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, for example placing out up to date Blink cameras and Echo audio system. For readers, the large 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, not less than 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 acquainted with 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 era. A few of these modifications are unlikely, but others are very possible if Amazon desires to take a swing.

An open working system

Android, right here we come?

This one might be essentially the most far-fetched, for a quite simple cause: ecosystem management. Functionally, there’s nothing the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft does that may’t be replicated in Android. However as a result of Amazon desires 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 buying elsewhere, or accessing titles you already personal with out paying a second time for a Kindle copy. It might additionally increase sharing, notetaking, and illustration potentialities, and doubtlessly flip a Kindle right into a do-it-all gadget for individuals who haven’t got heavy work or leisure calls for. Think about having the ability to take heed to Spotify on a Kindle whilst you verify your electronic mail.

For Joe Public, the one severe 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 nicely or in any respect — making an attempt to look at a YouTube video on a Notice Air4 C is fairly pointless. Even some artwork and notetaking apps may want additional consideration from Amazon to behave in addition to first-party software program.

Buttons, buttons and extra buttons

The way in which forwards is backwards

The absence of bodily buttons is probably going a non-issue for many Kindle house owners, since Amazon’s gestures are simple to study, and its touchscreens are responsive sufficient. There’s, nevertheless, a diehard contingent on the market that would favor buttons for turning pages, adjusting quantity, or returning to the homescreen. I get it, personally — if I must flip ahead just a few pages, it is simpler to hit a button repeatedly than swipe the identical variety of instances, or change to a e-book’s progress slider. The purpose of any Kindle is to loosen up greater than I’d with a cellphone or pc.

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 lower 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 form of grassroots marketing campaign that persuades it of the gross sales potential.

A built-in kickstand

Palms-free when you could 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 while you’re studying for an prolonged time period, even the lightest Kindle can change into tiring. Though I’d be capable of bench press almost 250 kilos on the fitness center, 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 quite a bit simpler while 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 isn’t any cause a Scribe cannot additionally. It is perhaps 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 idea that just one particular person will ever use them. Whereas that is typically the case, there are too many exceptions, as any mum or dad with an iPad can attest. It is an arbitrary barrier, seemingly meant to drive 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 virtually makes extra sense to place a number of profiles on a Kindle. Their most important function is studying, and it could be unusual certainly when you had a bodily copy of a e-book 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 clients in the event that they knew two folks may break up one — for the price of two Scribes, you may as nicely 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 not too long ago that 16GB turned a normal capability. Previous to the primary Colorsoft, there wasn’t even a lot visible enchantment to what was onscreen. I did like a number of the ad-free lockscreens on my previous Paperwhite, but largely, they have been simply higher than a clean display.

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 completely different colours if they do not create any usability complications. If nothing else, it needs to be useless easy so as to add customized lockscreens on ad-free fashions. Customers have found out a means round Amazon’s limits by utilizing customized “books” paired with the Present covers on the lock display choice, however it could be so significantly better if I may add information to an Amazon Photographs folder and have them routinely synced and formatted. Google permits one thing related with its Nest Hub good shows.