REVIEW: MY NEW KINDLE OASIS

It felt like the wait of the century.

It all started in the beginning of April. I just learned how to load library books on my beloved Kindle Paperwhite that I got for Mother’s Day 2018 and found myself reading on it EVERY SINGLE DAY AND NIGHT. I loved it so much and it brought me new titles during a pandemic when I couldn’t leave my house.

Then, one night when I went to plug it back in…it wouldn’t charge.

I tried a new cord. A new cord in a different outlet. I tried twisting and turning it every which way. I tried ALL OF THE THINGS and could only get it to charge in a very specific position for short increments of time. My very smart and kind engineer husband told me that eventually it probably wouldn’t charge anymore, and that I should get a new one for Mother’s Day. Then, a friend told me that Amazon had a deal at the time where you could trade in your old kindle, potentially get some money back for it, and then get 20 % off a new one. So I jumped at the chance and the savings.

I packed up my beloved Kindle Paperwhite with some bubble wrap and a few tears and sent it off to Amazon. I checked the status of the return like a crazy person. Multiple times a day. When I woke up at 4am one night for a middle of the night nursing session and had an email that I received a $25 credit for my returned Paperwhite and 20% off a new e-reader, I immediately ordered the 8GB Kindle Oasis.

After a lot of delays, stress, and wondering if it would ever show up (lovingly nicknamed Kindlegate), I finally received it on Saturday, May 16, at approximately 4PM. You can SEE the joy on my face. Just look at that smile!

I powered it up and immediately knew I needed a case for it. It felt so delicate in my hands – thin, sleek, and beautiful. I wanted something waterproof since I have a tendency to get everything soaked (mom life) and found this case on Amazon for a reasonable price. My husband wanted me to get leather, but I DO WHAT I WANT!

I named her Tine-y (pronounced Teen-y) since it was my favorite purchase during quaranTINE.

Now that you’ve read the saga, here are the things I LOVE about my new kindle:

❤️ I love the buttons. Plain and simple. It’s so much more convenient than swiping! I don’t have to move my hand to change the page which really enhances the experience – one handed reading is a necessity for me as a nursing mama.
❤️ The screen feels much smoother than the paperwhite did. It’s hard to explain, but it feels higher quality and the words look clearer and sharper.
❤️ The warm light is excellent and easy on the eyes.
❤️ The text rotates based off which hand I am holding the sidebar with – an excellent feature for a leftie that often rotates which hand I am holding it with!
❤️ The light on it can be set to automatically adjust based off room brightness, just like a smartphone. It saves me from having to frantically dim it when the room is dark and I don’t want to disturb my sleeping husband.

And the cons (because everything has at least one)!

👎🏻 The device doesn’t lay flat. I did however get a case for it that, when I open it and flip the front around to the back, fixes this issue.
👎🏻 Without the case it feels SO thin when holding it that it is almost uncomfortable on the hands. Both of my main cons were solved with a simple case!
👎🏻 The price. The Kindle Paperwhite is a much more attainable price point with a lot of similar features. Luckily I had the 20% off and $25 credit that made the Oasis a bit more attainable – I saved about $70 that way on the 8GB without special offers.

OVERALL:

I am very happy with my decision to upgrade to the Oasis. I am hopeful that Tine-y will be with me for a very, very long time!

5 MONTH UPDATE – I still love tine-y and use her daily. I love the adjustable warmlight, the buttons, and all of her beauty and glory!