After 10 years in production, the Kindle line will be getting a waterproof version of the tablet. Amazon announced the newest version of the Kindle Oasis earlier this week.
The Kindle Oasis builds off of last years design, while also improving the screen size as well, growing from a 6-inch screen to a 7-inch screen. Amazon boasts that the new Oasis can show up to 30 percent more text while retaining the same 300 PPI pixel density as the old model.
Alongside this, the e-readers LED backlights has gone up from 10 to 12, allowing the screen to be bright than before, while also being conscious enough to dim itself automatically when needed as a result of the returning ambient light sensor.
The IPX8 waterproof rating approved tablet will sport an aluminum back as well, an aesthetic improvement from the previous version that had soft-plastic backs. Thanks to its water resistance, the device will be good 5 feet of water for 30 minutes, apparently holding true in both salt and freshwater, unlike most water-resistant devices
Instead of a battery split between its folding cover and the device itself, the new Kindle Oasis has a single onboard battery that should (allegedly) last up to six weeks on a single charge.
Storage space will also double, coming with 8GB of standard storage as opposed to the older versions that had 4GB. Oasis will be the first Kindle to support audio books as well and you’ll be able to access all of your books on a single device. Unfortunately, the only way to listen will be through Bluetooth, as the device doesn’t have external speakers or a headphone jack.
The new, waterproof Kindle Oasis starts at $250, $40 less than the previous iteration. Shipments are slated to go out on October 31st for those who pre-order, with other models available as well. The 32GB model costs $279 while the 32GB of storage and 4G LTE connectivity version costs $350.