The End of Kindle Buttons – Amazon Discontinues Kindle Oasis, the Last Model with Physical Page Turning Controls
After giving us four new Kindle models yesterday, Amazon has taken one away: the Kindle Oasis, first launched in 2016 and last refreshed in 2019, is now being discontinued – marking the end for button-powered Kindle devices for turning pages.
“Once current inventory of the Kindle Oasis sells out online and in stores, we will no longer restock the device,” Amazon’s Devon Corvasce said. The edge. The device is currently listed as unavailable on Amazon’s US site, while used models are available on Amazon UK.
According to Corvasce, Kindle users will feel more comfortable tapping the screen to move forward and backward through their ebooks, and that’s the approach all Kindle models will take from now on.
In our Amazon Kindle Oasis review, we described it as a “luxury ereader” which just about justified the higher price. The button system added a bit of bulk, but worked well, and the ribbed design also made it easy to hold with one hand.
Past and future
With no updates since 2019, it’s perhaps no surprise that Amazon has decided to put an end to the Kindle Oasis. Between the 2016 launch and the 2019 final version, there was one more update, which came in 2017.
The screen on the most recent Kindle Oasis was 7 inches, corner to corner, and both brightness and warmth were adjustable. The brightness can also be set to change automatically, based on the ambient lighting conditions.
Looking to the future, check out our hands-on Amazon Kindle Colorsoft review for our first impressions of the first Kindle to come with a color screen. It will cost you $279.99 / £269.99, with Australian pricing yet to be announced.
The other new models just announced by Amazon include refreshes for the Kindle Paperwhite, the Kindle Scribe (with stylus support) and the entry-level Amazon Kindle, so there’s plenty of choice if you’re looking to replace your aging Kindle Oasis.