Kindle Oasis 1

The Kindle Oasis is the lightest illuminated eReader available—but at what cost?

At a Glance

The Kindle Oasis was introduced in April 2016, expanding Amazon’s eBook reader lineup with a new premium model. What really sets the Oasis apart is its uncompromisingly comfortable handling and feel, which it owes to its unique asymmetric design. Unlike most other current 6-inch eReaders, the Oasis’s center of gravity isn’t (relatively) in the middle, but instead off to the side of the display. This side is also larger in surface area, making it easy to hold the Kindle Oasis in one hand.

Its incredibly light weight of just 131 grams further boosts the comfort factor. No other illuminated reading device is as lightweight as the Oasis. Typically, other models weigh in around 170-200 grams.

With a pixel density of 300 ppi, the Kindle Oasis delivers razor-sharp display quality, just like the other two illuminated Kindle eReaders (Paperwhite and Voyage). The 6-inch display is now lit from the side by 10 LEDs (instead of 4 or 6 from below), which is meant to provide more even illumination.

The device is sold exclusively with a matching leather cover, which features a built-in battery to extend the Oasis’s battery life.

Without a doubt, the biggest drawback is the price: At 290 euros including the cover, you’ll have to pay more for this than for any other 6-inch eReader.

Summary

Even though opinions may be divided on the looks and price of the Kindle Oasis, there’s no question that its unusual design and remarkably low weight offer exceptional usability. The device was developed with a “form follows function” philosophy, instead of sticking to the usual eReader design. Combined with the new front lighting, page-turn buttons, and the famously easy Kindle interface, you get a lot for your money, even if it is a premium price.

Video Review

Kindle Oasis 1: Full Review

The introduction of the Kindle Oasis in mid-April 2016, teased in advance by Amazon’s CEO, was eagerly awaited by many digital reading fans. What happened when the new model was unveiled likely surprised even Amazon: the high-priced eReader sparked heated debate all over the internet.

On the one hand, the high price drew criticism; on the other, the unusual, asymmetrical design divided opinions. In the following review we’ll take a look at whether all the fuss around the new eBook reader was justified.

Build quality & features

It’s obvious the Kindle Oasis isn’t a run-of-the-mill 6-incher as soon as you see its almost square packaging. It’s surprisingly small—you might expect a 5-inch eReader inside.

Tiny box, tiny eReader

Of course, what’s actually in the box is the new eBook reader with its asymmetrical design (along with a quick start guide and a micro-USB cable).

Leather cover in detail

Naturally, the leather cover is included in the price. While the Oasis itself always comes in black, the cover is available in three colors: Black, Walnut (brown), and Bordeaux (red).

Besides color, the surface feel differs slightly. My photos show the Black version (test device provided by Amazon) and the Walnut version (privately purchased device). The leather on both covers is soft and feels very premium. The interior is lined with a microfiber surface.

But what’s special about the cover isn’t the material or color—it’s the shape and the fact that it houses a 1,290 mAh battery. Because the Kindle Oasis uses a split power system (see below), the cover’s battery is an essential component for using the eReader.

Kindle Oasis with cover flipped over

If Amazon didn’t include the cover and offered the reader at a lower price instead (as some potential buyers have asked), the user experience would suffer. So in my view, it makes sense to treat these two components not as separate products, but as two parts of a whole.

The leather cover has no charging port of its own, so charging only happens via the Kindle Oasis. As soon as you bring the cover and reader close, the 12 magnets snap into place and hold the cover securely on the back. In my opinion, there’s no need to worry about the cover slipping.

The cover fills in the Oasis’s recess, but still makes the combo slightly thicker

The cover’s shape has been designed to fit the Oasis’s contoured back very well.

There is one downside in my view: While the Kindle Paperwhite and, to some extent, the Voyage are protected by their covers at the sides and on the back, that’s not the case with the Oasis. The cover on this latest Kindle protects the screen, but part of the back and three of the four sides remain uncovered, so you’ll automatically handle this expensive device more carefully than you might other 6-inch readers with covers.

The walnut-brown cover weighs 107 grams; the black cover weighs only 100 grams.

Asymmetrical design

So let’s finally get to the Kindle Oasis itself. As known since the announcement and mentioned above, the eReader has an asymmetrical housing. That means the screen is no longer horizontally centered on the front but shifted to one side. In other words, the bezels to the left and right of the display aren’t the same size.

Asymmetrical design

On the right side the grip area is more than twice as wide (2.2 cm) as on the left (1 cm), so you can easily hold the eReader one-handed without worrying about accidentally touching the screen. The device works equally well for right- and left-handed users: when you rotate the reader, the display, button assignment, and touch zones rotate with it automatically—and instantly.

This means you can switch hands seamlessly and use the Kindle Oasis very comfortably. A nice touch: the display only rotates 180 degrees automatically. So if you lie on your side on the couch or in bed, the display stays in portrait mode. The accelerometer sensitivity is well tuned too, so accidental rotations generally don’t happen.

One thicker section for better grip, and an edge just around 3.4 mm thin—that’s the Oasis’s hallmark design.

The device is asymmetrical not only on the front but also on the back. Over roughly one third of the width, the reader is about 8 to 8.5 mm thick; the other two thirds are only about 3.4 mm. Thanks to this shape, one-handed holding is even better, as your fingers rest on the thicker back portion or at the transition between thick and thin, so after a short adjustment period you always have a secure grip.

