Amazon Kindle Touch on sale – new Kindles compared [Updated]
Two new Kindle ebook readers are coming to the UK. The Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G from Amazon are now available to UK customers, several months after their US launch. The new Kindle Touch will cost £109 for the non-3G version (£169 with 3G), compared to the £89 standard Kindle.
Update: Amazon has released it a week ahead of its announced 27 April date.
Amazon Kindle and Kindle Touch compared – what’s the difference?
Touch screen – The most obvious difference is that, as the name suggests, the Kindle Touch has a touch screen. Instead of 5-way control and dedicated buttons, you touch the screen to turn pages and select words in books.
Heavier - The Touch (213g) and Touch 3G (220g) are heavier than the basic Kindle (168g).
Bigger - The Touch models are slightly longer, wider and thicker overall overall, but the differences are small. The thickness is 1 cm compared with 0.8cm.
Longer battery life - A larger battery is the likely reason why the Touch models are a little bigger. Amazon claims they will run for two months with wireless internet switched off, double the one month of the basic Kindle.
More storage – 4GB offers space for 3,000 books according to Amazon, compared with 2GB/1,400 on the basic Kindle.
Audio support - There’s now an MP3 player, speakers at the back and a headphone jack so you can listen to music and audiobooks. You can listen to music as you read.
X-ray - Wikipedia-based information relating to ideas, people, places and events mentioned in compatible books.
The Kindle Touch
Touch 3G – what do you need 3G for?
Both Touch models are wi-fi enabled so you can download books wherever you can connect to a wi-fi hotspot. Like previous 3G Kindles, the 3G version lets you browse, buy and download books on the Kindle without any data charges.
The Touch 3G costs £169, while the non-3G Touch costs £109. Both models are available for pre-ordering from Amazon.co.uk now, with an estimated delivery date of around 27 April.
We have already pre-ordered ours and will whisk them to the lab for a thorough test once they’re released.
What do you think?
If you’re thinking of buying one of these Touch models, which one do you think you will go for? Our initial impression is that we don’t think the Touch 3G is worth the £60 extra over the non-3G.
Do you? Let us know below!
- Amazon Kindle review – our verdict on the £89 Kindle
- How we test ebook readers - the lengths we go to
- Fancy a tablet instead? – check out our reviews, including the new iPad
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Mike
I may well buy one, and would go for 3G this time. I have a 2nd generation Kindle with 3G and keyboard and a 4th generation one with WiFi already. I like the way the newer Kindle is smaller to hold, but find those edge buttons awkward to use. On the other hand, from my experience of reading books on Android tablets, it is all too easy to turn several pages by mistake with a touch interface.
Will
You refer to “..like previous 3G Kindles..”. However, is it not the case that 3G functionality has been reduced to merely being able to buy books? That is that the previous, albeit “experimental” and rather crude, but very useful and free, ability to surf the web, read emails etc of the 3G keyboard Kindle has been removed from the touch Kindle.
Brian Atwell
This is irritating news. I have just ordered a 3g Touch Kindle and was intending to pay the extra largely because the useful surf and email facility. It was not clear on the blurb that this had been removed from the Touch version.
Andy
I have the 2nd generation 3g kindle and I love it. If you’re not sure of the value of 3g, then you need to test it in different regions of the world. That is where it is most valuable. It is possibly of little practical value if you use it only in the UK ad Which? should take this into account and make a point about this.
Williamina Gardiner
My husband bought me a Kindle last year, the 3G version, and a cover for it. I just love my Kindle, it is so easyto use, holds an enormous number of books – so many That I will have to live to 150 to read them all!! -I am not techno minded, so anything I have just has to be easy to use, as I get in a right kerfuffle trying to understand things. I would not give up my Kindle now, and would recommend it to anyone looking to buy an eReader.
Graham Quinlivan
My 90 year old mother-in-law has a 3G kindle as she has no wifi – it works a treat for her and she can manage it very well – I would never have believed it possible! I also have the 3G and found it useful on an extended cruise whereby in port I could use the very basic web browser rather than having to hunt wifi! Cumbersome, but better than nothing!
Robert farmer
I’ve pre ordered mine, after buying a 3G version for my wife’s birthday I was really impressed with how much she took to hers so decided upon returning from our holiday to buy one for myself. Having already read up about the pro’s and con’s when researching which e-reader I should get for my wife I was going to make do with the less desirable one and buy the £89 one however I was pleased to see the new one might possibility solve my dylema.
KEITHD
will go for wifi
Margaret
I am thinking of ordering one but not clear if the Touch has text to speech feature. I know it is OK for audio books but is there a facility to get other books read? This would be very useful for dyslexic users or visually impaired who may get tired reading.
Colorado
Says “Experimental Browser” therefore you can connect to the web via your wifi or 3G connection, therefore you must be able to use your webmail application to send and re dive email!
Linda Reeves
I’ve got a kindle touch 3g and wifi. I haven’t been able to download books as it isn’t currently supported in the UK so looking forward to the launch. I love it having upgraded from the original kindle. The screen is quite responsive, a fly recently landed on min and turned the pages….
If you get one and choose to buy a cover at the same time, beware. It is slighly larger and the one that you clip the kindle into doesn’t fit. I had to take my kindle with me to try the covers. Hopefully covers will be available.
Chris Christoforou
Hi Linda. Were you reading “Lord of the Flies” at that time?!
Wow, that’s sensitive! Maybe our test lab can try that, where can we get some test flies from I wonder! ;-)
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I’m sure covers will be available by the way.
Chris Christoforou
Just looking at the Kindle Touch 3G instructions. It says “You must have a Wi-Fi connection to use the browser for most websites”.
Trying it out, I’m able to connect to the Amazon Kindle store, and Wikipedia. But not which.co.uk or bbc.co.uk. It does look like Amazon has restricted 3G severely here…
George
How robust and reliable have the Kindle ebooks been?
I often hear that the screen technology is unreliable. Even on new models.
How good is Amazon warranty and service in practice?
This is the extra information I expect to see in a Which review.