Best Kindle Deals for Prime Day 2021

Amazon’s Prime Day 2021 is being held on June 21 and 22, and you can look forward to amazing deals on just about every product the retailer makes, including Kindles. We’ve already seen Kindles go on sale over the course of the year, but the best deals are reserved for Prime Day.

Every Kindle model will be discounted for Prime Day, so if you’ve already made up your mind about what you want, you can just wait for Prime Day to roll around and get your hands on a new e-reader. A few deals are live right now, so head on down to the deals section below to see if the model you’re looking for is on sale. If you haven’t decided and are interested in learning more, we have you covered. We’ll be rounding up all the Kindle deals for Prime Day 2021 as and when they go live, and give you buying advice to ensure you pick up the right Kindle for your needs.

Kindle Paperwhite Essentials Bundle | 10% off at Amazon

This Kindle Paperwhite bundles includes everything you need to get started with the platform. You’ll get a Kindle Paperwhite, a high-quality leather cover that ensures your e-reader doesn’t take any damage, and a power adapter for when you need to charge your Kindle.

$170 at Amazon ($20 off)

Should you buy a Kindle for Prime Day?

Already have a tablet and don’t really want to invest in a dedicated e-reader just for buying books? There are a few key ways Kindles are different from tablets. Most tablets use LCD screens, and because the entire panel is lit, they cause glare and strain your eyes after extended reading sessions. Kindles, meanwhile, use e-ink technology that’s meant to mimic the feel of a real book, and because the screen itself isn’t lit, you don’t get any glare and there’s no strain on the eyes.

On any given week, I use my Kindle for 15 hours or more. The e-ink screen makes all the difference in the world, and while I also have an iPad Air, I would not be able to read as much on that particular device because of the backlit panel. And the best part with Kindles is that because the screen itself isn’t lit, you get weeks-long battery life — I charge my Kindle once every alternate week.

Kindles also reduce the friction when it comes to accessing your favorite books. You can choose from millions of titles in the Kindle Store, and your purchases seamlessly download to the Kindle over Wi-Fi. With Kindle Unlimited, you pay a small monthly fee and access hundreds of thousands of books for free. All Kindle models can easily hold several hundred books — most can store thousands and even audiobooks — so your entire library is always at hand.

Between the Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Oasis, and the Kindle Kids Edition, Amazon has plenty of models to choose from. With prices starting for under $100, you don’t have to invest a lot of money in picking one up. Whether you’re looking to buy an entry-level Kindle to get your reading habit off the ground or want a model with water resistance that you can read near a pool, a Kindle is a great overall option.

Let’s take a look at the best Kindle deals available for Prime Day, and which model you should pick up.

Best Amazon Kindle deals live right now

The best Prime Day Kindle deals will kick off as we get closer to June 21, but if you’re eager to get started with a Kindle, these are the deals that are currently live.

Which Amazon Kindle e-reader should you buy?

Amazon has three distinct Kindle products to choose from, and figuring out the ideal model comes down to what you’re looking for in an e-reader. The entry-level Amazon Kindle got a big upgrade with the introduction of the front light. While earlier models in the series lacked backlighting — making them a less-than-ideal option for reading at night — the latest Kindle models have an integrated front light that illuminates the e-ink screen.

That addition alone makes the standard Kindle a great choice for first-time buyers, but it has another exciting feature: Audible integration. You can pair Bluetooth earbuds to the Kindle and stream audiobooks from the e-reader, making it an even more exciting choice. Considering the Kindle costs just $90, you are getting excellent value for your money.

The Kindle Paperwhite is the best overall Kindle you can buy today. It comes with an e-ink screen that offers a pixel density of 300ppi, delivering better clarity over the entry-level Kindle. You also get even backlighting via the LEDs embedded underneath the e-ink screen, and the Audible integration lets you listen to audiobooks from the device.

But the best feature this time around is the IPX8 rating, which gives you the ability to take the e-reader to the pool or read in the tub. With 8GB of storage, you will be able to store up to a thousand e-books or a few hundred audiobooks. The screen of the Paperwhite sits flush with the body, and the upgrades on offer here make it the default choice if you’re looking for a new Kindle in 2021.

The Kindle Oasis stands out from the rest of the Kindles just on the basis of its physical page turn buttons. The buttons provide a level of tactility that just makes it more pleasurable to use the e-reader, and the 7-inch e-ink 300ppi screen is fabulous. You get 25 LEDs embedded underneath the panel that provide a uniform backlight, and there’s an ambient light sensor that dynamically adjusts the light based on your surroundings.

