I have waited for two months since I purchased my Kindle Voyage to write this review so that I could provide an accurate assessment. I bought this to replace my Kindle Paperwhite which I have owned for 3 years. Spoiler: I like the Paperwhite better.
There are pros and cons to each of these ebooks not the least of which is that the Paperwhite costs less and I find it to be more comfortable to read on.
Pros:
The Voyage has a great screen and easy to use settings.
It has slightly less weight but not enough to make much of a difference.
Cons:
The
Page Press buttons are more of an irritant than a help. If you hold it normally it is easy to accidentally turn the page when you don't intend to.
Ease of reading isn't any better than the Paperwhite. The screens on both seem to be the same. (Which is actually great)
The battery doesn't last as long as the Paperwhite - don't know why this is... I read several hours a day and get about 3 days before I need to recharge it. They say I should get 3 weeks but that is based on 1/2 hour per day reading time.
Both are good readers but personally I prefer the Paperwhite.
I debated for a while whether to get the Paperwhite or the Voyage and decided on the Voyage for a few reasons:
- I like the haptic press buttons to turn pages (and you can turn back and forwards)
- The one-piece front means no dirt/sand/dust can get trapped in between the screen and the frame, as it can on the Paperwhite
- The reviews talked about how clear the text was on the Voyage
I find all of these things to be great advantages in using the Voyage. My mother's Paperwhite is not quite as clear as my Voyage, and I do appreciate the difference (although I'm not sure I would have cared had I never seen the difference). I do have one complaint: I like to see the page numbers rather than the minutes left in chapter/book or the location. The Voyage is far less responsive to clicks at the bottom of the page to change what is displayed there than the Paperwhite is. I'm not sure whether this is just mine or whether they're all like this, but I often have a hard time getting the Voyage to change what it displays in the bottom left corner.
I would also really like Amazon to provide page numbers in all books - I had a Barnes & Noble Nook before and that always showed page numbers. This is a complaint for Amazon, though, and not about the Voyage specifically.
Overall, the Voyage is an excellent, easy to use e-reader and I am loving it.
This review is for those trying to choose between the two more advanced Kindle offerings.
I love my Kindle Voyage. I love it so much I asked for the upgrade for Christmas. I received it. I am now the proud owner of a 32g Oasis 2nd Gen, and I love that too, but not as much. I'm writing this review now, because the flaws in the Oasis 2 have shown me just how perfect the Voyage is as an ereader.
They have the same PPI, but I'm pretty sure the Voyage is clearer. The Voyage definitely has a whiter background. I set them to the same lighting level of 10 and set them side by side in front of a window. The Oasis 2 is more yellow. It took an increase in the light settings of 3 levels to achieve the same look on the Oasis 2.
The devices also have practical differences. The Voyage is symmetrical. There are page press buttons on both sides, so switching hands while reading one handed is no big deal. To do the same on the Oasis 2 or Oasis 1 for that matter requires you to flip the device. No big deal, except that you have to relocate your spot on the page. I suppose I could just wait to switch hands until I'm done with the page, but the Voyage does not make me strategize in order to read. The experience with cases is also different. I have aftermarket cases on both devices. The case on the Voyage makes it easier to hold. It's just too thin for my male hands without it, women's experience may vary. The Oasis 2 however feels twice as heavy once the case is on. I suspect it has something to do with the odd shape or just how wide it is, so I usually end up transporting it in the case but removing it to read. Without a case it feels like you're holding perfection though. I'm awed by how good it feels in my hands. I never get that feeling from holding the Voyage case on or not. Without the case the Oasis 2 actually feels lighter than the Voyage, a nice balancing trick that is pretty impressive. Don't worry about the weight though. The Voyage is extremely light.
So in closing if you are trying to decide between these two devices, the Oasis is only worth the additional cost if
1. You want the 7" screen
2. You want to listen to audiobooks on your ereader
3. You really like physical buttons
If none of the above apply to you, then you're actually better off getting the Voyage.
