Amazon Kindle Oasis

Product Description

Your favorite e-reading tablet is back and better than ever! Available in either a 32 GB or an 8 GB model, the Amazon Kindle Oasis features a sleek ergonomic waterproof design and an adjustable warm light so that you can easily shift from white to am

Top Reviews

Micro-USB is Not Acceptable.
by Richard A. Nathan (1 out of 5 stars)
July 29, 2019

This is my 11th Kindle. Their last Oasis model should have been technology forward enough to have a USB-C charging. The lack of this charging port is totally unacceptable. I am angry over this. EVERY cell phone sold is either USB-C or Lightning. Just a quick walk through a Best Buy will show numerous computers with USB-C charging. Going with a Micro USB port is an insult to the target users of this flagship device. The head of the Kindle project and any engineer that advocated for it should be fired.
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The Pros, Cons and Oks for Kindle Oasis (HR).
by Honest Reviewer (4 out of 5 stars)
July 29, 2019

Pros:__________
* It's small, provides basically two simple physical controls, and a sleek premium aluminum design that makes it beautiful to look at without showing off.
* The screens warm temperature display works like a charm. You can either adjust it manually in the setting section or just set it to automatically active with sunrise and sunset. I just put in an automatic timer and overall found it a pleasure to use this feature at night. The warm effect doesn't bring in any eye irritation to me, at night or day, which a computer screen does.
* Surprisingly for me, I found the need to apply the warm temperature display on all day. The reason why is because the effect creates the illusion of flipping through old pages in a book. I'm always a physical book person, so this feature brings in the comfort of that feeling. It makes it look like real paper! Still, I only use the cool display when it's super bright out, but other than that the warm display is perfect regardless of day or night.
* You have many intensity levels of cool brightness to ranges of the warm temperature effect that can match your need. From mild yellow to full-on amber color, Amazon finally put in the right software for this display because I'm getting a clear display and no glare regardless of any ambient lighting.
* The E-ink display is very fast and efficient. I mean you're just reading so the processing power isn't that much as I didn't notice any ghosting while reading.
* This is one of the only times that I'm glad for a bezel border because I can always place my hand at the perfect spot on the device, right underneath the page buttons.
* The page buttons themselves provide great feedback when I press them. They're not loud but it does give you that little click, which I love. You can use the touch screen to turn pages, but I felt the buttons provide a better experience.
* Regardless if you're left or right-handed, the device is ambidextrous! I flip the screen to my left the display adapts to it, just as if I flipped it to the right. The experience is the same for all.
* I took it out in a clear sunny day and the anti-glare matte display screen provided perfect viewing angles even when the sun was hitting at it the most.
* The touch screen is responsive as I like that it has a soft-touch texture on it. It creates a pleasurable experience and kills the creations of my fingerprint.
* IPX8 waterproof means it can be washed off and taken almost anywhere. I didn't submerge it in a pool of water but an IPX8 will stand almost all forms of water issues (just don't use it under the water.)
* Bluetooth is super-fast. Connecting my Airpods took less than 20 seconds, and the feedback is spot on.
* Battery life is in no way going to be an issue. From my one battery test, I got around 21 hours of use! The average person will probably read 30-40 minutes a day with this. Having Wi-Fi on will eat a lot more but, in the end, the math doesn't lie.
* The software of highlighting text, placing bookmarks, getting extra info about your book, and adding notes is very straight forward and doesn't require digging around the system to use them. For me, one feature I use a lot is tapping a word and get the dictionary pulled up for the word (you need Wi-Fi).
* You can input MOBI, PDF, and TXT files on this device (I'll go into more details later on).
* One cool feature I like is that if you use your kindle email address, you can upload files to your Oasis. I found this 10x quicker as I used this format when transferring my Steve Jobs autobiography book from my IPad to the Oasis (via email).
* At the time pf my review, I found 10 different fonts, 14 sizes, and numerous alignment choices. I can save numerous themes and have the option to switch back and forth if I wanted to. I found this feature helpful if more than one person uses this device.
* The books themselves are pretty cheap to buy on Amazon. It's even better if you're a Prime member because you can "borrow" books from the Prime Reading catalog. There is also Amazon First Reads that I like but overall, if you get this device, Amazon is the way to go in getting your books/magazines.
* Unlike a smartphone, I know that if you treat your Oasis right, you'll get a pretty good shelve life with it.

