Amazon Kindle Oasis 3 is Shipping Tomorrow – Will You Get One?
Amazon’s newest Kindle ebook reader is shipping tomorrow (or, depending on the retailer you bought from, it is arriving tomorrow). This $249 ereader is waterproof and comes with five times as many LEDs as the current Kindle Paperwhite.
Will you get one?
The Kindle Oasis 3 has a 7″ Carta E-ink screen, a waterproof shell, a battery good for weeks, and a color-changing frontlight which is driven by 25 LEDs.
Twelve of the LEDs are white, while thirteen are amber (a color that falls somewhere between orange and gold on the color spectrum). Yes, unlike Kobo’s ComfortLight tech, which uses RGB LEDs, the new Oasis uses amber-colored LEDs to provide illumination that is intended to let you read late in to the night without disrupting your sleep.
Powered by a Freescale i.MX7 dual core CPU, the new Oasis has a capacitive touchscreen and two page turn buttons. You can disable the touchscreen while reading and continue to turn pages with the buttons, which is great for whenever you are reading in a situation where you expect liquids or other materials to get on the screen.
Will you be getting the new Oasis?
With Amazon now saying that new Oasis orders won’t ship until next month, the fastest way to get one is probably Best Buy. That retailer is bound to have the Kindle Oasis 3 in stock tomorrow.
I was supposed to be on the list for a review unit, but it’s the day before and I do not have it yet (I think it’s safe to conclude it’s probably not going to happen).
How about you?
Comments
Scott July 23, 2019 um 11:03 am
I’d get it but I just got an Oasis 2 in January. The amber light wouldn’t be a deciding factor for me because I use my Fire HD8 in bed because it has a darker black background for lights-out reading. The dark background in the Oasis 2 is still awkward to get to and is not a completely black background. I’m also afraid the lesser amount of LEDs dedicated to white might make it less bright for daytime use.
harmon July 23, 2019 um 11:30 am
I already own an Oasis 2. If it were to break, I would immediately order an Oasis 3. But it has nothing to do with the amber lights.
I rarely use alternative lighting schemes on my iPad. They help a little, but reading on Kindles is much easier on the eyes. Black text on white background works fine on the Kindle, & adjusting the fonts & brightness takes care of things.
If it turned out that the Oasis 3 amber lights were useful, that would be nice. But it would play no part in my buying decision.
Scott’s point about fewer white lights gives me pause. This amber light addition might turn out to be a downgrade in certain situations.
Paul July 23, 2019 um 11:32 am
I’d wait until I read the reviews first, and I’m still deciding whether to get a Kobo instead.
Frank July 23, 2019 um 11:47 am
I am not getting it. While the warm reading light is a feature I wanted for a while, the price is a too high compared to the Paperwhite I have had for years.
Nate, note that Freescale was bought by NXP about 4 years ago, so the processor is a NXP i.MX7D.
Nate Hoffelder July 23, 2019 um 3:30 pm
whoops, my mind is stuck in 2015!
Michael Anderson July 23, 2019 um 1:23 pm
I am still very happy with my last-gen Paperwhite … unlike other tech I don’t tend to upgrade my ereaders as quickly.
Name July 23, 2019 um 1:31 pm
It will be interesting to see the new SoC in action. Theoretically, it should allow for longer running time with unaltered battery capacity.
Hunter Zupnick July 23, 2019 um 6:00 pm
Nate, the price for the base model is $249, not $279. As for me, I’ll be sticking with my Oasis 2. Don’t like that they removed the rear magnets from the new version, meaning you can no longer use them with magnetic covers, only with full body cases.
Nate Hoffelder July 23, 2019 um 10:16 pm
thanks, I fixed it
Pedro July 23, 2019 um 11:31 pm
This is a big hell no! If Amazon would’ve changed the design it would’ve been an automatic purchase but I hate the oasis design and my paperwhite already has a warm color tone to it that matches the comfort light of my Aura One at night.
I have a feeling Amazon is going to do with the Oasis the same thing they did with the Paperwhite, that is keep it the same style for 10 years and 4 or 5 iterations. To get a new Kindle design Amazon will have to come out with a whole new larger 8” model which I don’t see happening soon.
Pedro July 23, 2019 um 11:40 pm
Hell no, not just for comfort light. I wish they would have re-designed it altogether. I had an Oasis 2 for six months and could never get used to the awkward shape. It just didn’t feel right in the hand. The screen also wasn’t as clear or sharp as my Voyage, nowhere close actually which was my major gripe. If Amazon would have re-designed the Oasis then maybe. But to shell out $249, I can only see it for people upgrading from a basic kindle, another 6″ model or for hopeless sheep that already own an Oasis 2 and like to burn money. I think the fate of the Oasis will follow that of the Paperwhite where after 10 years it is still virtually the same design with minor upgrades. Amazon will have to release a larger 8″ model to completely revamp the design which is something I do not see them doing anytime soon. Well maybe in 3 or 4 years once Kobo and B&N have 10 and 12″ models.
Zia July 24, 2019 um 12:38 am
I’m holding off until they put in usb-c. My Kindle works fine, but the minute they change the charging cable to usb-c, I’m sold.
Tani Moore July 24, 2019 um 7:00 am
I would consider if it was app driven as well for library usage.
Jeff July 25, 2019 um 8:56 am
Kindles work great with library overdrive. Much easier then kobos which is owned by overdrive. Just go on phone or iPad overdrive app and books are sent to all your devices immediately.
Popup July 24, 2019 um 7:14 am
I had the first-gen Oasis and loved it. But I belong to the (apparently rather small) minority who wants my e-readers to be pocketable, and I find the new Oasis to be too big. I would love a 5″ reader, something like the Kobo Mini or Trekstor Pyrus Mini, but updated 2019 standards. (lit display, capacitive touch-screen, waterproof.)
Mofoe July 24, 2019 um 9:14 am
I belong to that minority as well.
JimV July 24, 2019 um 10:42 am
I wish Kindle would support the 5GHz band.
Wayne Reid July 24, 2019 um 4:11 pm
Pre Oder it and my Oder is delayed. Didn’t get a new shipping date yet but if you check Amazon website it’s saying Kindle Oasis 10th Generation is out of stock and now shipping July 30th 2019.
Paul Arnison July 24, 2019 um 4:20 pm
I have an oasis first gen and I love the size of it and I’ve read it in the rain so must have some sort of waterproof so will I upgrade well not for a long time
Steve July 25, 2019 um 12:46 pm
I found that my older Oasis has been growing on me, so I’ve been using it more and more rather than my Kobo Aura One, though I liked the color-changing feature of the Kobo. I sort of regretted not having spring for the cellular option on the oasis, though. So I decided to take advantage of the trade-in program and send in my old Oasis, getting $75 plus 25% off on the new Oasis. That made the cost of an update to the cellular option affordable, and maybe I’ll like the color-changing feature as well. (Not certain about that – the Kobo can be changed to a reddish-orange, which I found really easy on the eyes when reading in the dark.The new Oasis looks to be more of a yellowish tint, which is likely to still interfere with one’s night vision.)
Heather July 29, 2019 um 9:12 pm
Well I would love to check out the Oasis but somehow, even though I ordered mine on the 4th of July, I won’t receive mine till after the people who bought one on release day. My delivery date is Sept 12th. And I am being asked to confirm if I want it delivered by then. This is after customer service lied to me about when it would be delivered. I was told it was just about to ship to get me off chat, then I get an email telling me Sept 12th. Customer service now won’t even talk to me about my order.