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The thumbnail photos above are clickable to the larger versions, of course. These were taken after about 8:30pm at night in low light without flash, with the light just coming from the two Kindles on the table -- the older Paperwhite 1 on the left and the new Paperwhite 3 on the right.
Here's one larger example so that you can have some idea of the difference I saw without needing to click to the larger photos if you're in a hurry.
These photos were taken on the night I received the Paperwhite 3, with very little sunlight left. Both Kindles were placed on a table top, and I tried to take photos from the middle area between them so as not to favor one over the other.
I'll repeat here what I explain on the photos page at PBase where the full set is shown in larger sizes for 'closer' examination.
These are for a comparison of my new Yr 2015 Paperwhite-3 screen display (resolution differences and display contrast) with my Yr 2012 Paperwhite-1.
Is the higher resolution (double the old model's) worth the $119 to get the newer one?
That'll depend on the individual. IF perceived contrast of text against background is more important than sharper text for some Kindle users, it could be better for those owners to keep using the older ones that may be less sharp but which have a dark fuzz around the font making it seem bolder, and there's less light coming from the older Paperwhite. I've eyes that are somewhat oversensitive to light.
The Paperwhite-2 (2014) (which I didn't upgrade to) received a faster processor, but the Paperwhite-1 which I kept using is noticeably slower than the new Paperwhite 3, so I'm happy to have the higher resolution and faster speed.
Paperwhite 2 owners are already seeing a speed improvement over Paperwhite 1. So if you have a Paperwhite 2, the difference will be mainly in the resolution of the text, which is more noticeable if you enlarge the font or try to read a page in smaller fonts. People reported that the Paperwhite 2 screen released last year was made brighter than the Paperwhite 1.
I do tend to increase the font size these days to '4' or '5' or even '6' when my eyes are tired -- and the new resolution with the Paperwhite-3 (UK model here) makes this even more readable than before and it's also better with smaller text because of less relative blur (not noticeable usually) in the basic font size.
I used the Helvetica font because it is the boldest one, as I prefer more contrast.
In the photos, you can see that the built-in light (again, both were set at Level '14' out of a possible '24') is brighter on the new Paperwhite than it is on my Paperwhite 1 (which has always had some minor blotching besides on the display when in lower light (as you'll see in the close-ups) -- and text against the brightness of the newer model can SOMEtimes appear LESS contrasty than on the older model. The older model is on the left, the newer on the right.
In my case, the new display is definitely easier on my own eyes. And it more resembles the white page of a physical book than my old Paperwhite did, as you can see. Actually, it's quite beautiful.
I chose a low level of illumination because that's more comfortable for my eyes, but I've seen that others like the built-in light set all the way up to '24' -- however, this way, people won't be disappointed when they see the screen is brighter than shown here, which wasn't true of older models vs the ads.
Which to choose -- the Paperwhite 3 or the more expensive Kindle Voyage?
I covered that in detail in the previous blog article, "How does the new Paperwhite differ from the Voyage model?" -- and Amazon's press release, included in that article, listed everyday Kindle features that many Kindle owners aren't aware of. Give it a look if you haven't already.
For daily free ebooks, check the following links:
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Thank you for this article. I work for Good Neighbor Insurance, an international travel insurance company so I am on the road a lot traveling to conferences, etc. and as a result of your article, thinkI am going to get the new Kindle Paperwhite due to eyestrain trying to read on my Note 4 on planes and in hotels,...Hoping this will solve the issue because I love to read but it hasn't been a good experience switching from books to digital.
ReplyDeleteThis was exactly the comparison I was looking for. Thanks for taking the time to do it and share.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know it was useful to you :-)
DeleteYes, there is a noticeable difference between Kindle Paperwhite 1 and Paperwhite 3 screen. There is another thing I noticed, which is that there are some very light spots showing on Left one, which I believe is the Paperwhite 1. I also read review which state that the brightness of the screen of many Paperwhite 1 is uneven. This may be another reason for people to go to the Paperwhite 3.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely uneven in low light, which is what ia normally use. The Paperwhite 1 was very evenly-lighted in the day time and in a well-lit room, but in a darkened one, the uneven mildly-colored areas show up. Even then, they didn't bother me (usually just not noticed while I was reading) though they did when it was more pronounced in the first week. The Paperwhite 3 is very even.
DeleteIn the Experimental Browser I found the contrast very low. The text was almost greyed out due to low contrast.
ReplyDeleteNo amount of changing/adjusting the backlight helped.
Can you please comment on this issue.
skdking -- They have a special feature that you can choose when reading a webpage.
DeleteBy default, it converts a color-filled webpage to grayscale, but that makes some text too light against the background, as you've found.
I'm using a Paperwhite 3. You didn't mention which Kindle you have.
If you press the 3-dots Menu at top right, you'll see an option for "Article Mode" and this puts the browser page into a much more readable mode with only one level of black (or dark gray) and one level of 'white' -- it also makes the text much larger and wraps it if the webpage is set up for adaptable wrapping (as my Kindleworld main text is).
HOWEVER, while you're free from webpage ads while in this mode, you won't see the right-hand reference column in the case of my page. It just edits out everything but the main article, which is what most readers would want. It's a feature that lets you concentrate on the article in a simpler, high-contrast b&w mode.
It ALSO does not. though, show the IMAGES on the page. To see those, you press the Menu again, and this time choose to tap "Web Mode" to get back to the page-mode that reflects the webpage layout (and varying shades) of that original webpage. You can see the images that way of course.
In default WEB Mode, you CAN use two-finger spread to zoom in on text or an image that is not easily readble. But it has to be minimal movement, otherwise you get huge fonts.
You can also use one finger to scroll up/down/right/left and then use two fingers to zoom in, using minimal movement.
Also, maybe better, you can double-tap quickly on the screen to see the display a bit larger, like going from small to medium. Double-tap again and it returns to smaller size. This is especially useful to do ON photographs, by the way, rather than on the full display with text.
And even then you can still use two-finger zoom to make the image and/or text a bit larger.
Hope that helps !
Let me know if it does.
Incidentally, I purchased my Paperwhite in 2015.
ReplyDeleteAh, I didn't see this note before replyinng to the other note. You have the same Paperwhite 3 that I have then.
DeleteI think you'll like 'Article Mode' ...