Amazon has released a new version of the Kindle Paperwhite (Amazon.com, Amazon UK), which adds the new Bookerly font that is already available on the Kindle iOS app. The new Paperwhite will also (coming soon) feature the new typesetting engine with improved kerning and justification. The new Paperwhite also increases its resolution to 300 dpi, matching the Kindle Voyage.
The Paperwhite, now at $119, or $139 without advertising, ($189 and $209 for the 3G model) offers the same display as the Kindle Voyage, but not the pressure-sensitive button on the sides, or the flush display. It also does not have the Voyage’s adaptive light sensor, which is a useful feature to keep the Kindle from being too bright in darker environments.
I’ve been using the Kindle Voyage for some time, and I really like it. It’s hard to tell which is better: the flush display of the Voyage, or the recessed display of the Paperwhite. It doesn’t make that much of a difference to me. I do find that I don’t use the pressure-sensitive buttons that much, and, since the most important feature to me is the display, I’d probably buy the Paperwhite today rather than the voyage. Amazon has not announced an update to the Voyage, and it has not inherited the new Bookerly font, so it’s not clear if there will be a Voyage 2, or if that more expensive Kindle will fade away.