Amazon Kindle is a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to browse, buy, download, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, Audible audiobooks, and other digital media via wireless networking to the Kindle Store. The hardware platform, which Amazon subsidiary Lab126 developed, began as a single device in 2007. Currently, it comprises a range of devices, including e-readers with E Ink electronic paper displays and Kindle applications on all major computing platforms. All Kindle devices integrate with Windows and macOS file systems and Kindle Store content and, as of March 2018, the store had over six million e-books available in the United States.Kindle Store: Kindle eBooks . Retrieved March 30, 2018.
Naming and development In 2004, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos instructed the company's employees to build the world's best electronic reader before Amazon's competitors could. Amazon originally used the codename Fiona for the device.Inside the secret lab where Amazon is designing the future of reading The Verge, 2014
Branding consultants Michael Cronan and Karin Hibma devised the Kindle name. Lab126 asked them to name the product, and they suggested "kindle", meaning to light a fire. They felt this was an apt metaphor for reading and intellectual excitement.
Kindle hardware evolved from the original Kindle introduced in 2007 and the Kindle DX (with its larger 9.7" screen) introduced in 2009. The DX remained the only non-6" E Ink Kindle device until the 2017 introduction of the Oasis 2. The range included early generation devices with a keyboard (Kindle Keyboard), devices with touch-sensitive, lighted, high-resolution screens (Kindle Paperwhite), early generations of a tablet computer with the Kindle app (Kindle Fire), and low-priced devices with a touch-sensitive screen (Kindle 7). However, the Kindle e-reader has often been a narrow-purpose device for reading rather than being multipurpose hardware that might create distractions while reading. Active Content support was introduced in 2010 only to be dropped from new Kindle devices in late 2014. After the first three generations, the Kindle Fire tablet branding was changed to Amazon Fire in 2014; this name change reflected their wider capabilities as an Android-derived tablet. Other later developments include devices with larger E Ink displays such as the Kindle Oasis 2 (2017) at 7" and the Paperwhite 5 (2021) at 6.8", as well as a device with a 10.2" screen and Wacom stylus support called the Kindle Scribe (2022). In 2022 Amazon also introduced the 11th gen Kindle with a 300 PPI display, ending the use of the 6" 167 PPI display that had been on every basic Kindle since 2007. In 2024 Amazon introduced the first color E Ink Kindle, the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition. In 2025 Amazon updated the Scribe lineup with a new design and introduced a Scribe Colorsoft model.
Amazon has also released Kindle apps for a wide range of devices and platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone. Amazon also has a cloud reader to allow users to read e-books using modern web browsers.Kindle Cloud Reader Amazon.com.
Device specifications
Model Kindle OS Launch Model number Price Display CPU Memory Storage Sound Ports Input Connectivity Battery Dimensions Weight IP code Kindle 1 1.2.1 November 19, 2007D00111 $399 , 600 × 800 pixels, 167 PPI density, 4-level grayscale Marvell Xscale PXA255 400 MHz, ARM9 64 MB 256/180 MB Speakers, 3.5mm headphone Jack USB 2.0 Mini-B port (data transfer only), SD card, 3.5 mm headphone jack, charging port Keyboard, Scroll wheel Amazon Whispernet H W D No Kindle 2 2 2.5.8 February 23, 2009D00511 D00701 $299 6-inch (150 mm), 600 × 800 pixels, 167 PPI density, 16-level grayscale Freescale i.MX31 532 MHz, ARM11 32 MB 2/1.4 GB USB 2.0 Micro-B port, 3.5 mm headphone jack Keyboard, D-pad H W D Kindle 2 International October 