Waterproof Kindle is finally here

Amazon has launched its first waterproof Kindle, 10 years after the ebook reader went on sale. It’s a revamped Kindle Oasis, which Amazon released last year priced £270. The new model is £40 cheaper despite having a bigger screen – seven inches rather than six. As a result it shows 30 per cent more words per page.

It has a waterproof rating of IPX8, meaning it will survive being submerged in two metres of water for an hour. Previous Kindles have proved popular as a way to read in the bath or by a swimming pool, but they’ve always been vulnerable to water damage.

Other changes include a night mode that switches text to white on a black background, and more LEDS in the backlit screen, making it brighter. The case is aluminium, not plastic like the 2016 model.

It also plays audiobooks from Audible ( www.audible. co.uk), which Amazon bought in 2008. You’ll need to stream these over Bluetooth to a set of headphones or a speaker. Amazon said it will add Audible to older Kindles “in the coming months”. Its battery charges from zero to 100 per cent in less than two hours – and lasts six weeks.

Prices are £230 for 8GB, rising to £260 for 32GB – both with Wi-fi. A 32GB £320 model adds the ability to download books over 3G. Amazon now sells four e-readers: Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Voyage and Kindle Oasis. Compare their specifications at www.snipca.com/25935.