TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Kindle vs Fire

I know we have had this debate before and you'll probably send me to another forum but why would anyone choose a Kindle over Fire? My Kindle burned out last trip to SXM and I need to buy a new e-reader for my upcoming trip in January. I priced both the Kindle and the Fire and the Fire is way cheaper and has more applications. But I read that the Kindle is easier to read on the beach because of less glare. Any thoughts?

Paperwhite is my reader of choice. Much more comfortable reading under ALL light conditions, even the brightest sun on OB. Other apps, cameras, etc are not really needed. They get in the way of my routine of read, nap, dip, drink, repeat.

My Kindle is one of the oldies and while I’ve thought about replacing it with the Paperwhite, I’ve held off because it really is perfect for beach or poolside reading. No glare and no problem reading it in the brightest sun, particularly while lounging on my chair on Mullet or poolside at BSV or El Zafiro. I bought the cover with the built in light for night time reads but I don’t know if it’s still available.

And the big plus - it’s so very old that if it were to fall into the pool AGAIN, forcing me to purchase a new one, it wouldn’t break my heart!

Paperwhite for us. We have the latest version which is lighter and waterproof. Don't use a case for it. Can read at night perfectly.

A Kindle Fire was selling for $29.95 over this past weekend. Amazon?

I think they're really apples and oranges. The Fire is a full-blown tablet. The Paperwhite is just an e-reader. I still have my Kindle e-reader that I bought many years ago, but I've gone through a number of tablets in the same time period. If you're looking for something to read on a lot, I'd go with a Paperwhite. The screen is better set up for reading. But if you're looking for one device to read on, watch movies, browse the Internet, do email, etc... then go Fire.

I have one of each. The Kindle Fire is for internet browsing, video watching and Alexa when I'm away from home. I also have a paperwhite in a waterproof case for reading. There is no glare on the paperwhite (well, a little from the case, but if you've bought the newer one which is waterproof that eliminates even that) so it can be easily read in sunlight. You can connect both to wifi and have your books on both which will automatically update to the last place read on the other device if you find yourself going back and forth between the two of them which is nice.

Another vote for the Paperwhite! My wife has an original Kindle and I have the second iteration of the Paperwhite. Her old Kindle is having trouble now holding a charge, so we will be replacing it shortly (before our next trip to SXM) with the newest Paperwhite. She loves the more evenly back-lit screen and the lighter weight of the Paperwhite. These e-readers are ideal for what they are designed for: reading, whether in bright sun on the beach or around the pool, or in bed at night if one of us can't sleep. We have our laptop/tablet/phones for accessing anything else.

My paper white is great in direct sun and also easy to read with polarized sun glasses.

I am on my third Kindle and now have the Oasis (purchased on Black Friday last year!) with over 400 unread books loaded. I love it for ease of reading and for the buttons to turn pages. I always hated swiping/touching the screen on my Paperwhite to turn pages. For me, I prefer other devices for internet, etc. My reader is just my reader, and for me, that's what works.

Mine just has a button on the side of the screen to advance or go back a page.

That's what mine has.

Paperwhite. I have both. Had the Fire first and got the Paperwhite specifically to read on the beach. No glare and very easy to read with sunglasses. In my opinion the Fire isn't a robust enough tablet--just replaced my old one with a Samsung Galaxy Tab A. Major improvement ! But I'd never give up my Paperwhite.

Can someone answer a question for me? I don't have either of those just an android based tablet. I have a kindle account on that tablet but I cannot actually download books to the tablet. Even though I "buy" the book, I can only read it if I have a wifi connection. Obviously that won't work at the beach. Do either of the units being discussed allow the book to be downloaded to the unit so that it can be read while traveling or on a beach or anyplace without a wifi or cellular connection?

That's really surprising. I'm able to download books on the Kindle app for iPad and don't need a connection to read them. The Kindle devices allow for the book to be downloaded and then read offline. Some of the Kindle devices also offer free cellular connectivity which worked on the beach in SXM last I tried (pre-Irma) so you could get new books if you didn't plan ahead.

Yes, on all three of the Kindles I have had, reading can be done anywhere without a wifi connection.

Thank you. I am still a dinosaur because I prefer to flip pages but the idea of not having to bring 3 or 4 books that take up space in luggage would be nice. Usually I just leave the book(s) in either a lending library or my unit when we leave so someone else can read them. I may have to look at the kindle/paperwhite now. Maybe Santa will read this post and it'll be under the tree!

You can carry a lot of books on your kindle on the plane & not have the weight in your suitcases. Also easier to hold if you have arthritis in your hands.🙄
Also with the backlit version you won't keep your spouse awake if you are reading. We love ours. Read on the beach as well.