Kindle Paperwhite 3 and Kindle Voyage On Sale at Amazon.de: Big Discounts Until August 2nd [Update]
During the first Prime Day, Amazon set a new sales record, thanks in part to the discounted Kindle and Fire products at the time. The Kindle Paperwhite 2 was available for Prime members at a particularly low price of 80 euros. However, despite the substantial savings, the discount on the Paperwhite model wasn’t particularly unusual, as the retail giant has been using the device since last year for ongoing promotional sales.
UPDATE: After the eBook readers were discounted at Saturn yesterday, Amazon follows today. The promotional sale runs until August 2nd, 10 PM, so there are still great bargains to be had until then.
Now, there’s also movement in the pricing for the other two illuminated eReaders from Amazon.de. The Kindle Paperwhite 3 – on the market only since the end of June 2015 – and the Kindle Voyage, which so far hasn’t been included in many promotional sales, are currently being sold at lower prices on Amazon.de and by partners.
The new Paperwhite is available for 99 euros, which is 20 euros cheaper than on Amazon.de. The retail giant’s latest eBook reader model impressed in tests with a very good E-Ink Carta display with 300 ppi pixel density and the usual extensive software features, making it a definite recommendation at this price.
At the same time, the price for the Kindle Voyage also drops – by 25 euros. The WiFi version of the premium eReader currently costs only 165 euros. Voyage enthusiasts have previously had to content themselves with a one-time voucher offer from Amazon if they wanted to snag the reading device at a discount. Aside from that, the price of the device has been kept strictly high.
So, as a prospective buyer, there are good opportunities in both cases to obtain the illuminated models at a bargain price.
Buy Kindle Paperwhite 3 for 99 euros
Buy Kindle Voyage for 165 euros
With or Without Advertising Support
The Kindle Paperwhite 3 is the version with “Special Offers.” Whether it is the same version available through Amazon partners (Saturn, Media Markt) remains unclear at the moment. The cheaper entry version has advertisements on the lock screen and at the bottom of the home screen.
However, this isn’t fixed, as users in our forum report that the eBook reader has previously been sold at a lower price without advertising.
But whether with or without special offers, the Paperwhite 3 is a bargain at this price – you won’t find a “Retina” eBook reader this cheap otherwise. Oh, and if there’s any doubt, you definitely won’t see any ads while reading.
It’s a different story with the Kindle Voyage, which is sold exclusively without ad support here, making it ad-free in any case. Considering that the ad-free version of the Paperwhite 3 usually costs around 140 euros, the price gap between the two models has now significantly narrowed.
The Voyage impressed in our test with its exceptionally high contrast values, the great magnesium case, and the innovative page-turning buttons. Additionally, it features automatic brightness adjustment and the software is just as comprehensive as that of other Kindle models. However, due to the quality fluctuations that the Voyage has struggled with since its market launch, the eBook reader hasn’t taken the top spot in our ratings.
These fluctuations (possibly) manifest in an uneven color temperature of the lighting – but not in all devices. Our test showed that the extent of this (up to completely absent) can vary greatly. For this reason, interested buyers should ideally order online directly from Amazon.de due to the easy return policy, or check locally at an electronics store to ensure the device is flawless.
Harbingers of the Holiday Season
These aforementioned price promotions can be seen as harbingers of the upcoming holiday shopping season.
The Kindle Paperwhite 2 is to be sold off and is still a great bargain at 99 euros. The permanent price reduction of the eReader has also led to a shift in price consciousness among potential buyers, making it at least temporarily difficult for a more expensive Paperwhite 3. Additionally, the Tolino alliance – Amazon’s toughest competitor – still holds the home and local sales advantage.
The fact that the retail giant loses market share with similar or identical pricing has already been seen with the launch of the Tolino Shine. This is likely why Amazon has been countering every major Tolino promotion with its own offers since then.
As soon as the old Paperwhite model (perhaps soon) vanishes from the virtual shelves at Amazon.de, the Paperwhite 3 might possibly take its place as a cheap and high-quality entry-level device and also be permanently offered at around 100 euros. This is already the second time the eBook reader has hit this price threshold, which is pretty unusual less than a month after market launch.
This generally means good chances for this price threshold to drop several times in the coming months as well.
The Kindle Voyage, on the other hand, will likely be more affordably sold off and replaced by a new model. In the price range around 190 euros, the competitive landscape is entirely different and generally less significant – functionality is what matters here.
Amazon and Kobo have both proven that there is a market for high-priced reading devices – Voyage and Kobo Aura H2O are selling very well. Notably, the Kindle eReader achieved high sales in the UK and the USA. Thus, a successor is very likely.
Buy Kindle Paperwhite 3 for 99 euros
Buy Kindle Voyage for 165 euros
Image source: Screenshot Amazon.de