19, 2009 $279 Kindle DX June 10, 2009D00611 $4899.7-inch, 824 × 1200 pixels, 150 PPI density, 16-level grayscale 128 MB 4/3 GB W D Kindle DX International January 6, 2010 ? Kindle DX Graphite July 1, 2010D00801 $379 Kindle Keyboard(Kindle 3) 3 3.4.3 August 27, 2010D00901 Wi-Fi: $1393G: $1896-inch (150 mm), 600 × 800 pixels, 167 PPI density, 16-level grayscale Freescale i.MX35 532 MHz, ARM11 256 MB Amazon Whispernet (3G model only), 802.11bg Wi-Fi 1,750 mAh H W D Wi-Fi: 3G: Kindle 4 4 4.1.4 September 28, 2011D01100 No ads: $109Ads: $79 Freescale i.MX508 800 MHz 2/1.25 GB None USB 2.0 Micro-B port D-pad Amazon Whispernet (3G model only), 802.11bgn Wi-Fi 890 mAh H W D Kindle Touch 5.3.7.3 November 15, 2011D01200 No ads:Wi-Fi: $1493G: $189Ads:Wi-Fi: $993G: $139 4/3 GB Speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack USB 2.0 Micro-B port, 3.5 mm headphone jack Touchscreen 1,420 mAh H W D Wi-Fi: 3G: Kindle 5 5 4.1.4 September 6, 2012D01100 No ads: $90Ads: $70 2/1.25 GB None USB 2.0 Micro-B port D-pad 890 mAh H W D Kindle Paperwhite 5.6.1.1 October 1, 2012EY21 No ads:Wi-Fi: $1403G: $200Ads:Wi-Fi: $1203G: $1806-inch, 768 × 1024 pixels, 212 PPI density, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit Touchscreen 1,420 mAh H W D Wi-Fi: 3G: Kindle Paperwhite 2 6 5.12.2.2 Wi-Fi: September 30, 2013, 3G: November 5, 2013DP75SDI No ads:Wi-Fi: $1403G: $210Ads:Wi-Fi: $1193G: $139 Freescale/NXP i.MX6 SoloLite 1 GHz2/1.25 GB or
4/3 GB Wi-Fi: 3G: Kindle 7 7 October 2, 2014WP63GW No ads: $100Ads: $80 , 600 × 800 pixels, 167 PPI density, 16-level grayscale 4/3 GB 890 mAh H W D Kindle Voyage 5.13.6 November 4, 2014NM460GZ No ads:Wi-Fi: $2203G: $290Ads:Wi-Fi: $2003G: $270 6-inch, 1072 × 1448 pixels, 300 PPI density, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit 512 MBUSB (through USB Audio Adapter) 1,320mAh H W D Wi-Fi: 3G: Kindle Paperwhite 3 5.16.2.1.1 June 30, 2015DP75SDI No ads:Wi-Fi: $1403G: $210Ads:Wi-Fi: $1203G: $1901,420 mAh H W D Wi-Fi: 3G: Kindle Oasis 8 April 27, 2016SW56RW $289.99 – $379.99Bluetooth Amazon Whispernet (3G model only), 802.11bgn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 245 mAh (no cover)1,535 mAh (with cover) H W D (without cover) D (with cover) Wi-Fi: 3G: Cover only: Kindle 8 June 22, 2016SY69JL No ads: $100Ads: $80 , 600 × 800 pixels, 167 PPI density, 16-level grayscale 890 mAh H W D Kindle Oasis 2 9 October 31, 2017CW24WI $249.99 – $349.99 7-inch, 1264 × 1680 pixels, 300 PPI density, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit NXP i.MX7D 1 GHz 8/6 GB or 32/30 GB 1,000 mAh H W D IPX8 Kindle Paperwhite 4 10 5.18.1 November 7, 2018PQ94WIF $129.99+ 6-inch, 1072 × 1448 pixels, 300 PPI density, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit Freescale/NXP i.MX6 SoloLite 1 GHz 1,500 mAh H W D Wi-Fi: 3G: Kindle 10 April 10, 2019J9G29R No ads: $109.99Ads: $89.99 , 600 × 800 pixels, 167 PPI density, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit 4/3 GB or 8/6 GB1,040 mAh H W D No Kindle Oasis 3 5.18.2 July 24, 2019S8IN4O $249.99 – $349.99 7-inch, 1264 × 1680 pixels, 300 PPI density, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit NXP i.MX7D 1 GHz 8/6 GB or 32/30 GB 1,130 mAh H W D IPX8 Kindle Paperwhite 5 11 5.19.2 October 27, 2021M2L3EK $139.99 – $159.99 6.8-inch, 1236 × 1648 pixels, 300 PPI density, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit (17 LEDs)MediaTek MT8110 1 GHz 8GB or 16 GB USB-C port Dual-band 802.11 Wi-Fi (no ad-hoc support), Bluetooth (audio only, limited to VoiceView for accessibility or for Audible content in approved countries) 1,700 mAh H W D Kindle Paperwhite 5 Signature EditionM2L4EK $189.99 32/30 GB USB-C portQi charging Kindle 11October 12, 2022C2V2L3No ads: $119.99Ads: $99.996-inch, 1072 × 1448 pixels, 300 PPI, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit MediaTek MT8113 1 GHz16 GBUSB-C port1,040 mAh H W DNoKindle ScribeNovember 30, 2022C4A6T416 GB with