The grip area on the back is covered with a soft-touch material. It not only feels good but also improves grip. The downside is that fingerprints and smudges show up quite clearly on it. You can also see fingerprints on the front (though less so, and they’re easier to wipe off).

Featherweight: the lightest front-lit eReader

The design also pays off in another way: without the cover, the Kindle Oasis weighs a ridiculously light 131 grams (133 grams for the 3G model). That makes it the lightest front-lit eBook reader on the market. You notice it immediately, as it’s even lighter than many modern smartphones or phablets (e.g., iPhone 6s with 4.7-inch display weighs 143 grams; iPhone 6s Plus with 5.5-inch display weighs 192 grams).

Because of the asymmetrical form, the center of gravity sits to one side, right where your hand grips. Instead of the weight being spread across the whole device, it sits right in your fingers. That makes handling the already featherlight Oasis even better.

It’s also worth noting how tiny the Kindle Oasis is (143 x 122 x 3.4 to 8.5 mm). Its footprint is smaller than that of most other 6-inch readers.

The Kindle Oasis (center) is not only lighter but also smaller than its two illuminated Kindle siblings (Paperwhite left, Voyage right).

But of course, you shouldn’t evaluate the eReader without its included cover. As mentioned earlier, the device and cover belong together—and that also matters for weight.

Attach the Oasis to the cover and, according to the official spec sheet, the scale reads 238 grams (240 grams for the 3G version). In practice there are small weight differences between cover colors: the black cover weighs 100 grams (making the total a mere 231 grams), while the walnut-brown version weighs 107 grams (= 238 grams).

In the end, the reader plus cover is slightly heavier than most 6-inch models without covers (typically between 180 and 210 grams), but significantly lighter than many readers with covers (usually between 280 and 350 grams).

That does literally make handling a bit heavier, but still not uncomfortable. If you fold the front cover around to the back (where it’s held magnetically), you can still hold the device very comfortably. Even so, its real strength when reading is undoubtedly without the cover.

Page-turn buttons make a comeback

To wrap up this section, let’s look at the rest of the device. With the Kindle Voyage—the Oasis’s indirect premium predecessor—page-turn controls made a comeback, but as pressure-sensitive sensors hidden beneath the flush front.

On the Kindle Oasis, Amazon opted for mechanical buttons that “break” the flat front. In my opinion, they’re perfectly placed on the wide side of the chassis so your thumb naturally rests on the (upper) page-forward button. If you prefer, you can swap the button mapping so the lower one goes forward.

The page-turn buttons are well placed and have a crisp, clearly defined click.

The buttons have crisp, well-defined actuation and aren’t too stiff. They’re also easy to press near their top and bottom edges.

The build quality is absolutely impeccable. Thanks to the very compact form, the reader feels very solid despite its extremely low weight. One reason is certainly the special housing construction. For extra stability, the inside is metalized, making the reader especially torsion-resistant. As a result, there’s no creaking or flex, and the gaps around the casing are uniform.

Apart from the page-turn buttons, there are no other controls on the front (aside from the touchscreen). The power button and micro-USB port sit on the top. On the back, at the transition from the thick to thin section, is the connector for the charging cover. Internal storage is 4 GB (2.76 GB usable) with no expansion option (now common for many 300 ppi models).

Interim verdict: design

I had already spoken positively in advance about Amazon’s decision to give the Kindle Oasis an asymmetrical design. It may not be to everyone’s taste visually, but in terms of handling it’s undeniably a huge win. That’s now borne out very clearly in practice.

The very low weight of just 131 grams and the center of gravity lying right in your hand make using the Kindle Oasis a real pleasure. You can hold the device very lightly and comfortably, without any fatigue even over longer sessions. Perfect!

Display & lighting

Of course, the best housing design is useless if the display doesn’t measure up. So let’s see how the 6-inch, 1448×1072-pixel, 300 ppi screen performs in practice.

There’s really not much more to say about sharpness at this point. The high pixel density is familiar from other eReaders and is excellent here too. Text looks razor-sharp, and small UI elements and font sizes are easy to read. For more, check our eBook reader section.

Contrast

At a price approaching 300 euros, expectations for the screen are understandably high. Comparing the Kindle Oasis display with various E Ink Carta models from Amazon and other manufacturers, you first notice the background has a slightly different hue.

This isn’t better or worse—it’s simply different and mentioned here for completeness.

Kindle Paperwhite (left), Oasis (center) and Voyage (right) compared. The Paperwhite is a bit paler, the Voyage a bit brighter but with a better black tone. The Oasis sits almost exactly between them. All three offer excellent readability.

This difference may be due to Amazon not using a standard Carta display because of the thin build. It’s also possible a new light guide sheet is used that maintains readability equally well from all angles.

In any case, there are no visible negative effects on contrast. With the light off, the Kindle Oasis can’t quite match the Voyage but sits comfortably in the middle of the pack with a contrast ratio of 7.97:1.

Note: We measure contrast under realistic, standardized conditions, so the results aren’t directly comparable with the maximum values reported in older tests.

