How easy is it to break a Kindle?
Ebook readers are a great Christmas gift. With an ereader you can carry thousands of books with you on a device that weighs little more than a mobile phone. Not only that, but prices have fallen to the extent that you can pick up a regular Kindle for just £69.
For more information about ebook readers, read our guide on which Kindle to buy.
Ebook reader screens breaking
Most of the feedback we get about ebook readers is extremely positive but some owners have told us that they’re too fragile. One of the most common problems is that the screen gets damaged while the reader is being carried around – either because it gets dropped or it gets squashed while in a bag or pocket.
Often the problem doesn’t become apparent until you turn it on. There can be no physical damage to the case but it’s impossible to read ebooks as text and images is completely fragmented.
If that happens then the chances are that you’ll need to buy a new ebook reader. And because the problem has been caused by misuse, you won’t be able to claim under the retailer or manufacturer’s guarantee.
How easy is it to break a Kindle?
To see just how susceptible ebook screens are to accidental damage we put the best-selling Amazon Kindle and Bookeen Cybook Opus (which had done badly in our regular ebook assessment) through a series of special tests at our lab. In these tests we simulated two common ways in which ebook readers are damaged – impact and pressure – and checked whether adding a protective cover made any noticeable difference.
You can see the results of our tests in the video below:
To see which models did best in our lab tests, check out our Best Buy ebook reader reviews.
As you can see, we found that screens could be easily destroyed, but adding a cover made a real di fference. Screen covers come in a range of styles and prices – we used those provided by the manufacturers but there are cheaper alternatives starting from as little as £5.
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Alastair
My experience with a Kindle should be a warning to others, after only 15 months of light usage the screen “froze” . Tried all of Amazons’ suggestions but to no avail. I then spoke to one of Amazons advisors who was of little help, all that she could comment was that they did not expect them to last forever (her exact words!) all that Amazon were prepared to do was to supply a new model at a discounted price of £51 instead of £69, but I had to return the faulty item to them.
Mike
I had exactly the same problem as Alistair after 11 months (frozen screen), and exactly the same response from Amazon who would not admit this was a known problem. It would be useful for Which to ask it’s members if they have had this problem (my Kindle was wi-fi only with keyboard -which I could not replace as they no longer make it, though they still sell the 3G version). I ended up with the Kindle Touch which was a bit of a disappointment.
henryb
Min froze too – I plugged into charger & hey presto – it unfroze & is now working perfectly again!!
Mr B
So many people are stating categorically that their screens have frozen / broken / lines of death despite no known abuse and in most cases they say that their Kindles are protected by covers. The adverts show people slipping unprotected Kindles into their pockets and handbags and being used outdoors so our perception and reasonable expectation is that these devices have been appropriately designed and constructed for such use. Check out recent customer reviews on Amazon’s own pages, especially for older Kindle models like the kindle keyboard 3G. Even at £69 it’s an expensive proposition (compared to paper books which are often cheaper) to have to assume a sub 24 month life expectancy.
Wayne
After reading the comments here, I won’t be getting a Kindle.
Richard
Kindle, my kindle screen has lines going through part of the screen and the rest is blank.
This occurred after I had left it in the car overnight in sub zero temperatures and I am fairly sure it had not been subjected to any other abuse.
anna baskerville
I have had a wifi kindle keyboard for over 18 months now and after loading and reading 155 books i’ve never had a major problem. My screen on occasion has frozen but after doing a full switch off and turned it back on again, its been fine. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending it
David
I had the same experience as anna baskerville. I pressed the on/off button for the necessaty 6 seconds or so, the turned it on again and it reset itself and unfroze. Well worth a go, though the trick is well buried in Amazon’s instructions and I discovered it on a forum.
Tori
I purchased a kindle keyboard 3G last September and had only used it a handful of times over the last year when I got the ‘lines of death’. I spoke to Amazon, who explained that as I had it for 13 months, I was outside of any guarantee. They also said that it sounded like I had damaged the screen. Considering I had forked out an extra £50 at the time to get the ‘official’ leather kindle case and had kept the kindle beside my bed, I was not impressed that it could break so easily.
Amazon did offer me the option to purchase a kindle touch at a reduced price. Unfortunately, they would not offer me a reduction on the same model that I already had (making my existing £50 cover obsolete), but after a bit of grumbling they agreed to give me £30 credit towards a new cover.
Within a week of ordering this replacement (they said there was a 2 week lag time on orders), I received an e-mail saying that they were going to stop making the Kindle Touch as it was being replaced by the Paperwhite, but that my order would still go ahead and they would credit me with £10.
So I now have my kindle touch, with new cover sitting at home and it seems to work fine (although I don’t like the functionality of it half as much as my previous kindle keyboard).
I just hope that this one lasts. I don’t think I would bother getting another replacement if it broke, especially given that this would involve ordering yet another cover as the kindle touch case won’t fit any of the new models!
james.farrelly1@btinternet.com
I’ve had a similar experience with Amazon but can I make a different observation. I argued long and hard with Amazon citing domestic law, the European directive and the fact that Amazon had apparently conceded the issue in a class action in the USA – but Amazon stood fast. My point is that I tried to interest Which from a consumer protection point of view because an airing via Which is likely to for more effective than my puny complaint. I’m slight appalled that the article above doesn’t deal with non-fault failures such as mine that occured after 14 months of ownership.
Susanna Freeman
Same experience with me, I’ve had the basic 6″ Kindle now for just over a year. I’ve only ever used it for light reading – probably only switched in on less than 50 times. It is in a cover and I haven’t dropped it etc. Now one side is frozen and the other is working fine. I called up Amazon today who said that I am outside my warranty and wanted to sell me a Kindle Touch as a replacement for £67.99 even though they no longer sell this item, must be trying to get rid of their old stock! Such a fragile product and very expensive when you consider you need to get it replaced every 14 months or so!