Cons and Oks:__________
* Micro-USB! Are they serious? Just like Amazon's previous models, no USB-C connector. Micro-USB brings slow for charging and importing files. With Micro-USB, I'm getting around 3 hours, 0-100%, for a complete charge. I don't know who decided to have this design feature, but come on!
* No headphone jack! No idea why this isn't built-in because they even have the room for it on the device.
* Getting used in finding your brightness and temperature setting will take some time. Amazon gives a lot of options on the display, as I spent a decent amount of time just figuring out which type of lighting I wanted.
* The keyboard is a touchscreen keyboard. So expect a slow typing rate. Sadly I can't apply the tracing effect that many androids and google phones provide on their keyboards.
* The aluminum design does make this slippery to hold, and it's able to slide off my lap pretty easily.
* Also, with aluminum, it takes in the heat or the cold a lot quicker if you leave it outdoors or in a hot car.
* Without a decent cover, it feels like I'm holding a piece of metal than the feeling of holding a book.
* Can't connect to 5GhZ Wi-Fi network.
* Even if this Oasis looks the same as its previous models, I found out that you can't really use the same covers. My colleague has the older model and issue we found is that the magnet covers of the last case model don't stick with the new Oasis. Almost the same size and weight, you expect that older covers to work, but nope. I'll have to pay for a new case cover.
* At the time of my review, I get ads on the lock screen of the device. You can remove them, but you have to pay around $20 to make it ad-free. I found this ridiculous given what you're already paying for it.
* As I mentioned before, you can upload MOBI, PDF, and TXT files on this device. This is cool, but when I put in a simple pdf file (composed of a small story) the formatting gets lost in the process. The paragraphs were mashed together, there was a delay when you wanted to turn to the next page, and overall it looks like a big mess. Now, this could be just a one-time event, but I have to assume any third party software that goes into the Oasis will face some issues (Importing audiobooks did work flawlessly though).
* No microSD. That means the storage you have is what you're going to have forever. This is buzz kill because I know for only 8 GB (Minus 1 GB for the initial software) you're going to only have maybe 20 audiobooks go have on storage. It seems more appropriate, given the shelf life of this device, to just invest in the 32 GB since there is no way to upgrade the 8 GB.
* It's small, but not small enough to fit your pocket. Be careful where you put it because I feel like I can bend this without any issue if I wanted to.
* The browser feature, I believe, is very experimental. Because of the display, many webpages are shown up broken or just unreadable. Obliviously this isn't for web browsing, but it's a feature they provide that I just ignore.
* It's almost the same in software and design as its previous model. With the price, I was expecting Amazon to a least redesign it into something different (maybe less in the bezels). It's still a beautiful design but, given the identical looks as its previous model, as the only main difference is the warm color effect. I know this is what Amazon is advertising but they had 2 years to redesign it. I guess the saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Bottom Line:__________

As not having a Kindle before this, I would say that I'm having a pleasant time reading with this. I always prefer a "real" book to read, but having thousands of books at my fingertips, it does reduce that need. To be honest, it's kind of scary to see the possibility that kids can use this more than a physical book. It reminds me of a scene from the 1960's film "The Time Machine," where George goes into to future to find out that all the books he touches turn into a fine powder because no one has used them in centuries.

But ignoring that thought, there really isn't any competition for devices like these, and Amazon does know how to build them. It's sleek, fast, and most importantly, the screen is superb in reading. The warm light effect does make me feel that I'm still reading an old book, while the battery life is holding its ground.

Note, if anyone has the previous model of the Oasis, don't bother buying this. It's the same thing, except without the warm display and some small software upgrades. For new people, I recommend that you invest in the 32 GB because 8 GB is not nearly enough (given that you can't even install a MicroSD to it). There are some smaller issues with the design of the device that make me feel like I'm holding a machine instead of a book (not to mention the Micro-USB!), but for those who want to take a leap in digital reading, this is the way to go.

Overall: An above-average device for book readers of all ages, and a small step forward in the extinction of physical books.

Hope I was a help to you.

Love,

Honest Reviewer.
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THIS OASIS CRITIC HAS TO ADMIT: NEW LIGHT IS A TOTAL GAME CHANGER!
by Charles Nordlander (4 out of 5 stars)
July 29, 2019

I wrote a lengthy critical review of the 2017 Oasis, which was the first Kindle that I've ever returned out of every top model. I mainly criticized the cold and slippery aluminum shell for intruding on, rather than disappearing from, the reading experience. But along with those criticisms, I praised its bigger 7" screen as the one aspect that I would miss. And now, with the upgrade of that screen to one with adjustable color temperature, I decided to give the 2019 Oasis a try, even though its design was unchanged from 2017.

Cutting right to the chase: the adjustable color temperature screen is the greatest advance in Kindles since self-illuminating screens were introduced on the first Paperwhite... period, full-stop. And, at least for this reader, there's no going back after trying it out. It's that good, and that much of a game changer.