Contrast ratio X:1, with light off (higher is better)

• Kobo Aura H2O 8.98
• Kindle Voyage 8.48
• Kindle Paperwhite 2 8.0
• Kobo Glo HD 7.99
• Kindle Oasis 7.97
• Tolino Vision 3 HD 7.88
• Tolino Shine 2 HD 7.75
• Kindle Paperwhite 3 7.61
• Tolino Vision 2 7.48
• PocketBook Touch Lux 3 7.45
• Tolino Vision 1 6.96

Turn the light on and the featherweight climbs further up the chart, though it still has to give way to the Kindle Voyage with a contrast ratio of 9.82:1.

Contrast ratio X:1, at full brightness (higher is better)

• Kindle Voyage 10.5
• Kobo Aura H2O 10.0
• Kindle Oasis 9.82
• PocketBook Touch Lux 3 9.54
• Tolino Vision 3 HD 9.36
• Kindle Paperwhite 3 9.33
• Kobo Glo HD 9.21
• Tolino Shine 2 HD 9.1
• Kindle Paperwhite 2 9.0
• Tolino Vision 2 7.4
• Tolino Vision 1 6.5

The tables turn in favor of the Kindle Oasis as soon as you activate the light in a bright environment. Thanks to the very high maximum brightness (see below), the background often becomes truly paper white. That not only looks great, it also improves readability enormously.

Lighting quality

Great contrast is only as good as the lighting quality. If the light isn’t distributed evenly, a high contrast ratio doesn’t help much.

My two Kindle Oasis review units show their best side here. The model uses a new LED layout that’s no longer along the bottom edge but to the side. As a result, instead of 4 LEDs (Paperwhite) or 6 (Voyage), a total of 10 LEDs are used.

That means each LED has to illuminate a smaller area horizontally than is usually the case vertically, leading to even more uniform lighting. The entire display area is lit as evenly as I’ve ever seen on any reader. The two test devices differ minimally but are at a similarly high level.

Lighting comparison: Kobo Oasis (left), Kindle Voyage (center) and Kobo Aura H2O (right)

The contrast and brightness measurements confirm the perceived uniformity: across the entire screen, brightness differences are smaller than on any other device. That means no distracting variations in everyday reading. Measuring L* in the LAB color space confirms the very good subjective impression. In the image below, brightness is measured in nine areas of the screen. The smaller the differences, the better:

The Kindle Oasis (left; maximum difference 2 on L*) shows the smallest brightness deviations, followed by the Kindle Voyage (center; max difference 5 on L*) and the Kobo Aura H2O (right; max difference 6 on L*).

A bit of criticism is warranted: at the side edge of the screen—where the LEDs sit—faint light halos are visible depending on viewing angle and brightness setting. Personally, they don’t bother me due to their regularity and very shallow depth (about 3 mm), but I can imagine some people might find them distracting.

Apart from this small blemish, I have nothing to fault with the lighting.

The color temperature of both Kindle Oasis units I have is fairly neutral; one leans slightly bluish, the other appears a bit whiter. As usual, that’s only noticeable in a direct comparison. Color temperature varies slightly within a model line, so these minor differences aren’t surprising.

Brightness

With more LEDs and side lighting, Amazon was able to push brightness beyond the Voyage without introducing distracting brightness or color gradients. At 159 cd/m², the Kindle Oasis easily tops the chart and leaves most other models far behind.

The higher brightness really pays off during the day. In a well-lit room, turning on the light can noticeably improve readability.

The lighting significantly improves readability even during the day. Thanks to the high maximum brightness, the display looks paper white even in bright surroundings.

If the environment isn’t that bright, it’s best to set the Oasis’s light to a lower level.

Maximum screen brightness in cd/m² (higher is better)

• Kindle Oasis 159
• Kindle Voyage 122
• Tolino Vision 3 HD 120
• Kindle Paperwhite 3 115
• Kobo Glo HD 114
• Kobo Aura 112
• PocketBook Touch Lux 3 111
• Kobo Aura H2O 99
• Kindle Paperwhite 2 91
• Tolino Shine 2 HD 89
• PocketBook Sense 70
• Icarus Illumina 2015 60
• Tolino Vision 2 53
• Tolino Shine 41

Even more important than maximum brightness is the lowest possible setting. If the minimum is too bright, you’ll be dazzled in a completely dark room.

No worries with the Kindle Oasis: it can be set not only very bright, but also very dim. The minimum of 0.4 cd/m² is only slightly above other Kindle models and still ahead of other manufacturers.

Minimum screen brightness in cd/m² (lower is better)

• Tolino Shine 2.4
• PocketBook Sense 2.4
• Tolino Vision 2 2.2
• Tolino Shine 2 HD 2.0
• Tolino Vision 3 HD 1.7
• PocketBook Touch Lux 3 1.6
• Kobo Glo HD 1.4
• Kobo Aura H2O 1.2
• Kobo Aura 1.2
• Icarus Illumina 2015 0.7
• Kindle Oasis 0.4
• Kindle Voyage 0.2
• Kindle Paperwhite 2 0.2
• Kindle Paperwhite 3 0.2

This gives the Kindle Oasis a range from very bright to very dim that many manufacturers don’t manage.

Critics will also be pleased to know the Oasis’s light can be turned completely off. Other Kindles still glow faintly at setting 0—but on the Oasis, 0 really is off.

Touchscreen & ghosting

Apart from the page-turn buttons, you operate the eReader via the capacitive touchscreen. As usual, you simply tap the display to input commands. It works quickly and reliably, as expected.

