Review: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

The new Paperwhite isn't a huge leap forward compared to Amazon's first model. But unlike the smartphone world where marginal updates are supplemented with features no one will actually use, the Paperwhite's incremental updates are actually useful. Are they enough to spur current Paperwhite owners to upgrade? Probably not. On the other hand, if you don't already have one, this should definitely be your next e-reader.

As long as Amazon has the most comprehensive ecosystem for an e-reader, challengers will be hard pressed to unseat the mighty Kindle. Even when its screen failed to beat an offering from independent bookstore darling Kobo, it was difficult to recommend anything that wasn't the Kindle. The new Paperwhite makes it even harder.

The e-reader's new light guides have removed the blooming issues that plagued the bottom of last year's model. In fact, the light is more evenly distributed over the entire screen even though the LEDs still reside at the bottom. You have to tilt the e-reader and look down from top to bottom to see them.

The text on the new Kindle is also darker and appears crisper. The background is supposed to be whiter too, but in reality it appears less blue and has a warmer yellowish hue. Harsh whites will actually fatigue your eyes, so the warmer tone is welcome. That's not to say that previous versions of the Kindle were eye-burning monstrosities.

Instead, e-ink is maturing and the Kindle line is following suit. Part of that maturity is the quicker processor. According to Amazon, the new Kindle Paperwhite's page turning is quicker thanks to a 25 percent faster processor. The page turns were noticeably zippier in a side-by-side comparison. Other than that, the processor bump is only truly notable while navigating the Kindle's Home menu and your library.

The improved innards of the e-reader also reduce page refreshes. Instead of refreshing the screen every seven to eight pages to reduce ink artifacts, the new Paperwhite now refreshes roughly once every chapter. That means you'll see the e-reader flash less often while you're reading. Like page turning, this improvement is more relevant to updated UI elements that deliver quicker navigation to X-ray and a helpful way to actually navigate through a book without losing your place.

An X-ray tab now pops up as part of a window that includes definitions and Wikipedia entries when a word is selected in a book. Instead of tapping the top of the screen, then tapping X-ray from the drop-down menu bar, the integrated character, places, and topics of interest are available with a single tap. A handy feature for trying to figure out who's who in a sprawling novel is now just a little bit handier.

Another helpful book navigation feature is the new Page Flip that lets you quickly scan through a book via a pop-up window. Need to see a map of Middle-earth? Use the scrub button at the bottom of the page to navigate to the back of the book to figure out where the Shire is in relation to Mordor. Buttons to navigate a single page or to skip to chapters are available in the pop-up window and next to the page scrubber.

Amazon's own third act for the new Paperwhite is a series of updates that'll make the e-reader more social and helpful for parents. Amazon's acquisition of social reading site Goodreads is paying off with integration that lets you rate books and see what your Goodreads friends are reading. If you're already a member of the social site, this is the integration you've been waiting for. If you're not, it's worth signing up to see what your friends are reading.

For bibliophiles with kids, the Free Time feature from the Kindle Fire is making its way onto the e-reader. Set up an account for your child where you control access to which books your child reads while setting up daily reading goals. Kids can earn achievements and you'll be comfortable leaving your Kindle with your kid knowing they won't be accidentally opening 50 Shades of Grey.

Unfortunately, neither feature is ready at launch but will be available later this year, according to Amazon. And while a children's account is a great way to track your child's reading progress, what's missing from the Kindle line is individual accounts for adults.

Whispersync is great when one person is reading a book. But if two people are reading the same book from the same Amazon account, it will sync all Kindles attached to the retailer's network to the last read position. Many families have multiple Kindles on a single account and having to disable Whispersync so two people can read the same book is a janky workaround.

But even without adult accounts, the 2013 Kindle Paperwhite is a solid iterative update. It won't have current Paperwhite owners ditching their readers. But if you're looking to update an older Kindle, your eyes and mind will certainly enjoy the upgrade.