There’s also an incredibly useful warm light feature that makes the e-ink screen much more conducive to reading at night. I use my Kindle Oasis all the time at night to read books, and the warm light is a feature that has made a huge difference. You also get Audible integration, a sleek aluminum chassis, and IPX8 dust and water resistance. The Kindle Oasis is overkill, but if you want the best e-reader hardware that Amazon has to offer, it is the one to get.

All three options have their own unique features, so let’s take a look at where they differ and which Kindle would be ideal for your particular needs.

• Is this the first time you’re buying an e-reader? If so, you should look at the Kindle Paperwhite or the entry-level Kindle. Both options offer excellent value and will serve you well for several years.
• Are you going to use your Kindle at night? The standard Kindle has 4 LEDs underneath the screen, the Kindle Paperwhite has 5 LEDs, and the Kindle Oasis has 25 LEDs. If you do a lot of reading at night, the Oasis is the best option thanks to its ambient light sensor and warm light feature.
• Do you want a Kindle with water resistance? If you intend to use your Kindle near a pool or in a bathtub, you should pick up the Kindle Paperwhite or the Kindle Oasis. Both offer IPX8 ingress protection.
• Do you want physical page turn buttons? If you want the tactility of physical buttons, then the Kindle Oasis is your best choice. The design of the Kindle Oasis mimics a book, and those page turn buttons are fantastic.

Prime Day 2021 Kindle deals I’m most excited about

I’m excited to see the Kindle Paperwhite once again go on sale. The Paperwhite is the best overall Kindle you can buy because of its value, and Amazon tends to mark it down to the price of the entry-level Kindle, making it an even better choice. The fact that the current-gen Paperwhite also has IPX8 and Audible integration means it is a great overall option.

I am also interested in deals on the Kindle Oasis. The Oasis isn’t an e-reader for most users, but if you’ve already used a few Kindles and want something more premium, it is the ideal upgrade. The warm light in particular is a fantastic addition, and you have to use the feature to truly understand what a difference it makes. It genuinely makes using the Oasis that much more exciting, and as I read a lot at night, it is an incredibly useful addition.

What were the best Prime Day 2020 Kindle deals?

Prime Day 2020 featured deals on all Amazon devices, with the base variant of the Kindle selling for just $60, $30 off its retail price. The entry-level Kindle at $90 is a great value in and of itself, but at $60 it was a downright steal. Look out for Amazon to offer a similar deal for Prime Day 2021.

The Paperwhite was also on sale during Prime Day 2020 for just $80, a full $50 discount from its $130 asking price. So if you are interested in picking up the Paperwhite, know that it gets a decent discount during Prime Day. Finally, the Kindle Oasis was available for $175 on Prime Day 2020, $75 off its price. At that price, the Oasis becomes a must-have, and is a deal you should watch out for this year as well.

Amazon Kindle vs. Kindle Paperwhite

As the Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite are usually $40 apart in price, there are a few key differences between the two models. The first is the pixel density of the screen. The Kindle has a 167ppi screen, with the Kindle Paperwhite offering a 300ppi screen — nearly double the density. The higher pixel count leads to better clarity, giving the Kindle Paperwhite an edge in this category.

The Kindle Paperwhite also has IPX8 ingress protection, which means you’ll be able to use it at the pool. The standard Kindle does not have any dust or water protection.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite vs. Kindle Oasis

The Kindle Paperwhite has plenty of great features, and it is similar to the Kindle Oasis in a lot of ways. Both e-readers have 300ppi e-ink screens, IPX8 water resistance, Audible integration, and 8GB of built-in storage. But the Oasis has 25 LEDs embedded underneath the screen, whereas the Kindle Paperwhite has just 5 LEDs. With five times the number of LEDs, the Kindle Oasis delivers much more uniform backlighting.

Then there’s the warm light feature. Having used the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Oasis extensively, I can confidently say that the warm light makes a huge amount of difference in day-to-day use. The screen shifts to warmer colors (with a yellowish hue), and it makes reading for an extended duration that much more enjoyable.

The Kindle Oasis also has page turn buttons, an ambient light sensor, and a sleek aluminum design. Is the Kindle Oasis twice as good as the Kindle Paperwhite? No. But you are getting a decent amount of extras, so if you’ve used a Kindle in the past and want to upgrade to a model with physical buttons or a more uniform backlight, the Kindle Oasis is a fantastic choice.