Amazon launches new slimmer Kindle Oasis at $290

E-shopping giant Amazon.com has rolled out a new Kindle e-reader, its eighth and slimmest device in the series, with a charger that is built into its cover. The Kindle Oasis, which at $289.99 will be the most expensive in the range and is available for orders which will start shipping on April 27.

Since first launching the Kindle in 2007, Amazon has continued to roll out gadgets like its Fire tablets and most recently Echo, a line of voice activated speakers. The Kindle has emerged as the most dominant e-reader in the market as Rakuten’s Kobo and Barnes and Noble’s Nook struggled to win customers.

The company said the new Kindle comes with a dual battery system, meaning that attaching the device to its cover will start recharging it automatically. So, the company hopes to attract readers to its high-end Kindle with its longer lasting battery and sleek design.

The Kindle Oasis weighs 4.6 ounces and is 3.4 mm at its thinnest point.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in a statement said “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,”

It is 30% thinner on average and over 20% lighter than any other Kindle. Kindle Oasis has a featherweight polymer frame that is plated with metal by structural electroplating to achieve this. Kindle Oasis features the latest generation high-resolution 300 ppi Paperwhite display. “A redesigned built-in front light features 60% more LEDs for our brightest Kindle display ever and leverages new cylindrical diffractive patterns to increase the consistency and range of screen brightness for improved reading in all types of lighting,” Amazon states in its press release.
Amazon claims that Oasis is comfortable to read on with either hand. The new Kindle Oasis includes all of the features that have made the Kindle family the most popular e-readers such as Whispersync, worry-free archive, Goodreads, Word Wise, and more.