The Oasis deserves praise for its ghosting behavior. The display only refreshes completely during reading every now and then, yet it still doesn’t show lingering artifacts. In this respect, it’s even a notch better than the already excellent Tolino models.

Interim verdict: display

Expectations for the Kindle Oasis’s display quality were understandably high. With a device this expensive, you want a flawless performance in its core competency.

And that’s exactly what you get: the Oasis has the most uniform lighting, an excellent brightness range, and very good contrast values. Even if contrast with the light off is a bit better on some other readers, you never have to worry about readability.

Reading & usability

The Kindle Oasis is the first Amazon eReader to ship with the recently updated UI. The change is primarily visual, with fine lines and a bit more spacing for a lighter, more modern look.

In essence, though, usage hasn’t changed, since the software across Kindle models is now aligned and barely differs. Kindle users will find no surprises—everything is where you expect it.

The new home screen

Setup is like other Amazon models: power on, enter your Wi‑Fi password, and you’re ready to read. If you order the Oasis directly from Amazon.de, it’s pre-linked to your account, so you don’t need to enter your credentials separately.

The interactive tutorial mode known from older firmwares has been replaced by a new quick guide. It’s no longer interactive, but explains the key functions step by step using schematic illustrations. Setup remains very simple, so even non-techies will get up to speed quickly.

Home screen & library

With the new UI, the home screen was slightly reworked. Alongside your most recently read and added eBooks, there’s a reading list and, below that, the usual store recommendations. You can hide the recommendations and reading list and use the familiar library view if you prefer.

Unlike the entry-level Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite, there are no ads on the Oasis: in Germany, as with the Voyage, it’s sold only without special offers.

Library in cover view

Up to eight titles can be shown in list view and up to six eBooks in cover view.

You can sort books by date, title, author, or collection. Content can be downloaded from the cloud quickly and easily with a few taps. On the 3G model you don’t even need Wi‑Fi; instead, it uses cellular—at home and abroad—without any ongoing costs for the user.

Reading

Open eBooks with a simple tap. Turn pages with a swipe or tap on the screen, or by using the page-turn buttons. Whichever method you choose, it’s always quick and reliable.

As mentioned, thanks to the built-in accelerometer you can simply flip the Kindle Oasis over to use it left- or right-handed; the touch zones for page turning rotate accordingly.

Font adjustment

You can adjust text size in eight steps, line height and margins in three steps each. Apart from auto-rotation, you can also manually rotate the screen 90 degrees to landscape via the reading menu. There’s no automatic rotation to landscape.

With firmware 5.7.4, the Oasis offers 9 fonts:

• Baskerville (Serif)
• Bookerly (Serif)
• Helvetica (Sans Serif)
• Palatino (Serif)
• Amazon Ember (Sans Serif)
• Futura (Sans Serif)
• Caecilia (Serif)
• Caecilia Condensed (Serif)
• OpenDyslexic (a special font that improves readability for dyslexia)

With the launch of the Kindle Paperwhite 3 in 2015, Amazon introduced a new text engine. eBooks with “Enhanced Typesetting” (noted in the product info on Amazon’s website) feature optimized character spacing, kerning, ligatures, and drop caps, as well as the long-requested hyphenation (not switchable).

Line height and margins can also be adjusted. A landscape mode is available as well.

This significantly upgraded Kindle typography, and the difference is clearly visible compared to eBooks without Enhanced Typesetting. It’s also worth noting that the Bookerly and Amazon Ember fonts are now available for all eBooks (with and without Enhanced Typesetting).

Bookmarks, notes & dictionary

Alongside typography, the dictionary and notes have also been improved—which is especially welcome since they were already good.

Tap and hold on a word and a dictionary definition pops up in a small window. A context menu also appears to create highlights and notes, share the passage via social media, or search within the book, the Kindle Store, or across all texts.

Input is via the virtual QWERTZ keyboard, which, as usual with Amazon, is very fast and accurate.

Entering a note via the QWERTZ keyboard

Notes are automatically saved in a text file, making them easy to process later. You can also access them on a dedicated web page for a better overview.

The bookmarking function is also smart and, thanks to in-page previews (see photo), lets you quickly peek at other pages without actually turning to them.

Clever bookmark function

A range of dictionaries is available; Duden and the Oxford Dictionary of English come preinstalled.

The following dictionaries are available (more can be purchased):

• ABBYY Lingvo Comprehensive Russian-English Dictionary – ABBYY
• ABBYY Lingvo Большой Англо-Русский Словарь – ABBYY
• ABBYY Lingvo Большой Толковый Словарь Русского – ABBYY
• Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa – Priberam
• Dicionário Priberam de Inglês-Português – Priberam
• Dictionnaire Cordial – Synapse Développement
• Duden Deutsches Universalwörterbuch – Duden
• Groot woordenboek Engels-Nederlands (English-Dutch) – Van Dale
• Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (Dutch Dictionary) – Van Dale
• Groot woordenboek Nederlands-Engels (Dutch-English) – Van Dale
• The New Oxford American Dictionary – Oxford
• Oxford Dictionary of English – Oxford
• Oxford English – German Dictionary – Oxford University Press
• Oxford English – Spanish Dictionary – Oxford University Press
• Oxford German – English Dictionary – Oxford University Press
• Oxford Hachette English – French Dictionary – Synapse Développement
• Oxford Hachette French – English Dictionary – Synapse Développement
• Oxford Spanish – English Dictionary – Oxford University Press
• Priberam’s Portuguese-English Dictionary – Priberam
• el Diccionario de la lengua española – Real Academia Española
• lo Zingarelli Vocabolario della Lingua Italian – Lo Zingarelli
• Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary (プログレッシブ和英中辞典第３版) – Shogakukan
• 大辞泉 (Daijisen Japanese Dictionary) – Shogakukan
• Progressive English-Japanese Dictionary(プログレッシブ英和中辞典) – Shogakukan
• A Modern Chinese-English Dictionary (现代汉英词典) – FLTRP
• 现代汉语词典 (Xian Dai Han Yu Ci Dian) – Commercial Press
• Modern English- Chinese Dictionary (现代英汉词典) – FLTRP

