Amazon accidentally reveals 6.8-inch Kindle Paperwhite e-reader

It’s not often that you see a company disclosing their own products out of the blue, but it looks like that’s exactly what Amazon just did for two new Kindle Paperwhite e-readers.

As GoodEReader reports, Amazon regularly uses specification comparison tables as part of its product listings. For a brief period, visiting the Kindle Basic or Kindle Oasis page on Amazon’s Canadian or Mexican websites showed a graphic that included a new model of Kindle Paperwhite and a Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition. Amazon has since removed the details after realizing its mistake.

The big change introduced by these Kindle Paperwhite 5 Series e-readers is the switch to a 6.8-inch E Ink display and front lighting containing 17 LEDs. The existing Paperwhite has a 6-inch screen and five LEDs acting as front light. The Signature Edition increases on-board storage from 8GB to 32GB, includes self-adjusting light sensors, and is expected to offer wireless charging capabilities via a new kit that Amazon will sell alongside it.

Canadian prices for these two new models are set at $ 149 for the Kindle Paperwhite and $ 209.99 for the Signature Edition. We have to assume it’s with the ads, so the price will be $ 20 or more without the ads. What we don’t know is when these new Paperwhite models will launch, but the fact that Amazon has already prepared listings for them suggests it can’t be far off. The fact that a “reinvented” Kindle software experience is rolling out in the coming weeks, too, cannot be a coincidence.

The introduction of a 6.8-inch Paperwhite is certainly going to make the 7-inch Kindle Oasis more expensive, harder to sell. Could we also see Amazon update the Oasis spec to make sure there are still very clear reasons to buy it? A Kindle Oasis with a bigger screen would definitely grab everyone’s attention.