With both warmth and brightness (they have separate controls) turned up to about the midway point, reading on a Kindle transitioned for the first time from merely reading words, to the experience of reading words on a paper page in a book. This might sound like "Who cares?" nonsense to most people, but if you're in that small minority of the public buying a high-end Kindle, you understand what I mean, and it's that kind of difference that you're paying for.

The new lighting also transforms the experience of reading in a completely dark room. On existing Kindles, I could never find quite the right light level. If it was as bright as I wanted it to be, that felt too harsh on my eyes. But bringing brightness down to a level that felt comfortable seemed too dim. Now, by simply increasing the lighting warmth on the new Oasis, you can have brighter light with no harshness in a dark room, making reading much easier on the eyes.

Finally, I'm happy to say that Amazon seems to have (finally!) nailed the quality control issues that have plagued new Kindle lighting systems in the past: No splotches. No dark spots. No shadows. No weird color casts. Just smooth, even, beautiful lighting across the screen.

So, is this the perfect Kindle for me? No. The perfect Kindle would be this new 7" screen in a Voyager form factor. The ergonomics of the Oasis are still not great for me, although my satisfaction with the new screen appears to make the annoyances matter less. The 2019 Oasis is not only a keeper for me, but I'm actually trading in both my Voyager and original Oasis.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review and I hope you find it helpful in making a buying decision. Time permitting, I do try to answer any questions posted in the comments section.
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Love it! Read how to save 25%, plus free perks and customizable buttons
by Kindle Customer (5 out of 5 stars)
July 29, 2019

I decided to finally upgrade my Kindle from the first Paperwhite when I found out I could get a 25% discount and a $5 Amazon gift card for trading in my very old and unused Kindle Keyboard 1st gen, as well as other bonuses of 6 months free Kindle Unlimited (approx $60) plus a 30 day Audible trial.

I'm very happy with it and it has some great features.

I do like the adjustable amber tint, but I also really like the ability to invert the colors to white print on a black background. This is even easier on the eyes, but it does have a noticeable (and irritating) white flash every few page turns when using the buttons, and almost with every page turn when advancing with the touch screen. I believe this is the e-ink refreshing. I will probably use the black inverted color only when I'm reading outside in bright sunlight.

I also am really happy to have buttons to turn the page again. It's the ultimate laziness to be able to just keep your thumb in the button and depress it to turn the page instead of having to actually move your thumb a half inch to touch the screen, but hey, why move a half inch when your can push down 1/16th of an inch? All that extra movement add up over the years.

The real reason I like the buttons is this: I live in Alaska and we have very long, cold nights. But even in the winter, we turn down the heat at night. I read in bed every single night, tucked all cozy and warm under my down comforter... except for having to have my hand out in order to touch the screen on my Paperwhite to turn the page. My hand starts to get very cold. It's uncomfortable. My half frozen hand takes away from my happy bedtime reading experience. With the Oasis, I can keep my hand under the blankets and just push the button. You don't know what a big deal this is until you spend night after night with a frozen hand.

I also like that you can select which button to the the page advance button and which is the page back button. The Oasis comes set up with the top button as the page advance and the bottom as the page back, but I switched them: the bottom is the advance, the top is the back. I hold my ereaders at the bottom sides, and had to stretch my thumb to advance the page when it was set for the top button. It's just easier and more comfortable to use the bottom button. And this is cool: the bottom button stays as my page advance button even when I rotate the Oasis 180 to use left handed!! Smart!!

Others have covered the size and weight so I won't go it I all that except to say it's comfortable to hold. I do use the official Amazon Premium leather cover and it fits perfectly, and the magnetic closure/sleep/wake functions work perfectly also.

Dislike: Nothing with the ereader itself, but with however Amazon picks the "special offers". From what I read, these offers are supposed to be tailored off of a person's reading history/preferences. I may be wrong.

The books they are featuring for me are "romance" genre. I am sooo not a romance genre girl. I don't believe I've ever purchased this genre in my life. I'm a hardcore sci-fi/dystopian. I have an adverse reaction when I see romance special offer.

Other than that, some of the complaints by others leaves me wondering.

I just don't think it's THAT big of deal that it has a micro usb. Really, it's just not that hard to figure out the big end of the cable from the small end. As for charging speed, charge mine while I'm sleeping at night so it doesn't matter if it takes 1 hour or 4. I suppose having to carry a micro usb cord and charger when other devices use a usb-c cord/charger may be annoying but I think I can find 2 square inches in my purse/pocket/bag/backpack for it.

