Amazon refreshes its monochrome Kindle lineup, including a bigger Paperwhite

The new Kindle Scribe begins shipping on December 4 and starts at $399.99. This is a hefty increase over the first Scribe's $339.99 starting price, though the new Scribe does include the Premium Pen accessory by default. The old Scribe came with a cheaper Basic Pen accessory instead.

The Kindle Paperwhite has been the mainstream default-choice Kindle since the very first one came out in 2012, and the new model continues in that tradition. It has a 7-inch screen, slightly increased from the previous-generation 2021 Paperwhite's 6.8 inches, with improved contrast thanks to "an oxide thin-film transistor." Amazon also says page turns should be 25 percent faster than on the previous model.

The new Paperwhite also inherits other niceties from older models: waterproofing, a USB-C port, and an even front light with adjustable brightness and color temperature.

The regular Paperwhite starts at $159.99 for 16GB of storage and is now available. This is a $20 increase over the 2021 model, though it also doubles the storage. Amazon will continue to offer a Signature Edition of the Paperwhite starting at $199.99 with 32GB of storage, a sensor for automatic brightness and color temperature adjustments, and wireless charging.

The basic Kindle may be the least upgraded of the three. Most of the core specs remain the same as they were for the overhauled 2022 refresh: a 6-inch 300 PPI screen, a weight of just 5.56 ounces (158 g), and a USB-C port with basic water intrusion detection. It's still not waterproof, but Amazon says the new version offers faster page turns, better contrast, and a 25 percent brighter front light that can now match the Paperwhite's brightness (though not the number of LEDs, the warm light, or the automatic brightness or color temperature sensors).

The basic Kindle still has 16GB of internal storage and offers "weeks" of battery life. Like the Paperwhite, it's available to order today, and it's getting a small price increase, from $100 to $109.99.

Both the Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite also come in Kindle Kids editions with two-year warranties, colorful cases, and a six-month subscription to Amazon's Kids+ service. These upgrades usually add $20 to the prices of both models.