Amazon unveils new Kindle devices after sales hit decade high

By Martyn Landi, PA Technology Correspondent

Amazon has announced a new range of Kindle devices, as the tech giant says sales of the device hit their highest level for a decade last year.

The latest range of devices includes the first Kindle with a colour screen, a new version of the Kindle Scribe e-reader and digital notebook, and an updated version of the Kindle Paperwhite.

The Kindle Colorsoft is the firm’s first colour screen e-reader and will come with wireless charging capabilities, with up to eight weeks of battery life and will be waterproof, Amazon said.

Meanwhile, the new Kindle Scribe comes with a stylus known as the Premium Pen, and enables users to make notes on the device, including within the books the read, with the page and text dynamically changing to flow around notations.

The Kindle has proved a hugely popular device since first being launched in 2007, and has evolved into a number of different e-reader devices, while also holding off the rise of smartphones and tablets to be a mainstay for digital reading.

Eric Saarnio, vice president of Amazon Devices International, said that not only had sales of the Kindle risen in recent years, but more first-time buyers were among that number.

“Customers love Kindle and are reading on their devices more than ever – global sales last year hit their highest in a decade with the majority of purchases by first-time Kindle owners,” he said.

“We are excited to bring our customers a completely new Kindle lineup. We obsessed over every detail to deliver the best possible experience for them.”

Elsewhere in the new range, the updated Kindle Paperwhite is the thinnest and fastest its ever been, Amazon said, with pages turning 25% faster and battery life now at up to three months.

In addition, the company confirmed it was also launching a new entry-level Kindle, which will start at £94.99, weighs only 158g and will also be available as a Kindle Kids version.

Emma Gilmartin, director of Kindle Europe said: “Our new lineup has something for everyone.

“The first-ever Kindle in colour will bring photos to life, a reimagined Kindle Scribe will transform writing in books and taking notes, you’ll fly through books with the fastest Kindle Paperwhite ever, and you can fit our most compact device, the all-new Kindle, in your pocket.”

The Kindle and Kindle Kids are available now, Amazon confirmed, as is the new Kindle Paperwhite, which starts at £159.99.

The Kindle Colorsoft will go on sale on October 30, starting at £269.99, while the Kindle Scribe will launch on December 4 for £379.99.