The base model of the Amazon Kindle (2022) has been out of stock on the online retail giant's shopping sites in various territories for a while now and there's probably a good explanation why. It seems as though Amazon is ready to release a new Kindle ereader soon.
A Spanish retailer accidentally listed a new 2024 edition of the entry-level Kindle on its site (as spotted by Good e-Reader), with a release date listed for September 30. While the listing has since been taken down, it was up long enough for some of the upgrades to be revealed.
If this listing is true, the upcoming 2024 Kindle – which will be the 12th generation – will have a more eco-friendly build than any of the Kindles before it. The ereader is rumored to be made with 75% recycled plastic and 90% recycled magnesium. Amazon is also apparently changing its packaging for the new ereader, making it 98% wood fiber sourced from either recycled materials or responsibly managed forests.
And, if the leaked image is anything to go by, it's also going to come in a lovely match green colorway.
The listing has also revealed quite a bit about the device's specs, starting with a 300ppi screen – which is standard for grayscale ereaders today – with 25% more brightness than the current 11th-generation model.
Like the 2022 Kindle, the 12th-gen ereader will support dark mode and, according to the leak, will also offer faster page turns, but it's unclear whether the latter will be due to a better processor or if Amazon has adopted the latest E Ink Carta 1300 screen technology. This new display debuted in the 2024 Kobo Clara BW, making it one of the best ereaders in terms of legibility and performance.
It will also come with 16GB of onboard storage, will offer a battery life of up to 8 weeks, which is better than the approximate 4 weeks per charge we got in our Amazon Kindle (2022) review. According to the dimensions leaked, it's going to be the exact same size and thickness as the current model at 157.8 x 108.6 x 8 mm.
Amazon Kindle 2024: what I'd really like to see
The one major upgrade I would love to see on the new 2024 Kindle is the use of the E Ink Carta 1300 display. This screen tech increases page responsiveness by 25% and adds more contrast – I was so impressed with it on the Kobo Clara BW that I didn't care the Kindle competitor didn't get better battery life over its Clara 2E predecessor.
Better yet, I would love to see Amazon take the competition to Kobo and release a color ereader to rival the Kobo Clara Colour. Kobo now has two color ereaders compared to none from Amazon.
Adjustable warm light will also be a fantastic addition to the newest edition of the Kindle. Kobo's base Clara BW offers it already, but then it also costs more than the entry-level Kindle.
I would also like to see the base Kindle get waterproofing – the current model misses out the IPX8 rating the Kindle Paperwhite (2021) has, which also puts it behind all the current Kobo ereaders.
And lastly, I really would like to be able to sideload EPUB format ebooks without having to use the Send To Kindle app.
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