Exemplary dictionary function

Microsoft Bing’s online translation is also available, offering numerous options. Another advantage is the ability to translate not just single words but entire passages. While machine translation is of course imperfect, it usually provides enough context to understand unclear parts.

You can also display Wikipedia entries directly in the small window. Swipe left or right to switch panels.

You can also display Wikipedia entries this way

PDF viewing

PDF support still isn’t a priority for Amazon & Co., but it’s still quite decent on the Kindle Oasis. You can zoom in and out with the familiar two-finger pinch gesture. You can also adjust contrast—sometimes necessary with PDFs due to antialiasing—to make them readable on a relatively small 6-inch display.

The Oasis also supports automatic column mode: double-tap to zoom into the desired area and swipe to move through it. Zoom level and crop selection are automatic. It’s not perfect, but surprisingly it works very well overall.

Surprisingly good PDF handling. Thanks to 300 ppi, even large-format files are readable—shown here in landscape.

The processor and ample 512 MB RAM ensure PDF navigation is fast. Performance is generally good even with large files, although with image-heavy files from 70 MB upward we did notice clear delays between input and response. To be fair, the same is true for most competitors.

One particular advantage for PDFs is the high-resolution 300 ppi “retina” display. Thanks to the high pixel density, DIN A4 PDFs can even be read at original size relatively well. The text is tiny and not very comfortable, of course, but still legible. With landscape mode and simple pinch-to-zoom, even large format PDFs are ultimately quite readable—as readable as a 6-inch screen allows.

Miscellaneous

Beyond the core functions described, the Kindle Oasis offers a number of useful extras.

The web browser—still marked “Beta”—works very well. Thanks to quick load times and mostly accurate rendering, you can use the Oasis for quick trips online, researching Wikipedia & co. or reading articles. The handy article mode helps by extracting the main text and displaying it without the site’s design.

Handy “beta browser,” fast and reliable

You also get the vocabulary builder and the Kindle FreeTime parental controls.

Vocabulary builder & Word Wise

A good dictionary is now standard on an eReader. It lets you read foreign-language texts even if you don’t fully master the language. So it’s only logical to also include a vocabulary trainer that stores looked-up words for later review.

It’s all the more surprising that no other manufacturer besides Amazon offers such a feature—which, in addition to other Kindles, is of course present on the Oasis.

Vocabulary builder

You can find a detailed description in this article. In short, it’s an extremely useful feature—provided you read in foreign languages.

In addition to the normal dictionary and vocabulary builder, “Word Wise” has been available for some time. When enabled, it automatically displays hints for potentially difficult English words in the text, adjusting line height as needed. Currently Word Wise is available only for selected English-language eBooks.

Kindle FreeTime & account linking

Another feature you won’t find with Amazon’s competitors is parental controls. Called Kindle FreeTime, it’s designed specifically for parents. You can lock certain functions (browser, Kindle Store, cloud access) and record statistics to track reading progress.

Parental controls

For children, the Oasis’s low weight is an added bonus, though of course you have to ask whether you’d buy a roughly 290-euro device for a child when there are cheaper (and possibly more robust) models.

Not too long ago, Amazon also added the ability to link two Amazon accounts in a household. This lets you share eBooks and avoid duplicate purchases or tedious file copying over USB.

Text-to-speech via software update?

An interesting side note: Before launch, it was expected that the Kindle Oasis would include text-to-speech. There’s nothing about this in the official spec sheet or product description, and there’s no corresponding menu item in the UI.

I mention it because there seems to be something to the rumors: on the device’s main storage there’s a folder named “voice.” Inside is a 145 MB file named “vox_en_us_salli22i,” which is presumably a TTS voice.

Text-to-speech voice on the Oasis—more to come?

The Oasis doesn’t have a 3.5 mm headphone jack, but according to the FCC filing its Wi‑Fi chip also supports Bluetooth.

So is it possible Amazon will add a voice function via software update? Or did the retailer pull the feature at the last minute? We’ll see what the coming weeks and months bring.

Buying eBooks

As usual with Amazon, buying eBooks on the Kindle Oasis is extremely easy. That’s partly because Amazon doesn’t use Adobe DRM and partly thanks to the aforementioned automatic Amazon account pairing. Amazon uses its own DRM system, which you typically don’t notice as a user. No external registration is required, so after initial setup you can start buying eBooks right away.

Purchases happen with a tap via the linked Amazon account. If you buy a book by mistake, you can return it. Don’t abuse this option, though—Amazon reserves the right to suspend accounts in such cases.

The clear, easy-to-use eBook store is available right after setup.