Basic Pen: $339.99 64 GB with Premium Pen: $419.9910.2-inch, 1860 × 2480 pixels, 300 PPI, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit1 GB16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GBTouchscreen, Stylus Pen3,000 mAh H W D NoKindle 11 (2024)October 16, 2024RS23CVNo ads: $129.99Ads: $109.996-inch, 1072 × 1448 pixels, 300 PPI, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit512MB16 GBTouchscreen 1040 mAh6.2 in (157.8 mm) H 4.3 in (108.6 mm) W 0.32 in (8.0 mm) D5.56 oz (158 g)NoKindle Paperwhite 612SA568BNo ads: $179.99Ads: $159.997-inch, 1272 x 1696 pixels, 300 PPI density, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit16 GB1,900 mAh7 in (176.7 mm) H 5 in (127.6 mm) W 0.3 in (7.8 mm) D7.4 oz (211g)IPX8Kindle Paperwhite 6 Signature EditionSA569P$199.9932 GBUSB-C portQi charging1,900 mAh7.5 oz (214g)Kindle Colorsoft Signature EditionOctober 30, 2024SA59CP$279.997-inch, 1264 × 1680 pixels, 300 ppi B&W, 150 ppi color, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit1GB32 GB2,310 mAh7.7oz (219g)Kindle Scribe (2024)11December 4, 2024C4A6T4 (same as previous model)$399.9910.2-inch, 1860 × 2480 pixels, 300 PPI, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GBUSB-C portTouchscreen, Stylus Pen 3000 mAh9.0 in (230 mm) H 7.7 in (196 mm) W 0.22 in (5.7 mm) DDevice: 15.3oz (433g device only) Premium Pen: .60 oz (17g)NoKindle Colorsoft (2025) 12July 24, 2025SA59CP (same as previous model)$249.997-inch, 1264 × 1680 pixels, 300 ppi B&W, 150 ppi color, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit16 GBUSB-C portQi chargingTouchscreen2310 mAh7 in (176.7 mm) H 5 in (127.6 mm) W 0.3 in (7.8 mm) DIPX8Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition (2025)$279.9932 GBKindle Scribe Colorsoft (2025)December 10, 2025B0DWRBVDN6 (Graphite 32GB) B0FC1ZS9QZ (Graphite 64GB) B0FC1WNVMX (Fig 64GB)$629.9911-inch, 300 ppi B&W, 150 ppi color, 16-level grayscale, LED frontlit4GB32 GB (21 GB available to user), 64 GB (50 GB available to user)USB-C portTouchscreen, (Wacom compatible) Stylus Pen 3000 mAhDevice:
9.6 in (245 mm) H 7.4 in (189 mm) W 0.21 in (5.3 mm) D
Premium Pen:
6.1 in (155 mm) H .35 in (8.8 mm) WDevice:
14.1 oz (400 g)
Premium pen:
0.6 oz (17 g)No
Features Kindle devices support dictionary and Wikipedia look-up functions when highlighting a word in an e-book. The font type, size and margins can be customized. Kindles are charged by connecting to a computer's USB port or to an AC adapter. Users needing accessibility due to impaired vision can use an audio adapter to listen to any e-book read aloud on supported Kindles, or those with difficulty in reading text may use the Amazon Ember Bold font for darker text and other fonts may too have bold font versions. It also includes other fonts for accessibility like OpenDyslexic.
The Kindle also contains experimental features such as a web browser that uses NetFront based on WebKit. The browser can freely access the Kindle Store and Wikipedia on 3G models while the browser may be limited to 50 MB of data per month to websites other than Amazon and Wikipedia. Other possible experimental features, depending on the model are a Text-to-Speech engine that can read the text from e-books and an MP3 player that can be used to play music while reading.
The Kindle's operating system updates are designed to be received wirelessly and installed automatically during a period in sleep mode in which Wi-Fi is turned on. A user may install firmware updates manually by downloading the firmware for their device and copying the file to the device's root directory.Amazon.com Help: Fire & Kindle Software Updates Amazon.com Retrieved February 22, 2016. The Kindle operating system uses the Linux kernel with a Java app for reading e-books.Oracle Gave Amazon a Discount on Java to Keep Android Off the Paperwhite – Wait, What? The Digital Reader May 19, 2016
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