The Voyage is a huge improvement in both clarity of text and conformity of screen lighting over the first generation Paperwhite. That being said, it is certainly not perfect. At this point, I am convinced that there is not a Kindle Voyage that does not have some level of the yellow gradient lighting toward the top of the screen, but I will certainly take that over the splotchy pink, blue, and green hued shadows that plagued the first generation Paperwhite. The attached photos show a comparison between the Voyage (left) and first generation Paperwhite (right), as well as two solo shots of the Voyage, one in a well lit room and one in a dark room. I think the camera slightly exaggerates the yellow gradient, but it is definitely visible in person. I also took the Voyage/Paperwhite comparison photos in a relatively low light environment, which makes both the yellow of the Voyage and splotchiness of the Paperwhite more apparent. At this point I think my eyes have adjusted to the gradual whitening of the screen, but if I flip the Voyage upside down the gradient is very noticeable. I have considered an exchange, but I went through that with my Paperwhite and ultimately ended up sticking with the original.
I am of the "older" generation, and like the feel of a book in my hand as I read. As you can see, I was hesitant to purchase this, but I gave it a try. Boy, was I glad I did. It was very easy to connect to my wifi, and to adjust the settings such as brightness and page turn touch. When you plug it in to charge, there is an amber light at the bottom of the reader that turns green when it is fully charged. I am able to read approximately 3 books before a notice appears to indicate I need to re-charge the reader. You have the option to touch a word for the definition or adjust the settings to automatically give you the definition on various words, so you do not have to keep touching the screen to get the definition. I can read in complete darkness and have no problem seeing the words. This is truly an amazing gadget, and would highly recommend it.....
Feature Product
- A Certified Refurbished Kindle Voyage is refurbished, tested, and certified to look and work like new
- High-resolution 300 ppi display-reads even more like the printed page
- Reimagined page turns-PagePress enables you to turn the page without lifting a finger
- New adaptive front light-provides ideal brightness, day or night
- Our thinnest Kindle ever
- Battery lasts weeks, not hours
Description
Amazon
Before this I had the first generation Paperwhite, and before that, the Kindle Keyboard. This improves on them both significantly and it's without a doubt the best ereader on the market (the only real competition is the kobo aura hd and h20), but the pricing compared to the second generation Paperwhite doesn't really justify that. But more on that later.
The Voyage finally makes the screen flush with the bezel, something that makes it so much more pleasing to use, especially when you're adding a bookmark by tapping the upper right hand corner. The glass is matte and non-reflective (so much so that it honestly looks and feels like plastic). The page turn buttons work well, however they do take a bit of getting used to and having some form of tactile guide for them would be great; it's hard to tell where they are in the dark or just by touch alone. Definitely not as good as real physical buttons, but better than none at all.
The screen is fantastic; the backlight is amazingly uniform and the text is insanely crisp. Also, the light sensor is genuinely useful and great at auto-adjusting the backlight (it's also tweakable by adjusting the backlight while the auto box is checked). Furthermore, performance on the voyage is night and day compared to the first generation Paperwhite I had prior to it. It's snappy and works quickly.
Now the bad part. The performance on this, though markedly improved, is not that much different from the second generation paperwhite. And though the screen is noticeably better, the first and second generation paperwhites both already had more than adequate screens in terms of backlighting, crispness, and readibility. Not only that, but the Voyage has the same UI as the Paperwhites with the exact same features; it brings nothing new to the table in that regard. The real problem with the device is that it faces so much competition from Amazon's own lineup. These features are mostly just iterative improvements to already excellent devices and the Voyage has no real standout killer feature to differentiate itself from its predecessors. It does offer a better reading experience, but not $100 better. You could buy two second generation kindle paperwhites with the money you spend on one of these and had this not been a gift, I think I ultimately would have ended up returning this and kept my Paperwhite till the next generation of devices. It was an over exaggeration but not far from the truth when I told my friend that I basically paid $200 dollars for page turn buttons and a light sensor [compared to my paperwhite].
To that end, I'm giving the device 5 stars because it truly deserves that. It's an excellent device that's great to look at and use. But in terms of value... it's just not worth such a large premium over the Paperwhite. Had this been $140 or some other more reasonable price, it would be an entirely different story. My advice to you is to get the second generation paperwhite or keep your current one and wait for the next generation of kindles. Or at the least, wait till this goes down significantly in price.