Also remember that this is an e-reader. It's not a tablet, computer or smartphone, nor does it make any claims to be. Expecting an ereader to function basically like a computer/tablet/smartphone is expecting too much. It does an outstanding job at doing it's job as an ereader.

I have sent many different type of files to my Paperwhite using my kindle email address and it's worked excellent with that old ereader, so I expect this new Oasis will do excellent with those as well.

My suggestion is to read the description fully and know what you are getting and what you aren't.
If your reading experience will be destroyed because this doesn't have (nor claim to have) a usb-c, then this isn't the ereader for you.

If you want it to be like a tablet or smartphone or computer, this isn't the ereader for you.

But if you love reading and buy this for what it's made for, I can recommend it.
Definitely look into getting a discount by trading in any unused kindles, and take advantage of the free Kindle Unlimited and Audible while they are available to offset the cost even more.
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Kindle Family Lacks Any Real Innovation
by LJR DC (3 out of 5 stars)
July 29, 2019

For the past few years, Amazon has seemed content to follow the e-reader pack rather than lead it and provide true innovation in its Kindle lineup. This version of the Oasis is no exception. While this latest Oasis adds the option for warm (amber) light, which is a plus for me since I tend to read a night, Kobo and Nook have had this feature for years. Amazon touted that its Oasis and now Paperwhite are "waterproof." Big deal. Kobo did that in 2014. A 7" screen on the Oasis version 2 in 2017! Again, Kobo did that in 2013. The ability to change the boldness of fonts and provide some customization was provided by Kobo back in 2011. The Kobo Forma, an 8-inch radically different e-reader, shows what REAL innovation is. Go take a look at it.

Let's talk pricing. $249 (with Special Offers) $269 without them. The top of the line Nook is $199. And only Amazon makes you PAY to have an e-reader without advertisement. Let's be honest, that's what "special offers" are, ads.

The Kindle ecosystem is second to none, unmatched by Kobo or even Barnes and Noble. That's what keeps me with Kindle. It would be nice, however, if their e-reader line-up matched their industry leading eco-system. The big change between the Oasis version 2 and version 3 is warm light. Hardly innovation. Is it worth the upgrade? You need to make that decision. The screen is truly beautiful and evenly lit, the automatic light adjustment (including amber-warm light) is customizable and works perfectly, the software is excellent, and page turns are lightning fast.

But wait, the Kindle Paperwhite is now available in Twilight Blue! Now that's some innovation, LOL!
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Battery life is NOWHERE close to advertised!
by RCCola (1 out of 5 stars)
July 30, 2019

I received this new Oasis yesterday. I plugged it in so that it could fully charge. As I was setting it up, I watched battery life rapidly decline from 100% to 96% in a matter of minutes. As a test, I left it asleep (no reading/downloading/etc) for ~24hrs. The battery is now at 19%. This is completely unacceptable. Amazon advertises this model as being able to hold a charge for weeks. This experience has demonstrated that a full charge will not even last 48hrs. I cannot in good conscience recommend this product.
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Thumbs Up - Amber Light.
by z (5 out of 5 stars)
July 29, 2019

I've owned 4 different iterations of the Kindle e-reader, the last being an older generation Paperwhite. I'm still a huge fan of the Paperwhite, it's a solid choice, especially at its price point, but decided it was time for a upgrade. Mostly I was taken in by the lure of a larger screen. I tend to hold onto my gadgets longer than the average bear and usually only trade them in when there is compelling reason. This time, for me, there were 3: 1. Larger screen. Since I typically read with a large font, the expanded screen real estate is a big deal. (way less annoying page turns). 2. Amber light. So much easier on the eyes and reminiscent of physical book pages. 3. The Oasis weighs less than my Paperwhite and is balanced better in my hand. I didn't expect this one to be as significant as it has turned out to be. The Oasis is SO much easier for me to hold and manipulate, what with weight skewed to one side. I probably would have made the switch sooner if I had realized this earlier.

So those are my reasons to upgrade. For me it was worth the extra money, considering I'll be spreading that cost over many years given my history of hanging on to tech.

Reasons I choose an e-reader over a tablet: Personally, I think e-readers are stupid expensive given how little they do - and yet here I am back purchasing another one, and a crazy expensive one at that. But as an avid reader, it is important to me to have my reading experience as pleasant as possible. The reason I choose an e-reader over reading on a phone or tablet is because of ease - it weighs considerably less and can be held up for longer periods. It can be read in direct sunlight. No backlit screen to give me headaches. The battery lasts longer.

