Although there were rumors that Amazon would release new Kindle e-readers this fall, we didn't expect the company to renew its entire Kindle line. But that's exactly what Amazon did. The company introduced four new Kindles on Wednesday, including its first ever Color Kindlealong with upgrades for the Beginner's KindleThe Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Scribe.

Two of these new models – the Kindle (2024) and the Kindle Paperwhite (2024) – are available now for $110 and $160, respectively. The new color Kindle – Amazon calls it Kindle Colorsoft – is scheduled to ship on October 30th at a hefty price of $280. Meanwhile, the second-generation Kindle Scribe ($400) is scheduled for release on December 4th. I had the opportunity to play around with them all at Amazon's Kindle launch event in New York. Here are some first impressions.

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New entry-level Kindle (2024): $110

Let's start with the cheapest model. That's that Beginner's Kindlewhich Amazon simply calls Kindle. Weighing just 158 ​​grams and featuring a 6-inch 300ppi E Ink display, it's the smallest and lightest Kindle in the lineup. The technical data is similar to that previous Kindlebut you now get slightly faster page turning, a higher contrast ratio, and a front light that's 25% brighter at the maximum setting (Amazon says the light is now as bright as the Paperwhite's). Also, this model now comes in a new matcha green color which I think looks good.

Many people prefer e-readers with larger screens, but I like the entry-level Kindle's more compact size (it fits in a jacket pocket). Since Amazon improved the sharpness of its screen in 2022 with a 300ppi display and added a built-in light, it has become, so to speak, a Paperwhite mini (minus some features) that costs significantly less than the real Paperwhite. However, at $110 (£95, AU$199), this new model with 16GB of storage costs $10 more than the previous generation Kindle. So the price goes up a little.

New Kindle Paperwhite (2024): $160

For $160 (£160) that is new Kindle Paperwhite also costs $10 more than that previous Paperwhite Basic model. But the changes to the Paperwhite appear to be more substantial. Amazon has reduced the size of the bezel around the screen, so instead of a 6.8-inch diagonal E Ink display in a similarly sized case, you get a larger 7-inch screen. The device itself is also thinner and offers 25% faster page turning. Amazon touts it as the fastest Kindle yet, and page turns and refresh rates appear to be noticeably faster.

According to Amazon, the display uses a new oxide thin-film transistor, giving it the highest contrast ratio of any Kindle. This makes the text and images stand out a little more. Despite its slightly thinner size, the new Paperwhite is designed for a battery life of up to three months.

Aside from the larger screen and more advanced lighting scheme than the entry-level Kindle, the Paperwhite is fully waterproof, whereas the Kindle is not. The Paperwhite is also available in a Signature Edition, which adds 32GB of storage, wireless charging, and an auto-adjusting frontlight for $200. Both the standard Paperwhite (16GB storage) and the Signature Edition are available in metallic raspberry, metallic jade and metallic black.

The new Paperwhite appears to be a legitimate upgrade to the Paperwhite (2021), and I suspect people who used the previous generation Paperwhite will be tempted to upgrade to this model.

Kindle Colorsoft: $280

The Kindle Colorsoft is Amazon's first color Kindle. Many people have been waiting for Amazon to add color to its e-reader lineup, especially after Kobo introduced the Kobo Clara Color and the Kobo Libra Color, which also use new color e-ink displays.

I'm not entirely sure why Amazon chose the name Colorsoft – perhaps because the color seems a bit soft and muted. However, it brings book covers, graphic novels and comics to life more than a monochrome screen. But a tablet with an LCD or AMOLED screen offers much richer colors.

It's worth noting that while these E Ink displays are inherently sluggish than LCD technology, pinching and zooming do allow you to get a closer look at images and text (there will be some lag as the screen refreshes). ). What's also nice is that you can highlight text not just in gray, but in different color options.

Based on my first impressions, I think Amazon's color e-reader offers slightly more vibrant colors than Kobo's e-readers and offers better performance overall. But I'll have to compare them side by side (after receiving a review sample) before I can confirm that gut reaction.

The Colorsoft uses the same oxide backplane with custom waveforms as the new Paperwhite. And Amazon says the custom display includes a new light pipe with nitride LEDs that, combined with custom algorithms, enhance color and increase brightness.

Otherwise, the Kindle Colorsoft is similar to the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, but the battery life is designed for up to eight weeks instead of three months. In fact, the Colorsoft is only available in a Signature Edition. Priced at $280 (£270), it is also fully waterproof and features wireless charging.

For comparison, the Kobo Libra Color, which also has a 7-inch screen, costs $220. An optional stylus is available for the Kobo for $70.

Kindle Scribe (2nd generation): $400

Filling out the Kindle line is new Second generation Kindle Scribe. The base model with 16GB of storage costs $400 (£380), or $20 more the original. It will also be available in 32GB and 64GB configurations. It has three main upgrades.

First, the 10.2-inch, 300ppi E Ink display features new white borders and a new flush front display with a coating that gives the screen a more paper-like feel. Second, the included pen, Amazon's new Premium Pen (still battery-free), is an upgrade over the original Premium Pen.

The combination of the new texture on the screen, the new tip and the better weighting of the pen makes it feel more like you're writing on real paper. Plus, the new soft tip eraser gives you the feeling of using a real pencil eraser. And yes, using the new pen and eraser actually feels more analog.

Amazon is also announcing some new AI-enhanced features for the new Scribe. While you still can't mark up a Kindle e-book directly like you can with a PDF file – by that I mean write notes directly on the e-book like you would write on a paper book and overlay it on top – Amazon has improved its e-book annotation capabilities with the new Active Canvas feature, which allows you to easily attach handwritten notes to the text and save handwritten comments in the margins. Additionally, a new summary feature quickly summarizes multiple pages of notes you've saved in a digital notebook into a concise, bulleted script. And finally, there's a new feature that cleans up your handwriting and converts it into readable, easy-to-read type.

When I demonstrated some of the new Scribe features, not everything worked perfectly. However, the new software is still in beta as the device won't ship until December. I asked Amazon if these new Scribe AI features will be available for the original Scribe. The answer was yes, so that's good news for everyone who bought the original Scribe.

These are the new Kindles in a nutshell. Even though some of the changes aren't major, it's good to see the entire line changing. And while prices for some of the new Kindles are quite high, they go on sale at various times throughout the year, including the holiday season.

We'll be publishing full reviews of all new Kindles in the coming days.