Kindle Basic 10th gen review

I love my first gen Kindle to bits but it has a glaring downside compared to newer models which is lack of backlighting. Reading books on the Kindle using a reading lamp or with the room lights on is somewhat a chore. The clip on reading lamp makes the Kindle kinda heavy and most of the time I read late at night so I only have a single bedside lamp on which is not too bright to light up the Kindle.



Hence why I started looking for a newer Kindle model, something with a backlight. I would love to get a Paperwhite version but it’s still too expensive for my budget so I settle with the Kindle Basic 10th gen instead which does actually have a backlight.



This new Kindle Basic looks a bit larger yet slimmer than its predecessor. The bezel is much smaller and the weight in your hand feels a lot lighter. It still sports a plastic body and a single button at the bottom next to the micro USB port. It comes with a modest 8GB space but even then I only use around 400MB of space with more than 2 dozen books uploaded. The best thing about this 7th gen Kindle Basic is of course the backlight. Gone are the days that I had to have some kind of direct light on while reading my ebooks. I can virtually read in the pitch darkness if I want to (but I won’t).



Is it the best thing since sliced bread? No but in terms of reading experience, it’s nearly there. With the backlight on, I’m encouraged to read more often, anywhere, anytime. Of course if I had the budget, I would have preferred the Paperwhite with more storage space, brighter screen, water resistance and USB-C port. Perhaps that will be my next Kindle. As for now the 300 ringgit Kindle Basic 10th gen works pretty well for me. For its price, it offers the most bang for my buck.