle earns its place only below the new price.

Mira ChandraAI analyst4 min · 958 words · no filler
The new Kindles, on paper: US prices as Amazon announced them on 1 October 2026. Kindle: 16GB at $149.99, aluminium with 32GB at $189.99, on sale now. Kindle Paperwhite: 16GB at $199.99, Signature Edition with 32GB at $249.99, preorder. Kindle Colorsoft: 16GB at $289.99, Signature Edition with 32GB at $319.99, preorder. All three have a flush front screen and are thinner and lighter than the 2024 models. Amazon opens preorders on a rolling basis; Best Buy lists a 28 October release.
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The new 6-inch Kindle is on sale now at $149.99, and the new Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft are preorders from $199.99 and $289.99. All three are thinner and lighter with a flush front screen, and each comes in a 32GB aluminium version.

On Amazon’s own figures, a 2024 Kindle is worth buying only for less than $149.99, because nothing Amazon lists for the 2026 base model is worse and several things are better.

The six models and their announced prices

Model Storage Announced price Availability
Kindle (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) 16GB $149.99 On sale since 1 October
Kindle, aluminium 32GB $189.99 On sale since 1 October
Kindle Paperwhite (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) 16GB $199.99 Preorder
Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB $249.99 Preorder
Kindle Colorsoft (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) 16GB $289.99 Preorder
Colorsoft Signature Edition 32GB $319.99 Preorder

Prices are Amazon’s own US figures from its announcement on 1 October 2026. Kids versions of all three start at $179.99 with 12 months of Amazon Kids+, where the 2024 Kids models came with six. Amazon says the Paperwhite and Colorsoft open for preorder “on a rolling basis” and gives no ship date; Best Buy lists all four with a release date of 28 October 2026.

What changed across the range

The screen now sits flush with the front, with no raised border, and the body colour wraps from front to back. Amazon credits a new “reverse stack” display construction for the flush front. The colours are new too: Ube, Alpine Sky, Seaglass Green, Graphite and Fig.

Aluminium is the other change. It brings 32GB rather than 16GB, and Wired’s price list marks the plastic Kindle and Paperwhite as carrying lock-screen ads and their aluminium versions as ad-free. The Verge reports that Amazon’s Kevin Keith said every new model has a user-replaceable battery, to meet EU rules.

Amazon’s post says “thinner and lighter” without giving a figure. Wired reports 6.8mm across the range and 140 grams for the base Kindle, against the 158 grams Amazon gave for the 2024 model.

The Kindle against last year’s

Kindle (2024) (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) Kindle (2026) (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)
Storage 16GB 16GB, or 32GB in aluminium
Weight 158g (Amazon) 140g (reported by Wired)
Battery “Weeks” (Amazon) Up to 6 weeks (Amazon)
Book opening — 30% faster than the previous model (Amazon)
Front Raised border (Wired, The Verge) Flush (Amazon)
Price $109.99 at launch, October 2024 $149.99 announced

Best Buy’s listing gives the 2024 Kindle a comparable value of $149.99, the new model’s price, and was discounting it on 6 October. Wired reports that Amazon raised the price of its existing Kindles earlier this year and that the new ones match those prices. So at the same money the 2026 Kindle is the one to look at; below it, the 2024 model reads the same Kindle library and keeps the same storage.

Paperwhite and Colorsoft: what Amazon lists, and what it dropped

Amazon says the new Paperwhite is waterproof, has an adjustable warm light and lasts up to 12 weeks on a charge, close to the “up to three months” it gave the 2024 Paperwhite. It calls the screen “the largest Kindle Paperwhite display”. Best Buy lists it as 7 inches, which is the size Amazon gave the 2024 model, so the difference does not show up in the rounded figure.

The Signature Editions of both models add aluminium, 32GB, an auto-adjusting front light, double tap to turn pages, and charging through pogo pins on a $59.99 dock. Amazon’s 2026 description does not mention wireless charging, which it listed for the 2024 Paperwhite Signature Edition and Colorsoft. CNN Underscored reports that the pins replace it. If wireless charging matters to you, a 2024 Signature Edition has it, on Amazon’s own spec.

The Colorsoft gets a redesigned colour display: an oxide backplane, nitride LEDs in the light guide, and what Amazon calls micro-deflectors to cut stray light. Its post gives battery figures for the Kindle and Paperwhite but none for the Colorsoft; CNN Underscored reports up to eight weeks, the figure Amazon gave the 2024 model. That 2024 Colorsoft Signature Edition was announced at $279.99, and its reviews split three points between outlets, as set out in where reviewers disagree. Best Buy also lists a 16GB 2025 Colorsoft with a comparable value of $289.99, the new standard model’s price.

Page-turn buttons without a new Kindle

Kindle Click, a $34.99 Bluetooth remote, works with every new Kindle and with any Kindle from 2024 or later, Amazon says. The $79.99 Page-Turn Cover, a magnetic case with physical buttons, connects through the pogo pins and fits only the new Signature Editions.

Which one to look at

None of this judges how they read: it is Amazon’s spec sheet, compared line by line with last year’s. For what reviewers found on the 2024 models, and how they compare with Kobo’s, see the ereaders the reviews agree on.

Questions people ask

What are the new Kindle Colorsoft specs?

Amazon lists a 16GB Colorsoft at $289.99 and a 32GB Signature Edition at $319.99 that adds an aluminium housing, an auto-adjusting front light, double tap to turn pages and pogo-pin dock charging. Both have a redesigned colour display with an oxide backplane. Best Buy lists it as 7 inches.

Is the Kindle 2024 still worth buying?

On paper, only below $149.99. Amazon announced the new Kindle at $149.99 with the same 16GB, up to six weeks of battery, 30% faster book opening and a lighter body, and Best Buy gives the 2024 model a comparable value of $149.99 too.

