Amazon's New Kindle Oasis E-Reader Is Waterproof, Supports Audible Audiobooks

Amazon has launched a new version of the Kindle Oasis e-reader, which is now finally waterproof. The new Kindle Oasis also packs some new features, including support for Audible audiobooks.

“Ten years ago, we introduced our first Kindle with the mission of delivering any book ever written in 60 seconds or less,” Amazon devices and service senior vice president Dave Limp said. “With a larger 7-inch, 300 ppi display, waterproof design and Audible built right in, the all-new Kindle Oasis is our most advanced Kindle ever. Its thin, light, and waterproof design allows readers to stay engaged in the author’s world in even more places than ever before.”

Amazon says that the 7-inch display will be able to fit 30 percent more words per page, which means that users will spend more time reading than turning pages on the new Kindle Oasis. The device is also equipped with 12 LEDs to provide uniform display lighting. Amazon claims the display won’t produce glares even when under bright sunlight.

The Kindle Oasis is also the first Kindle to have an aluminum back while still being thin and light. It only weighs 6.8 ounces and is only 3.4 mm thin at its thinnest point. The backside feature a larger hump, which is designed to provide users a firm grip when reading with one hand. The overall look of the new Kindle Oasis is a refined design of last year’s model. Amazon appears to have slimmed down the bezels while giving the new Kindle Oasis a slightly larger frame.

Inside, the new Kindle Oasis is packing a dual-core 1GHz NXP i.MX7D processor. An Amazon spokesperson told ArsTechnica that this makes the new e-reader a bit faster than last year’s model, which featured a Cortex-A9 processor. The new Oasis also has a battery life of up to six weeks of reading time and supports fast charging through its microUSB port, which Amazon claims can fully charge the device in less than two hours.

This model is also the very first Kindle to be waterproof with an IPX8 rating. This means that the device can be immersed up to two meters of fresh water for up to 60 minutes. This makes the Kindle Oasis the perfect e-reader in the bathtub or even by the pool.

Waterproofing might have been long-waited by a lot of Kindle users, but Amazon has also added support for audiobooks. The new Kindle Oasis will be capable of playing audiobooks through its Audible app. The new feature will be available through a software update when the new Oasis starts shipping to customers.

Since the new Kindle Oasis doesn’t feature speakers or a headphone jack, users will have to connect a pair of Bluetooth headphones to start listening to their audiobooks. That might irk some users, but those who’ve been wanting to listen to their audiobooks with their Kindle will surely appreciate the addition of the feature. The software update for Audible audiobook support will also arrive for the 8th-generation Kindle and last year’s Kindle Oasis.

The new Kindle Oasis is the first standard Kindle e-reader from Amazon that’s larger than 6 inches. The company did release the massive 9.7-inch Kindle DX back in 2009, but that was really expensive starting at $489, as pointed out by Engadget. The new Kindle Oasis starts at $249.99 for the 8GB model (with ads). There’s also a $279.99 32GB model and the $349.99 32GB model with free cellular connectivity (both without ads). It’s now available to pre-order from Amazon and will start shipping to customers on Oct. 31.