There's no denying the chokehold Amazon has on the ereader industry. Its library is massive and its entire lineup of Kindles are consistently reliable devices that meet readers with varying budgets and needs. As part of the company's 2026 lineup, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition ($250) sits squarely in the middle in terms of both capabilities and price. Amazon saw fit to refine an already compelling mix of design and performance, with key changes to how you use this Paperwhite as well. But as we noted with the 2024 Signature Edition, the best premium ereader may not offer any exclusive features that you can't live without.

Amazon didn't try to reinvent the wheel with its updates to the more premium Paperwhite. There's now an aluminum back, but overall, it's still an IPX8 waterproof design with a high-contrast, 300 dpi display (more on the screen changes later) and 32GB of storage. The company did color match the front bezels on the Seaglass Green version so it matches the back panel. This is certainly a welcome change as it definitely looks better than previous models that had colorful cases but with gray fronts. The 2026 model is also one millimeter thinner than its predecessor — a variation you're unlikely to notice, but one Amazon will gladly tout.

Amazon also moved the power button to the top right edge, a location that will be more familiar for anyone who uses a smartphone. I honestly prefer it there, because even though I've been using a regular Kindle Paperwhite since 2024, I never got used to the power button on the bottom edge.

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