Amazon’s catalog is as large as ever, with the self-publishing platform playing a key role in the Kindle ecosystem. Independent authors can publish their work, often making it much cheaper for end customers than titles from traditional publishers—though quality naturally varies more.

A known downside of all Amazon eReaders also applies to the Oasis: the closed nature of the Kindle ecosystem effectively means you can only buy eBooks from Amazon. Thanks to fixed book pricing, this doesn’t hurt customers on price (the same eBook costs the same everywhere). It could become an issue if you switch to a different manufacturer later, as your purchased eBooks might not be easily readable on the new device.

Battery life & charging

I’ve mostly skipped “battery life” in recent eReader reviews because devices are usually so similar that there aren’t big differences (aside from various Android models).

The Kindle Oasis is an exception. As noted at the start, it’s always sold with the charging cover—for good reason. Power is split: the cover houses a 1,290 mAh battery; the device itself has only 250 mAh. That’s undoubtedly why the Oasis’s light can be turned completely off (see above)—Amazon saves power wherever it can.

For comparison: the Kindle Paperwhite’s battery is 1,420 mAh; the Voyage’s is 1,320 mAh.

Another power saver is a new implementation of standby. If the device isn’t used for several hours, it goes into a deeper sleep than previous Kindles. You can spot this deep sleep mode because when you open the cover, it doesn’t jump to the home screen instantly; it takes about 5 seconds (and shows “Waking up” at the bottom).

Runtimes

With the cover, Amazon quotes 8 weeks at 30 minutes of reading per day, Wi‑Fi off, and brightness at 10 with fully charged batteries (1,290 + 250 = 1,540 mAh), i.e., 28 hours of continuous use. If you scale that to the device battery alone, you get a theoretical runtime of around 4.5 hours under the same conditions.

That’s close to reality: looking at my usage and assuming uniform discharge, I get 4 to 6 hours with varying brightness. With the light off, you should be able to double that to at least 8 to 10 hours.

Magnets hold the cover and eReader firmly together; the connector handles charging.

So the Oasis’s device battery doesn’t last as long as other readers. That’s where the charging cover comes in: once you attach the reader to the cover, the device battery charges. You can see the charge status of both Kindle and cover in the quick settings (see photo below).

If you don’t let the Oasis run completely flat (i.e., put it back in the cover at 20–50% remaining), charging to (almost) full via the cover usually takes between 45 and 90 minutes. In theory, a full cover battery provides five charges for the device battery.

The charge level of both batteries is shown in the quick settings menu.

You’ll get a pop-up when the cover battery is low, as well as when the device battery is running out.

Amazon expects you to regularly pair the Oasis with the cover. When you’re done reading, snap the cover back on and set it aside. When you read later or the next day, the reader is (fully) charged again. Of course, you can also use the cover while reading if you want (or need) to (see above).

With the cover attached, you can charge both devices at once by plugging in a micro-USB cable. You can charge the Oasis without the cover—but the cover can only be charged via the reader; it doesn’t have its own USB port.

Device battery lifespan

Some people have raised concerns about the device battery’s longevity. The small battery in the Oasis is charged much more often than in other eReaders. So it’s natural to think it might give up the ghost earlier or lose capacity faster than usual.

It’s not that simple, though. Cycle life isn’t set in stone and can vary greatly by manufacturer.

In addition, shallow charge and discharge cycles optimize lifespan. Amazon has obviously taken measures to ensure long life, since the cover battery doesn’t feed power continuously but charges the small battery periodically and under unspecified conditions.

From what I can tell, the cover charges the device battery only up to a maximum of 94 percent. You can see this in the quick settings where the charging notifications appear.

Also keep in mind that the extremely thin batteries in the device and cover aren’t off‑the‑shelf components—which may partly explain the Oasis’s high price.

We can only speculate about the batteries’ longevity at this point, but chances are good Amazon is aware of the issue and has taken steps to ensure the longest possible service life.

Interim verdict: battery

Reliance on the cover will undoubtedly divide opinion. On the one hand, the Kindle Oasis scores with the lightest body and best handling; on the other, you have to get used to regularly attaching it to the cover.

What some see as a drawback can also be viewed as an advantage: if needed, the Oasis can be used for several hours without the cover, making it featherlight in hand. If the battery runs low during a long reading session, just snap on the charging cover and keep reading at the higher weight. With any other device, you’d have had to tolerate that higher weight the whole time.

In everyday use, this has turned out to be quite unproblematic for me, helped by the excellent magnets that make removing and reattaching the cover quick and effortless.

A word about the price

One of the main criticisms of the Kindle Oasis is undoubtedly the high price. At around 290 euros, you have to dig much deeper than for other 6-inch models. Some even called it “an outrage” on Amazon’s part.

But it isn’t an outrage. First, Amazon sets its own prices and customers decide whether to pay them. Second, the Kindle Oasis isn’t a standard eReader; much of it had to be newly developed and engineered.

If you crack open a Kobo Glo HD and a Tolino Shine 2 HD (and a number of other models) and look inside, you’ll find essentially the same core. These models weren’t developed from a blank sheet, but build on predecessors with similar components and board layouts.

The Oasis (and to a degree the Voyage) had to be designed from scratch. The mainboard no longer spans the entire surface but sits, along with the small “special battery,” in the grip section. As mentioned, the battery is evidently charged according to a specific scheme rather than arbitrarily—something that likely required a certain amount of testing and development.

