Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos teased a new Kindle device for this week. While the company has yet to make an official announcement about the new ereader, Tmall.com’s official Kindle page leaked the device. Tmall quickly removed the device, but Kindle Fere spotted the mistake and The Digital Reader’s Nate Hoffelder picked it up. Meet the Kindle Oasis, Amazon’s new flagship ereader for the most hardcore digital readers.
While this is still a leak and should be taken with a grain of salt, today’s leak lines up with earlier reports. The new Kindle has a rechargeable battery indeed. But there’s no sign of a solar power case for now.
The first noticeable thing is that the new Kindle is smaller than the Kindle Voyage. With slimmer bezels, a smaller battery and a one-handed design, the Kindle Oasis only weighs 131 grams compared to 180 grams for the Kindle Voyage (27 percent lighter) and 205g for the Kindle Paperwhite (36 percent lighter). A built-in accelerometer automatically pivots the display if you switch from the left hand to the right hand.
The new Kindle’s back isn’t flat. You can see a bump below the buttons. It lets you hold the Kindle more comfortably with one hand, and it’s also a way to make it lighter.
It is 3.4mm thin on two-thirds of the device and 8.5mm at the thickest point — the Voyage is 7.6mm thin and has a flat design. As for the display, it looks like it’s going to feature the same 300dpi display with an improved frontlit system.
And then, there’s the case. Given the unusual shape of the device, the leather case turns the Kindle into a more traditional rectangle. You can also spot a connector on the photo, indicating that this case could indeed have a built-in external battery that connects to the bump of the Kindle.
Finally, it’s unclear whether the page turn buttons are making a comeback or if Amazon is sticking with a touch area with vibrating feedback.
Details are still thin on the new device. We don’t know when it’s going to be available and how much it’s going to cost. And we also don’t know the battery life of the device — the thinner device could hurt the battery life. But I would definitely opt for a lighter device if it means 2 weeks of battery life instead of 2 months.
