Which brings me to another Paperwhite pro: the touchscreen. With a phone, tablet, or computer, the blue light shines directly out from the screen into your eyes, Dr. Banik says. But the Kindle’s screen emits very little blue light, and it comes from the sides at an angle (not head-on).
Even better, if you reduce the Paperwhite’s screen brightness, the device puts out barely any blue light. “If people are concerned about blue light from their Kindle, just put it on half brightness and you don’t have to worry—it’s not going to shift your sleep or your circadian rhythm,” Dr. Banik says. At night, you can also set the device to warm light mode, a setting that internally removes the blue light, Dr. Banik adds, to help you truly rest easy.
I’m a huge fan of the warm light setting for its homey feel, and I can confirm that my Kindle has never given me a headache, even after marathon reading sessions. Also key: The screen is glare-free in pretty much all conditions, including bright, direct sunlight. E-reading has never been easier, especially on your eyes.
Another nice feature is the ability to set the lock screen to show the cover of the book you’re currently reading. But when this setting is toggled off, your only wallpaper options are a few preset photos that rotate randomly or Amazon ads (if you don’t opt for the ad-free version). Still, I think this is a small trade-off for how much the Paperwhite’s compact screen offers.
The features
Between our phones, laptops, TVs, and countless other devices, we’re constantly plugged in—which is why I love the Kindle’s deliberately low-tech design. It only has one button, the on/off switch, and can’t play video. The touchscreen is super easy to use, and the settings menu is surprisingly limited: You can adjust the screen brightness, warmth, color (white or black), font, and font size for the best reading experience possible. There’s also Airplane Mode, for reading while you travel, and a basic Bluetooth menu for using wireless headphones or earbuds to listen to your favorite audiobooks.
If you like to read on the beach, by the pool, or in the bath, you’ll love the Paperwhite’s waterproof design. Don’t get me wrong—it’s not meant to be submerged. But it is built to be accident-proof, so you’re covered in case your water bottle leaks in your bag or your hands slip while you’re in the tub.
One of my favorite features is how my Kindle tracks my reading progress. You can set it to show your page number (for certain books), location number, or how far along you are (shown as a percent out of 100). I’ve always been a slower reader—I like to reread certain passages or sentences a few times to make sure I absorb every detail. But since picking up my Paperwhite, I’ve noticed that I read way faster. As in, I can finish entire 300-page novels in one day, which was previously unheard of for me. I’m not totally sure why this is, but my hunch is that it involves the easy-to-read screen and percent-progress tracker, which motivates me to finish a book quickly.
