5 Kindle options I might like to see in 2026

After solely trickling out new units for ages, Amazon lastly introduced a significant {hardware} refresh in September, as an illustration placing out up to date Blink cameras and Echo audio system. For readers, the massive deal was a brand new set of Kindle tablets, led by the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft — Amazon’s reply to e-notebooks just like the Boox Note Air4 C and the reMarkable Paper Pro. It appears poised to draw plenty of followers, at the least those that may afford its hefty $630 pricetag and do not thoughts being locked into the Kindle ecosystem for purchases.

I have been testing Kindles since 2012. I am fairly accustomed to them at this level, so it is not arduous in any respect to provide you with a wishlist that extends past the Scribe into the following technology. A few of these adjustments are unlikely, but others are very possible if Amazon needs to take a swing.

An open working system

Android, right here we come?

This one might be probably the most far-fetched, for a quite simple motive: ecosystem management. Functionally, there’s nothing the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft does that may’t be replicated in Android. However as a result of Amazon needs you shopping for books from the Audible and Kindle shops, and ideally paying for a number of of its subscriptions, it has each incentive to dam entry to exterior platforms like Kobo or Google Play Books.

An open OS would supply plenty of advantages past purchasing elsewhere, or accessing titles you already personal with out paying a second time for a Kindle copy. It might additionally develop sharing, notetaking, and illustration potentialities, and probably flip a Kindle right into a do-it-all system for individuals who do not have heavy work or leisure calls for. Think about having the ability to take heed to Spotify on a Kindle when you test your electronic mail.

For Joe Public, the one critical draw back to that is optimization. An OS like Android needs to be scaled again for e-ink units, which suggests some apps will not run effectively or in any respect — making an attempt to observe a YouTube video on a Notice Air4 C is fairly pointless. Even some artwork and notetaking apps would possibly want additional consideration from Amazon to behave in addition to first-party software program.

Buttons, buttons and extra buttons

The best way forwards is backwards

The absence of bodily buttons is probably going a non-issue for many Kindle homeowners, since Amazon’s gestures are simple to study, and its touchscreens are responsive sufficient. There’s, nonetheless, a diehard contingent on the market that would like buttons for turning pages, adjusting quantity, or returning to the homescreen. I get it, personally — if I have to flip ahead a number of pages, it is simpler to hit a button repeatedly than swipe the identical variety of instances, or swap to a ebook’s progress slider. The purpose of any Kindle is to loosen up greater than I’d with a cellphone or laptop.

The percentages of Amazon re-introducing buttons are solely marginally higher than it switching to Android. Dropping most buttons has allowed the corporate to shrink its tablets, and presumably minimize manufacturing prices alongside the best way. Asking it to decrease revenue margins additional when it is already dealing with excessive tariffs could also be a non-starter, until maybe there’s some kind of grassroots marketing campaign that persuades it of the gross sales potential.

A built-in kickstand

Fingers-free when you’ll want to be

This concept is one thing I hadn’t really thought-about till now, however the second it popped into my head, it made an excessive amount of sense to disregard. Kindles are sometimes finest used as handheld units, it is true — however whenever you’re studying for an prolonged time frame, even the lightest Kindle can change into tiring. Though I would be capable of bench press practically 250 kilos on the health club, simply half a pound goes to change into an issue if have to carry it up for an hour or two.

A kickstand is all of the extra logical for the Kindle Scribe, a tool designed for sketches, annotation, and notes. These issues change into so much simpler whenever you’re not resting a pill in your lap. You should buy a canopy that folds right into a stand, when you want too — but when the Nintendo Switch 2 can ship with a kickstand, there is no motive a Scribe cannot additionally. It is likely to be a minor motivation for somebody to improve from a less expensive Kindle mannequin.

A number of consumer profiles

Let’s hope Apple is listening too

Most non-Home windows tablets are constructed on the belief that just one particular person will ever use them. Whereas that is typically the case, there are too many exceptions, as any guardian with an iPad can attest. It is an arbitrary barrier, seemingly meant to pressure us to purchase a number of units when one would in any other case do. You would not tolerate a Mac or Home windows PC that blocked your companion from setting their very own app and desktop preferences.

Talking of {couples} and households, it nearly makes extra sense to place a number of profiles on a Kindle. Their fundamental objective is studying, and it will be unusual certainly when you had a bodily copy of a ebook however advised your spouse they’d to purchase their very own copy simply to make use of a bookmark. I’m wondering additionally if the Scribe would not be extra enticing to prospects in the event that they knew two folks may cut up one — for the price of two Scribes, you would possibly as effectively purchase a MacBook Air or Floor Professional.

Extra visible customization

This is not 2007 anymore

Actually, there wasn’t a lot level to UI customization on Kindles for a very long time. The primary mannequin had 250MB (that is proper, megabytes) of storage, and it is solely just lately that 16GB grew to become an ordinary capability. Previous to the primary Colorsoft, there wasn’t even a lot visible attraction to what was onscreen. I did like a number of the ad-free lockscreens on my outdated Paperwhite, but largely, they have been simply higher than a clean display screen.

Now that Amazon has a number of coloration units, it must lean full-tilt into personalization. I ought to be capable of rearrange menus, and select from all kinds of system fonts, even choosing totally different colours if they do not create any usability complications. If nothing else, it ought to be useless easy so as to add customized lockscreens on ad-free fashions. Customers have discovered a method round Amazon’s limits by utilizing customized “books” paired with the Present covers on the lock display screen choice, however it will be so a lot better if I may add information to an Amazon Pictures folder and have them mechanically synced and formatted. Google permits one thing related with its Nest Hub good shows.