Amazon’s $290 Kindle Oasis Is A Pricey And Light E-Reader With Unreal Battery Life
Amazon justifies the significant price increase with its intriguing exterior that was designed by the its Lab126 division. The Oasis, which weighs in at just 4.6 ounces, measures just 5.6 inches by 4.8 inches while its thickness ranges from 0.13 to 0.33 inches as you move across the device. Despite the reduced dimensions and weight, the Kindle Oasis still retains a 6-inch display with 300ppi (which matches that of Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Voyage).
Speaking of the display, Amazon has made some upgrades by bumping the number of LEDs from 6 to 10 in an effort to enhance page consistency. The display also features a 200 micron backplane that is amazingly as thin as a sheet of aluminum foil, but still robust enough to handle the rigors of everyday hazards such as drops and tumbles without failure.
But of course, the most talked about feature of the Kindle Oasis is its dual battery system. The e-reader has its own built-in battery, but it can be augmented using the included leather battery cover. Plugging in the battery cover will automatically begin recharging your Kindle Oasis and with both batteries topped off, your e-reader will last up to 20 months on a single charge. The battery cover attaches to the Kindle Oasis securely using 12 magnets and is available in black, merlot, or walnut leather.
“To lean back and read for hours, you need a sanctuary from distraction,” said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. “We want Kindle to disappear, and Kindle Oasis is the next big step in that mission. It’s the most advanced Kindle we’ve ever built—thin and ultra-lightweight, it gets out of the way so you can lose yourself in the author’s world.”
The Amazon Kindle Oasis is available for preorder now at a starting price of $289.99 for the Wi-Fi model. Opting for Wi-Fi + free 3G wireless connectivity raised the price to a gut-wrenching $359.99. Both models will ship on April 27th.
What say you HotHardware readers — do features of the new Kindle Oasis justify its premium pricing?
