Critics' verdict: Reading on new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite better than ever

Amazon has launched the Kindle Paperwhite in India and the new e-reader is priced slightly higher than one would expect an e-reader to be. But along with the premium price tag, the 2013 Paperwhite, the sixth-gen Amazon e-reader, also has a bunch of new features and improved internals for longer and easier reading. It’s making a late entry into India, having already seen launches in the US and UK, among other countries, last year, so what do the first reviews of the e-reader have to say?

Mashable’s Lance Ulanoff says the 2013 Kindle Paperwhite is nearly as good as books when it comes to clarity and quality, and adds, “is just as easy to navigate and, of course, does things no physical book could ever do.” Ulanoff praises the e-reader’s Page Flip and X-Ray features, both of which debuted with the new Paperwhite and concludes that the E-ink display, the touch screen, and new interface and a reasonable price make it an ideal e-reader. Page Flip lets you browse other pages in the book while still retaining your current position, while X-Ray gives you the meaning of a particular word or phrase in the context of the book and also shows you other references within the text. That could really come handy when reading tomes with too many characters.

The Verge gave the 2013 Paperwhite a terrific 9 out of 10 and praised the e-reader’s display, faster interface, and software features (such as the in-built vocabulary builder), but docked points for the ambiguous ads and recommendations and the lack of a charger in the box. They also go on to recommend the non Special Offers Paperwhite, which is slightly more expensive than the discounted one which displays ads.

Forbes’ Ewan Spence said the Paperwhite review could be summed up by the words ‘ it’s great ’ and expands on that in the rest of the piece. Spence was thrilled with the display. “The improved frontlight that makes the Paperwhite such a great machine for reading. The lighting is uniform across the six inch screen with no dead areas, and not only does the white color contribute to the naming of the device, it also makes for a natural reading experience,” the review said. Spence did wish he had better control over the formatting of the books (justification, type size, leading etc), but calls the Paperwhite “the best dedicated e-book reader out there.”

Calling the Paperwhite utilitarian in terms of design, Engadget says Amazon has gone for brasher branding this time around than the 2012 model, even though the two are nearly identical otherwise. This review was less laudatory than some others, but gives Amazon credit for improving the illumination on the display and adding in neat software features. However, in conclusion, the review said the 2013 model cannot be wholeheartedly recommended over the previous year’s reader as the improvements are not staggering .

Gizmodo’s review is headlined “ Faster, Prettier, Still the Best ” and says the Paperwhite should definitely be on your shopping list, but again not if you already own the 2012 model, which still has a lot going for it.

While individual reviews may point out certain shortcomings, overall, the reception has been singularly positive. We didn’t spot any drawbacks in any of the reviews that can be considered dealbreakers. So far, the Paperwhite looks to be another sure-fire hit from Amazon.