What is the difference between the Kindle 2024 and the new Kindle?

Amazon says the 2026 Kindle is lighter, opens books 30% faster and has a flush front screen with no raised border; it also comes in a 32GB aluminium version. Wired reports 140 grams against the 158 grams Amazon gave for the 2024 model. Storage stays at 16GB.

When does the new Kindle Paperwhite ship?

Amazon says Paperwhite and Colorsoft preorders open on a rolling basis from 1 October and gives no ship date in its announcement. Best Buy lists a release date of 28 October 2026 for both, in standard and Signature Edition form.

Does the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition have wireless charging?

Amazon’s announcement does not list it. It lists pogo-pin dock charging for both new Signature Editions, through a $59.99 dock, where its 2024 announcement named wireless charging. CNN Underscored reports the pins replace wireless charging.

Does Kindle Click work with older Kindles?

Amazon says Kindle Click, a $34.99 Bluetooth page-turn remote, works with every new Kindle and any Kindle model from 2024 or later. The $79.99 Page-Turn Cover works only with the new Paperwhite and Colorsoft Signature Editions.

How we researched this

No one at bitcritiq has handled this product. Everything here comes from published sources, listed below.

What this cannot tell you
Nothing here has been read on or handled by us: this is the range on paper, and every performance figure is Amazon's claim. Amazon's post does not give screen sizes for the Paperwhite and Colorsoft, a weight for any model, or a battery figure for the Colorsoft, so those come from retailer listings and outlet reports, or are left out. Outlets disagree on which models get Amazon's 30 percent speed claim, so only the base Kindle's, which Amazon states, is used.
How we chose this, and what we did
Why this subject
Amazon replaced its whole Kindle range on 1 October 2026, five days before Prime Big Deal Days, which is when 2024 Kindles get discounted hardest. Readers searching for the 2024 Kindle and for Colorsoft specs are now landing on product pages that describe the previous generation, and the useful question is whether the old one is still worth buying.
How we looked at it
Every price, storage figure, battery figure and availability statement for the new models is from Amazon's own announcement on About Amazon, dated 1 October 2026 and read on 6 October. The 2024 figures are from Amazon's own announcement of that range. Weight, thickness, ad and battery-replacement details that Amazon's post does not give are attributed to The Verge, Wired and CNN Underscored by name. The release date and the 2024 Kindle's comparable value are from Best Buy's listings, read on 6 October. Amazon's own store pages are not used, and no Amazon store price appears here.

What this rests on

6 claims, 5 official and 1 reported. Nothing here was measured by bitcritiq — see how we test for why. Open a claim to read the source it came from.

  • The new Kindle is $149.99 with 16GB, or $189.99 in aluminium with 32GB; the Paperwhite is $199.99, or $249.99 as a 32GB Signature Edition; the Colorsoft is $289.99, or $319.99 as a 32GB Signature Edition.Official

    Amazon's announcement: Kindle 'Starting at $149.99'; aluminium 'Available with 32GB at $189.99'; Paperwhite '16 GB … starting at $199.99. Signature Edition with 32 GB … at $249.99'; Colorsoft '16 GB … starting at $289.99. Signature Edition with 32 GB … at $319.99.'

  • The Kindle went on sale on 1 October; the Paperwhite and Colorsoft are preorders.Official

    Amazon: 'Kindle and its aluminum version are available starting today' in the US and 18 other countries; 'Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft will become available for preorder on a rolling basis in the same regions.' Best Buy lists each Paperwhite and Colorsoft model with 'Release Date: 10/28/2026'.

  • Amazon says the new Kindle opens books 30 percent faster than the previous one and lasts up to six weeks on a charge.Official

    Amazon: 'With 16GB of storage, up to 6 weeks of battery life, and 30% faster book opening than the previous release'.

  • Amazon's description of the 2026 Signature Editions lists pogo-pin dock charging and does not mention wireless charging, which it named for the 2024 Signature Editions.Official

    2026: 'The Signature Edition adds aluminum rear housing, 32 GB of storage, an auto-adjusting front light, pogo pin dock charging, and double tap to turn pages.' 2024: Paperwhite Signature Edition 'comes with 32 GB of storage, optional wireless charging'; 'Kindle Colorsoft comes with wireless charging'. CNN Underscored reports the pogo pins replace the previous models' wireless charging.

  • Kindle Click, the $34.99 Bluetooth page-turn remote, works with any Kindle from 2024 or later.Official

    Amazon: 'Kindle Click ($34.99) … Compatible with all new Kindle devices, as well as any Kindle model from 2024 or later.'

  • Wired reports the new Kindle weighs 140 grams, against the 158 grams Amazon gave for the 2024 model.Reported

    Wired, 1 October 2026: 'Amazon cut the weight by around 18 grams to 140 grams', at 6.8mm. Amazon, 2024: 'Weighing in at just 158g, the new entry-level Kindle'.

Sources 6

  1. Amazon introduces a completely redesigned Kindle family — About Amazon, 1 October 2026Officialaccessed Oct 6, 2026
  2. Amazon reveals first color Kindle, new Kindle Scribe, and more — About Amazon, October 2024Officialaccessed Oct 6, 2026
  3. Amazon is launching colorful new Kindles — and a case with physical page-turn buttons — The Verge, 1 October 2026accessed Oct 6, 2026
  4. Amazon’s New Kindle Lineup Is Lighter, Thinner, and More Metal — WIRED, 1 October 2026accessed Oct 6, 2026
Show 2 more
  1. Amazon Kindle 2026 lineup launch: Prices, specs, and more — CNN Underscored, 1 October 2026accessed Oct 6, 2026
  2. Kindle search results — Best Buyaccessed Oct 6, 2026

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