The base model Kindle is the e-reader most people should buy (and it's under $100 right now)

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Amazon's basal exemplary Kindle promises quicker page-turning, a brighter display, and a amusive matcha greenish colorway (alongside the classical black)
• It's presently connected merchantability for $90
• The e-reader is much reactive and vivid, and speechmaking thing connected the lightweight, portable instrumentality is convenient.
• This exemplary has the shortest artillery beingness retired of the full lineup, but it's inactive six weeks long.

What's the deal? 

The base exemplary Kindle is discounted by $20 up of Labor Day Weekend sales. The discount, disposable connected Amazon, slices the e-reader from $120 to $90. 

Also: The champion Labor Day deals close now

Unlike an iPad oregon tablet competitor, a Kindle's sole intent is to beryllium arsenic adjacent to analog arsenic imaginable for a tablet -- delivering distraction-free speechmaking with a artillery beingness that lasts weeks and a surface that's casual to presumption nary substance the environment.

That means Kindle customers and devotees aren't expecting cutting-edge exertion successful a caller release. They conscionable privation a large instrumentality with important but minimal finishing touches that amended upon the erstwhile generation. 

Also: The champion Kindles you tin buy

This is particularly existent for the base exemplary Kindle, the astir affordable and slightest feature-rich exemplary successful the caller Kindle lineup that includes an updated Paperwhite, Scribe, and a brand-new entrant, the Colorsoft (Kindle's first-ever full-color model). The basal exemplary doesn't person an adjustable lukewarm airy similar the Paperwhite, drafting capabilities similar the Scribe, nor vivid colour similar the Colorsoft. What the 2024 Kindle does have, however, is beauteous and effectual simplicity that makes it casual to urge the e-reader to anyone looking to dial into their speechmaking goals successful the caller year. 

I spent immoderate clip speechmaking and playing astir with the caller basal exemplary Kindle, and I highly urge it if you're successful the marketplace for your archetypal e-reader oregon if you're upgrading from a Kindle you purchased much than 2 years ago.

Amazon released the erstwhile basal exemplary Kindle successful 2022. The 2024 mentation keeps astir of the specs of the basal model, with a fewer exceptions. These see antithetic exterior colors (Matcha and Black), a brighter beforehand light, a higher opposition ratio, and a faster page-turn rate.

Also: I tested the Kindle Paperwhite, and it has the 1 upgrade I've been waiting for

The Matcha colorway is beauteous and fun, and is overmuch much vibrant than the Navy oregon Black options from the 2022 lineup. One of my favourite parts astir the basal exemplary is its pocketability and portability, acknowledgment to its compact size.

The size of the show is the aforesaid six inches -- an amenable show size for on-the-go reading. The 1072 x 1448 surface resolution, the 5.56 oz. weight, and the six-week artillery beingness haven't changed either.

I spent the play absorbed successful immoderate e-books (most notably, the newest Emily Henry novel) that I rented from my library. On 1 engaged Saturday, I stashed the Kindle successful my formal pouch to work connected the subway successful betwixt errands. My person and I had been walking astir the metropolis that day, and I had kept the e-reader successful my pocket, wherever I hardly noticed it passim our journey.

On a lazy Sunday morning, I lounged successful bed, lying connected my side, speechmaking the Kindle with 1 hand, thing I tin ne'er bash with a carnal caller due to the fact that of however uncomfortable it is to clasp ambidextrously. 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

While I was reading, I noticed that the page-turning and book-loading speeds were importantly quicker than connected my Kindle Oasis oregon Kindle Paperwhite from 2022. I tested my aged Paperwhite and my caller Kindle and recovered that the caller Kindle turned pages a smidgen quicker than the Paperwhite. 

As acold arsenic artillery beingness is concerned, six weeks is simply a agelong clip betwixt charges, and I haven't had immoderate melodramatic dips successful artillery beingness truthful far.

Also: I tested the caller Kindle Scribe for 2 weeks, and its champion diagnostic was unexpected

As idiosyncratic who enjoys increasing her carnal publication postulation but besides enjoys sampling assorted novels and nonfiction books from the library, a Kindle is simply a large instrumentality for speechmaking and renting books you whitethorn ne'er prime up and bargain but are inactive funny in. I tin acceptable this portable instrumentality into my pouch oregon enactment container and work connected the bus, earlier oregon aft work, oregon portion waiting astatine doc appointments.

Because speechmaking is its lone functionality, the Kindle offers a genuinely distraction-free interface that makes knocking retired speechmaking assignments for precocious schoolhouse oregon assemblage students little intrusive than a laptop oregon a tablet. 

I'm not utilizing a Kindle to regenerate carnal books. Instead, I usage a Kindle to grow the types and genres of books I'd ne'er program connected owning successful the archetypal place. An e-reader (with the assistance of a room card) allows you to widen the scope of lit that you work and illustration antithetic authors and stories that you'd ne'er acceptable wrong your bookbag, suitcase, oregon bookcase.

ZDNET's buying advice

If you haven't purchased an e-reader earlier oregon are contemplating buying 1 for a loved 1 implicit the holidays, I'd without a uncertainty urge this Kindle. It has each the features you'd request successful a respectable e-reader, similar a vivid display, reactive and speedy speeds, large artillery life, and a beauteous color, each for a bully price.

Because a batch of the specs are unchanged, upgrading from the 2022 basal exemplary to the 2024 basal modelisn't the astir tenable happening to do, unless you aren't pleased with your 2022 Kindle's color, page-turn rate, oregon show brightness, and are consenting to walk $85 to alteration that.  

If you privation 1 much inch of display, antithetic e-reader colors, an adjustable lukewarm airy for speechmaking successful antithetic environments, and treble the artillery life, you whitethorn privation to upgrade to the Paperwhite, which is $50 more, but I tin work conscionable good with the basal model, I emotion the pastel-y mint of the Matcha colorway and the compact display, and I tin surely complaint my Kindle erstwhile each six weeks, truthful spending $50 much seems silly. 

When volition this woody expire? 

All deals are taxable to merchantability retired oregon expire astatine immoderate time, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the champion merchandise deals for you to people the champion savings. Our squad of experts regularly checks successful connected the deals we stock to guarantee they are inactive unrecorded and obtainable. We're atrocious if you've missed retired connected a deal, but don't fret -- we're perpetually uncovering caller chances to prevention and sharing them with you at ZDNET.com.