Doesn’t look like much, but requires lots of engineering and special solutions: Kindle Oasis in parts. Image source and copyright: Mashable.com

Because the rest of the housing is only about 3.4 mm thin, it was also necessary to apply a metal vapor deposition on the inside to make the case as torsion-resistant as possible so the Oasis can be carried around without damage. Add to that the more scratch-resistant front and the page-turn buttons.

All these special solutions add up to a device that can’t be bought off the shelf, neither as a whole nor in parts. That naturally comes at a price (with marketing no doubt playing a role, too). The development effort likely rivals that of the very first eReaders from Sony and Amazon, which also cost around 300 euros.

So the price is certainly no outrage. Rather, the Oasis is an offer for avid readers willing to spend more on their hobby to get the most relaxed reading experience. If you don’t want to spend that much, you can still choose the cheaper models—which also offer excellent reading experiences.

Conclusion

With the Kindle Oasis, Amazon kicked up quite a storm. The initially nameless tease by Jeff Bezos spurred lots of speculation and debate in advance, which continued just as passionately and heatedly after the reveal.

I don’t have an answer for why the Oasis, of all devices, sparked so much debate. But I can answer the question about how well it’s executed.

The tiny premium eReader is by far the best device in terms of feel and handling. The ease with which you can use the Oasis is unmatched. No other eBook reader is as relaxing to read on.

Its incredibly low weight pays off in every way in day-to-day reading, and I have no doubt even skeptics will be convinced once they try it. Next to it, every conventional 6-inch eReader feels like a bulky brick—let alone larger formats. After a short time with it, you won’t want to go back to the usual shape and weight.

The excellent lighting almost becomes secondary: the 10 side-mounted LEDs not only illuminate the screen evenly, they also deliver high contrast and outstanding readability.

Kindle Oasis—times two

Where there’s light, there’s shadow. Two points of criticism remain. First, the split power setup makes the Oasis highly dependent on its cover and requires some willingness to compromise—certainly not to everyone’s taste. Second, the comparatively high price will be a barrier for many.

Putting that aside, there’s not much to fault in the new premium model. While it doesn’t do everything perfectly and sometimes has to slot behind the Voyage in individual disciplines, overall the Kindle Oasis offers the best package for relaxed, fatigue-free reading in my eyes.

Without reinventing the wheel, Amazon has taken a significant step forward in handling with the Oasis. The bold decision to make no compromises on form and weight absolutely pays off, earning the latest Kindle a very good 1.3 in our test.

For those who don’t want to spend that much and prefer to be less dependent on a cover, the Kindle Voyage (189 euros) or Paperwhite (119 euros) remain excellent options (without cover) at much lower prices.

Below are a few more words on the Kindle Oasis’s price, which has sparked plenty of discussion.

The Kindle Oasis fallout [Commentary]

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos personally announced the Kindle Oasis in advance on Twitter (without naming it). A week before launch, we already knew the retail giant would soon unveil a new eReader. Speculation ran wild.

Here on ALLESebook.de, readers and I guessed what the new device might offer: waterproofing, a big screen, text-to-speech, and more for the next flagship.

What we got was something very different from what most expected (myself included). The Kindle Oasis is a 6-inch eReader with largely familiar tech but an unusual form factor. Instead of pushing the hardware further, Amazon focused on feel and handling. And on price: the Oasis costs around 290 euros for the Wi‑Fi version.

Too expensive, too small, too ugly—those were common comments. But the price announcement in particular drew massive criticism across forums. The reactions have been numerous and, to my eyes, surprisingly intense. Below I’ll address some of the criticisms.

Kindle Oasis and Voyage priced almost the same

Compared to the Kindle Voyage, not much has actually changed in price: the Voyage costs around 190 euros. An original leather Origami cover adds 60 euros; the limited premium variant even 90 euros. In the end, the combo of reader and cover also runs 250 to 280 euros—not much less than Amazon’s price for the Kindle Oasis including cover.

The difference, of course, is the forced bundling. You can only get the eReader with the cover—and for good reason: the Oasis’s battery capacity is split. A 250 mAh battery sits in the reader and a 1,250 mAh battery sits in the cover. The intent is clear: Amazon shrank the reader’s battery to save weight and enable the asymmetrical design.

The Kindle Oasis only comes with the cover

While reading, users are meant to remove the cover and hold the 131-gram Kindle Oasis without it. When you’re done, the magnets snap the cover back on and the reader charges.

It’s a compromise that wouldn’t work without selling the cover together. In fact, the experience would probably suffer due to the shorter battery life of the reader alone if the cover weren’t included. You can criticize the design decision to reduce the reader’s battery and you don’t have to like it. But the fact is Amazon chose this path, and selling it without a cover wouldn’t make much sense.

Priced on par with older models

Even if you split the price as above, you can’t deny the Kindle Oasis leaves a bigger hole in your wallet than most other 6-inch models. The average price of illuminated 6-inch eReaders has trended downward in recent years.

Many devices in this segment now cost only 120 to 130 euros. Occasionally prices drop to 80 to 110 euros during promotions.

The Kindle Paperwhite starts at 120 euros, as do many other models

Viewed this way, the price debate is more understandable. But you can also look at it differently: not so long ago, eReaders cost 200–300 euros. I imported my Sony PRS-505 from the US for (I think) about 300 euros—it had no light and terrible contrast by today’s standards. I bought it anyway because the tech fascinated me even then.