So that's my experience. The Oasis might be worth the extra money for some, but if not, the Paperwhite is still a great option. For me, I would spring for the Oasis again.
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Loving it so far
by Surrealle (5 out of 5 stars)
July 29, 2019

I have the previous generation oasis as well (on the left side in the pics) and wanted this one for reading at night. Overall there's not many differences between the two, so if the light tone customizability isn't important to you I wouldn't particularly recommend this one over the 9th gen. However, the lighting is noticeably more even with the 10th gen (my older one visibly fades from one side to the other) and there's a ton of variability in the tone of the screen. Overall, for me it was worth it, but your mileage may vary if you don't read in a dark room (so as not to wake the spouse) before bed very often.
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The Kindle KEEPER
by Frederick Nunes (5 out of 5 stars)
July 29, 2019

I have always been of the belief... if you are willing to pay a bit more for a product - and as long as you use it regularly, its worth every penny. I am fortunate to have bought this new Oasis with a generous Birthday gift card from my wife. My early impressions are WOW. The 7 inch screen makes a huge difference. This Kindle is perfectly made with the reader who holds it in hand while reading in mind. Now, the new warm light is great. You can schedule it to kick in at a specific time, you can tell it to go by sunrise and sunset, or - simply set it manually. I have chosen the latter. By my taste (and use this as a guideline if you wish) I have brightness set to 15. I have set warmth to 12. I use the "bookerly" font set at bold setting number 2, and size - number 6.

My only complaint is that (I hope AMAZON is listening) its time to replace the same screensavers that have been used for years. I think at this price point, the user should have a choice. The currect book reading's cover is one - perhaps user selected images another. I have the ad free version and I hold it in hand while reading. This is the most comfortable reader yet in terms of comfort holding in one hand for hours while reading. Its worth every penny if you read most days. Now, battery life seems to be a bit of a disappointment but still - I cannot stir away from giving this genius device 5 stars. I also recommend the leather feel stickers that are available for the back that will eliminate the issues people have had with the "slippery" issues of the past. This is the KEEPER of Kindles. I have owned most - snce the keyboard model. Love it!!!
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LTE is blocked for almost everything. Software is buggy and lacks basic feature.
by Jeff O. (2 out of 5 stars)
August 2, 2019

Summary, buy if: You read in well lit rooms, or don't mind a headlamp/book light. Want a waterproof e-reader with a small screen and physical buttons. You're tech savvy enough to remove DRM and Don't use PDFs. Already have a nice tablet/phone for all the missing basic features. You don't need TTS(text to speech). You don't use the library, only limited support for OverDrive in the USA). You don't travel and use Kindle accounts from other countries.

Battery life is terrible unless you're always in airplane mode and only read with the light off. You can read the fine print.."weeks of battery life" ...oh, "30
minutes per day"...so uh, worse than the latest mini tablets with much better features, Unless you read in the the direct sunlight all day.

Display only has good contrast in full sun or under a bright light. Must be noted though it's fantastic under these conditions. So for beach readers it's great. Auto brightness is super finicky and buggy. At one point I had to reset my Kindle because auto brightness would turn off lighting all together. But when I disabled auto brightness I couldn't manually turn off the light even when set to off. If you read a lot late at night or in a room with bad lighting... Don't buy this.

Can't download many books in LTE, says they are "too large." Oddly enough I never get this message ever for Amazon unlimited books....so guess they're uh, not being honest.

Apparently they've completely disabled mp3 support. Could swear in older Kindles you could manually load MP3s and at least play them. So Bluetooth is worthless. Many audio features that work on a tablet don't work on a Kindle.

Doesn't support the majority of ebook formats.

The version that has ads disabled still has a non removable add stuck on the main menu.. and oh, btw... You can't even use what they advertise all the time on LTE... Bah. You can disable the ads in the bottom of the home screen and their spy tracking, but the ad free version should default to that.

Web browser is still experimental after 10+ years? And it has terrible ghosting. You literally have to rotate the display back and forth to "full refresh" the page. There is no option to do that besides for reading books.

Basic features like a timer or eye rest reminders do not exist at all.

UI design is straight out of the 90's. Three layers deep just to change font size. Actions have different behavior on different screens, but the UI gives no indication that behavior will be different.

Limited accessibility options. Nonhigh contrast mose. It does have text to speech, but it only works in screen reader mode and is a pain to use.

Only supports one ebook library system, and of course no apps can be installed to access others. Also had trouble with borrowed foreign language books showing up as English in the Kindle. Audiobooks from any library system doesn't work. While it does support PDF, the results are terrible.

And the most annoying of all. Kindle store is walled off by region. So you can't use Kindle unlimited from the US while reading e-books bought from other regions. Not without resetting/re-registering the device which requires removing all content.

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