WhyToBuyThis
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB, 2024)
Tech & Gadgets

Kindle Paperwhite — big, adjustable text and weeks between charges

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB, 2024)

Reviewed by the WhyToBuyThis team · Updated September 2026 · How we choose

Perfect for

  • Readers who gave up on small print
  • Bedtime readers
  • Travelers
  • Big-ticket gift
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Price: $199.99

Price may change on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This won't cost you anything extra.

  • Great gift ideaChosen for real-world gifting
  • Hand-pickedCurated, not scraped
  • Honest reviewThe catch, not just the hype

Why this gift works

Amazon's 2024 Paperwhite has a 7-inch glare-free screen, an adjustable warm light for reading in bed, and battery life Amazon rates in weeks rather than hours. It is waterproof (IPX8) too, so the bath or the beach is no risk. The feature that matters most for many older readers is simpler: he can set the text size, font and boldness himself, so every book becomes a large-print book.

It is a gift for the man who used to read all the time and quietly stopped because paperbacks got harder on the eyes. One light device holds his whole library, and US public libraries lend e-books to Kindles through the Libby app.

Who is this gift for?

Great for

  • A retired man with more reading time than shelf space
  • A dad who stopped reading because paperbacks got hard on the eyes

Think twice if

  • He dislikes new devices and nobody nearby can help set it up
  • He mostly reads magazines or comics in color

The catch

It needs an Amazon account and Wi-Fi to buy or borrow books, and the first setup can stall a man who does not use apps - plan to set it up with him and load a few books first.

Skip if he loves the feel of paper and still reads comfortably, or wants color for magazines and comics - this is a black-and-white E Ink screen.

Worth knowing before you buy

  • It needs an Amazon account and Wi-Fi to download books.
  • Versions with and without lock-screen ads are sold - check which one the listing is.
  • This listing is the 16GB model in black.

Why we like it

  • Every book becomes a large-print book
  • A warm light for reading in bed without the lamp
  • Charged every few weeks, not every night
  • Light enough to hold in one hand for a whole chapter

Questions people ask

Yes - text size, font, line spacing and boldness are all adjustable on the device, which is one of the best reasons to give it.

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As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This won't cost you anything extra.