I’ve been deep in the Kindle ecosystem for over 15 years. From the chunky keyboard Kindles to backlit Paperwhites, I’ve owned most of them. In 2020, I upgraded to the Kindle Oasis, and for a while, it felt like the perfect e-reader: aluminum body, page-turn buttons, crisp screen, and great ergonomics for long reading sessions. I’ve used it almost daily since.
But it's 2025, and the cracks are showing. The battery is starting to give up. Micro USB is dead, but I stil have to carry around a cable when traveling. I had been hoping Amazon would roll out a worthy successor.
The Paperwhite is still Amazon’s bread-and-butter device. It’s fine. But it’s plastic, lacks physical buttons, and just doesn’t feel premium. Meanwhile, the Oasis has been quietly discontinued. The Scribe, Amazon’s high-end alternative, is built for note-taking more than reading. It’s large, awkward to hold one-handed, and—again—no buttons. I think I’d love a Scribe for note-taking, but I can’t imagine it being a good e-reader.
This has led me somewhere I didn’t expect: seriously considering Kobo. Their Libra Colour looks compelling: smaller than the Scribe, has physical buttons, and while it’s not metal, it looks solid and has great reviews. Most importantly, it supports Libby natively—something Kindle devices will likely never have. Since I borrow nearly all of my books from my library, that’s a big deal.
Color e-ink is interesting too. We’re still early in the lifecycle, and I’m hesitant to jump on Gen 1 hardware, but I can imagine a future where it becomes the default. I’m holding out for Gen 2 or 3 before committing. I think it will get a lot better in the next couple years.
There’s also a growing cloud over Amazon’s e-book model that’s hard to ignore. You don’t own your Kindle books—you’re licensing them. And now, with Amazon blocking EPUB downloads and making sideloading more difficult, there’s real friction for readers who want control over their library. The backlash is growing, especially among the YouTube reviewer crowd and in e-reader subreddits.
For now, I’m still with my Oasis—imperfect, but familiar. But when it dies? I’m no longer assuming its replacement will be another Kindle.
Are you still using a Kindle, or have you made the leap to something else? I’d love to hear what you’re reading on—and why.
Filed Under: Amazon, Kindle