I Always Travel with My Kindle: Amazon’s Discounted eReaders Make Ideal Christmas Gifts

Whenever I hit the road with one of my laptops, even those super-slim 14-inch models sporting stunning OLED screens, there’s still something about reading full-length books on them that just doesn’t sit right with me. That’s why slipping the Kindle Paperwhite into my travel bag feels like a no-brainer. Its battery life is nothing short of legendary, boasting longevity that stretches for weeks on end, meaning it’s never failed me when I needed it most.

Amazon has decided not to just bask in the success of its well-loved eReader but to enhance it even further, extending the Paperwhite’s battery life to a staggering 12 weeks. Meanwhile, the smaller 6-inch ‘New Kindle’ impressively manages up to six weeks on a single charge.

Currently, you can snatch the latest Kindle Paperwhite for $129.99 directly from Amazon. While that’s a bit steeper than the $84.99 price tag on the ‘New Kindle,’ I have to say it’s worth it. Amazon has fine-tuned the screen, improving page turns by 25%—a delightful fix for those who found previous iterations a bit sluggish. And if you’re new to the eReader world, Amazon sweetens the deal with a complimentary 3-month trial of Kindle Unlimited, granting access to an immense library of over 4 million books, plus magazines, comics, and audiobooks.

🔥The Hottest Black Friday Deals🔥

Microsoft Could Learn a Thing or Two from Amazon

Amazon’s Kindle Scribe remains an unrivaled tool for taking notes.
(Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

Though often overshadowed by its reading-focused counterparts, Amazon’s Kindle Scribe has made a noticeable impact on our Editor-in-Chief’s workflow with its Paperwhite-like E-ink touchscreen, as Daniel Rubino puts it: "Besides being the best Kindle reader I’ve ever owned due to its larger screen, the ‘Scribe’ feature has revolutionized my work routine. It’s a piece of tech I would have done anything to get my hands on during graduate school, and I can see any student or office worker falling in love with its capabilities."

If you’re trying to decide whether to grab a Kindle this Black Friday, consider test-driving the Amazon Kindle desktop app on your Windows gadget. While the app is free, you’ll also find a selection of free books on the Kindle store, providing an experience that doesn’t stray too far from what you’d get using Amazon’s devices.

The undeniable advantage of the Kindle, especially the Paperwhite, lies in its unmatched battery life, which cannot be rivaled by virtually any Windows laptop. Even a snazzy Windows-on-Arm device like the Surface Pro 11 doesn’t hold a candle to a Kindle’s battery life, though a Surface will offer an array of functionalities unmatched by an eReader.

That said, there’s nothing to lose by experimenting with the Kindle app before splurging on new tech. Ultimately, I’d steer you toward the Kindle Paperwhite at $129.99. My partner and I rely on ours during travels, comforted by its astoundingly long battery life.

Holding out until Cyber Monday might not result in a better deal—this is Amazon we’re talking about, and they rarely get outbid on their products. Plus, trade-ins for similar devices could net you an additional 20% off the sale price. So if you’re mulling over the idea and have an older eReader around, bite the bullet now, worry-free.

🍁More Great Black Friday Deals🦃

• Best Buy: Big savings on video games, accessories, and more
• Walmart: Early savings on practically everything
• Target: Live deals on a huge range of products
• Dell: Top deals on laptops, gaming PCs, accessories, and more
• HP: Save big on laptops, desktops, accessories, and more
• Lenovo: Doorbuster deals on all Lenovo PCs, monitors, accessories, and more
• Newegg: Save on PC gaming accessories, components, and more
• Razer: Take advantage of free shipping for a limited time
• Samsung: Holiday deals on laptops, TVs, phones, and more are live
• Amazon: Constantly rotating sales on everything you can imagine