Having given us four new Kindle models yesterday, Amazon has taken one away: the Kindle Oasis, first launched in 2016 and last refreshed in 2019, is now discontinued – marking the end for Kindle devices with page-turn buttons.
“Once current inventory of Kindle Oasis sells out online and in stores, we will not restock the device,” Amazon’s Devon Corvasce told The Verge. The device is currently showing as unavailable on the Amazon US site, with used models available on Amazon UK.
According to Corvasce, Kindle users are more comfortable with tapping the screen to go forwards and backwards through their ebooks, and that’s the approach all Kindle models will be taking from now on.
In our Amazon Kindle Oasis review, we described it as a “luxury ereader” that just about justified its higher price. The button system did add some extra bulk, but it worked well, and it was also easy to hold in one hand thanks to a ridged-back design.
Past and future
With no updates since 2019, it’s perhaps no surprise that Amazon has decided to put an end to the Kindle Oasis. Between the 2016 launch and the final 2019 version, there was one other update, which came in 2017.
The display on the most recent Kindle Oasis was 7 inches, corner to corner, and both brightness and warmness could be adjusted. Brightness could also be set to change automatically, based on the ambient light conditions.
Looking to the future, you can check out our hands-on Amazon Kindle Colorsoft review for our first impressions of the first Kindle to come with a color screen. It’ll set you back $279.99 / £269.99, with pricing for Australia yet to be announced.
The other new models just announced by Amazon are refreshes for the Kindle Paperwhite, the Kindle Scribe (with stylus support), and the entry-level Amazon Kindle, so there’s plenty of choice if you’re looking to replace your aging Kindle Oasis.