I bought this EXPENSIVE Voyage as my LAST attempt at getting a Kindle that would not cause me headaches from my eyes being unable to focus under the glass. I have purchased three Kindles and returned two because my eyes had trouble with the way the text was recessed below the glass. The Voyage is way expensive compared to the PaperWhite - but IT IS PERFECT for the person whose eyes have trouble focusing on the text under the glass of the other Kindles. It is also SUPER comfortable to hold in either hand and way easy for one handed use. I wish I knew about these features a year ago when it was released, but my previous Kindle experiences were so bad I decided not to try it until this year.
I was on the fence about purchasing the Kindle Voyage, then saw it on display at a local retailer and was struck by how gorgeous the screen was. After playing around with it a little at the store, I decided to get one. I like that the screen is a single piece of slightly textured glass, and I like the way the text seems to be at the surface of the glass, not beneath it. The higher DPI of the display is noticeably smoother and has better contrast to previous Kindles and the return of the page turn buttons on the bezel is a nice addition, although I have enormous hands and don't really use them. All in all, I really like the device. I just have one issue which I hope Amazon will address in the near future.
It's time for a larger screen!
I'm not talking some 10 inch monstrosity like the DX, just a slightly taller, slightly wider screen. Say 7" or 8". The Kindle in all it's iterations has always, for me, felt a little cramped in the screen real estate department. Almost toy-like. I've always felt like I am constantly turning the page, turning the page, turning the page. Hopefully, Amazon will see the error of their ways and introduce a premium, Voyage-like reader with a 7 or 8 inch display. I know it would be an instant buy for me. If you agree with me about this, like my review, or leave a comment. I am curious just how many other readers out there think the Kindle's screen is just a tad too little.
They could call it the Kindle Voyage XL or something.
I would give this device 5 stars but to me the bezels are just a little too narrow, making it difficult for me to hold in my adult male size hands without obscuring the text or accidentally triggering a page turn. I've ordered a book-like cover for the thing (not the ridiculous flip-top origami cover Amazon is offering) so hopefully I will be able to handle this thing a little more comfortably with a cover to hold onto.
Sometimes, Amazon, bigger is better. The decreased weight doesn't really help when you've got to pinch the narrow bezel between your thumb and index finger to hold it. Maybe it's perfect for the average size person, but for me the ergonomics of the device is just slightly off.
We have a handful of Kindle Fires in my house, but I've always been an iPad girl. I use the Kindle app on my iPad and love it. Since I travel a lot for work, it's a huge help for me to have books available electronically.
I always carry a book in my purse or backpack. Frequently I'm exploring cities alone, so I need something to read during dinner or downtime. I thought I'd try a Kindle reader because it'd be easier to slip in a coat pocket than my iPad. I don't need to duplicate the internet capability as I have that on my phone and tablet.
I'm so, so happy with my Voyage! I wasn't really aware that it'd be as small and thin as it is. I got the distressed leather case and I adore it as well. The stand works well, the leather is really attractive and it's slim and light. The settings on the Voyage let me really customize my reading experience the way I like it. You can easily hold it in either hand and flip pages. I've only just received it so I don't have direct experience with the battery life, so taking that on faith, but it seems pretty accurate. The screen is easy to read in all the lights I've tried.
The Voyage is simple and intuitive to use. I did look through the short manual and that was worthwhile to find out about all the settings, some of which I wasn't aware. I don't like tech with a steep learning curve, so this suits me well.
I love my Voyage and highly recommend it! Also love the premium leather case, for looks as well as function.
Love the size, weight, and clarity of my Kindle Voyage. Hate the advertisement screen saver. Liked my Paperwhite screen saver with the pencils, pens, and other writing implements. When asking the sales person about how to get rid of the unwanted advertisements, he said I should have bought the most expensive Kindle - I did - with no special offers! That surprised him. Went on line and found this has been an ongoing complaint. Seems the sales person should have known, and Kindle should have fixed it by now.
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