The Amazon fall event has come and gone, and there was plenty announced, from a new and improved Alexa with generative AI chat features to a new Echo Hub, Fire TV Stick and eero Wi-Fi 7 router.
But I didn't get the one hardware product I really wanted Amazon to update — the Kindle Oasis.
Excluding the Scribe, the Oasis has the largest and best screen on a Kindle, it’s got the physical buttons (which I prefer) for turning pages and latter versions boast IPX8 water resistance. The curved back and wedge-style design make this thing feather-light and the battery life can be boosted with the ergonomic magnetic cover.
Admittedly, the Kindle Oasis costs nearly twice as much as the Kindle Paperwhite — which is probably why Amazon won’t update it today. The company would rather focus on wallet-friendly Echoes and Ring cameras that’ll likely make for good Christmas presents and even Black Friday deals.
But the Oasis is in dire need of a refresh. It’s still dependent on a microUSB port for charging — the only Kindle that hasn’t made the shift to USB-C. That’s a big deal for me because my aging device has been charged so many times that the battery can’t hold more than a couple days of charge. Maybe the European Union can step in and force a change, just like it did with the iPhone 15.
What did Amazon announce at its event?
- New streaming devices: There's a new Fire TV Soundbar for $119, which pairs with Amazon Fire TVs and Fire TV Sticks to offer Bluetooth audio. In addition, the $49 Fire Stick 4K features a 1.7GHz processor, and supports Wi-Fi 6 and 4K Ultra HD streams; you can get a FireStick 4K Max version for $59 that offers Wi-Fi 6e, 2GHz quad-core processor, Dolby Vision and HDR 10+ and Dolby Atmos Audio.
- Fire TV update: Fire TV is getting a new search mode aimed at helping with discovery. Also, there will be a new Continue Watching row added to the interface. Buy a new Fire TV device, and you get six months of the MGM Plus streaming service for free.
- eero routers: The eero Max 7 is a $599 Wi-Fi 7 mesh router delivering speeds of up to 4.3 Gbps and wired speeds of up to 9.4 Gbps. It will come in packs of two and three to offer Wi-Fi 7 connectivity throughout your home.
- Blink products: The Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera pairs with a Blink Outdoor 4 camera with a floodlight in a $159 package. There's also a new Blink Sync Module Pro that's aimed at letting you place your Outdoor 4 cameras further away for better coverage in large homes. That's coming next year as a $49 add-on.
- New Echo Hub smart controller: The Echo Hub smart home controller provides an 8-inch screen for controlling smart home devices and viewing your security cameras in one place. It costs $179. You can read more about it in our Echo Hub hands-on preview.
- Echo Frames: The latest generation of Amazon's smart glasses boost battery life to 6 hours and feature a redesigned audio architecture to direct more sound to your ears. The speech processing technology is also getting improved wake-word performance. The new Echo Frames will feature seven different styles, starting at $269, though no release date was given. Read our Echo Frames hands-on review for more!
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