Sony PRS-505: Limited features, low-contrast display, and a high price—and still a great eReader!

And it wasn’t just the PRS-505: the two-generations-newer Sony PRS-650 also cost 230 euros (without a cover). The first Kindle cost $400; the second (initially) $390.

Years have passed since then, so you can’t directly compare those prices to today’s. But one thing the old eReaders have in common with the new high-end Kindle Oasis and Voyage: they required more development work and specialized solutions than most other market players.

Many current 6-inch devices follow essentially the same hardware design as models from 3 or 4 years ago. If you take apart a Kobo Glo and compare the board to a Glo HD, you’ll see many similarities. It’s even more obvious when you compare the Glo HD with the Tolino Shine 2 HD and other models: they use the same reference design and often even come from the same manufacturer (Netronix). The Kobo Glo could even boot using the Android firmware of the first Tolino Shine—hardware-wise, the devices are that similar.

Making such devices is, in the end, cheaper than changing the board design and, for example, ensuring the eReader’s case is torsion-resistant enough that the 3.4 mm thin section doesn’t break or transmit torsion to the display. That costs money and shouldn’t be overlooked when evaluating the price.

Leather cover not vegan

Another criticism from a different angle concerns the cover material. A small group voiced concern in forums and comments about the forced bundling—not because of the price but because it’s leather.

Vegans, vegetarians, and others who don’t want to use leather products can sign an online petition urging Amazon to offer an option with faux leather or another animal-friendly material. It hasn’t gained much traction, though—after 2 days there were (at the time) only 233 signatures.

The cover is currently always leather

While I respect different lifestyles and abhor animal cruelty, I honestly find the demand hypocritical.

Even if Amazon offered the Oasis without a leather cover, the human and ecological conditions under which rare earths are mined in China, Russia, & co. are often catastrophic. Every modern electronic product contributes in a small way to that status quo.

Even if the cover option is expanded to faux leather or similar, that doesn’t make things better in ecological terms. Consistently, as an animal activist, you shouldn’t be buying modern electronics at all. That’s hard to avoid nowadays, of course, but buying a high-end entertainment gadget is rarely a necessity—especially if you already own one.

Be that as it may: I wouldn’t rule out Amazon adding an alternative material in the medium term, but I wouldn’t bet on it. The Oasis is positioned as a premium model, and a plastic cover (which customers would likely expect to be cheaper) could dilute the image and reduce the distance (and necessary differentiation) from the Voyage.

The Kindle Oasis design is a masterpiece

In closing, I want to make a case for the Oasis’s looks and form factor. Some comments have harshly criticized the design. Many find the asymmetry unattractive.

The very first Kindle was asymmetrical, too

I’d counter that the Kindle Oasis is actually returning to the roots. The earliest eReaders weren’t symmetrical. The Sony PRS-505, one of the first in the German market, had a rather chaotic arrangement of buttons below and beside the screen.

The first Kindle model also had an asymmetrical shape. And don’t forget, there were some other models from smaller manufacturers—like the PocketBook 360°—with unusual housings.

This only changed gradually as smartphones and tablets took off and touchscreens became the norm on readers. Asymmetrical designs gave way to today’s uniform look with centered displays and very slim bezels. That makes sense and looks good on phones and tablets, but for dedicated readers it’s not always ideal.

Ergonomically, I think it’s better to design for the simplest possible one-handed use. That means making the grip areas beside the display large enough, keeping page-turn buttons within easy reach, and placing the center of gravity near the grip.

In my view, the best design decision in years

The real masterstroke of the Kindle Oasis is this: the asymmetry doesn’t stop at the front; it extends to the electronics. The mainboard and battery sit in a small bulge on the back, shifting the Oasis’s center of gravity toward the edge. At the same time, the extremely thin remainder of the body makes for a better grip.

Even without holding it, there can be little doubt the Kindle Oasis offers the best current handling of any dedicated reader. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve had issues with weight or handling on other models before.

What does the Kindle Oasis mean for the competition?

A question I asked myself before the reveal can now be answered fairly easily in my opinion: what does the Kindle Oasis mean for the competition? Answer: nothing.

No competitor has a comparable device, whether in form factor, the charging-with-cover concept, or price. The Oasis is positioned as a high-end premium model and sits even further from the competition than the Voyage.

I find it unlikely that Tolino, Kobo & co. will lose customers because of the Oasis. As we’ve seen many times, eReaders sell to the mainstream primarily on low price.

So the Kindle Oasis mainly targets tech-loving heavy readers, who would also be well served by other brands. I therefore expect little immediate impact on rivals—perhaps aside from the prestige question of the best and most comfortable reader.

In the worst case, Amazon cements its position with loyal customers, who, after buying such a high-priced model, aren’t likely to switch.

Execution is what counts

As with every eReader, the Kindle Oasis ultimately stands or falls on execution. The high price has to be justified for book lovers. In the end, with a dedicated reader, everything revolves around display quality.

If the Oasis convinces in screen lighting and contrast, I see nothing standing in its way—not even the relatively high price. Then it would indeed offer a lot for a lot of money.

Whatever you think of the device and its price, from a customer’s perspective, more choice is always welcome. Hopefully other manufacturers will also (again) go down this path and bring further points of differentiation to life.

Photos

Kindle Oasis 1: Technical Specifications

All information provided without guarantee.