Overview
Simply put, the Kindle Voyage is hands down one of the best eReaders you can buy right now. Yes, it is a bit pricey, however it is well worth the cost if you enjoy using eReaders. Between being very slim, and having weeks of battery life, and an amazing e-ink display, it’s hard not to fall in love with the Kindle Voyage. When you couple the Voyage with the Origami case it adds a new dimension to the experience, one that I have a love/hate relationship with, that extends to all Kindle cases unfortunately. This review is going to be a little different as I will be going a little more in depth into the Voyage. So let’s not dawdle, and dive right in.
Hardware
For the hardware I’m not going to go into any technical details, just a basic rundown of the appearance, material, and the screen. So what makes up the Kindle Voyage? Starting with the back of the Voyage you are greeted by a rather large Amazon logo in the center and all the FCC requirements at the bottom. The body itself is contoured and fits in your hand just like you would expect. This was achieved by dividing the back into portions. The center portion has the aforementioned logo and technical requisites.The sides, bottom, and top, are all divided by cutouts and are angled to their respective sides of the Voyage. On the left side you have your power button near the top and that concludes the entire list of buttons the Voyage sports. The top portion of the back is glass, I would assume this is to better enhance the wifi signal that the device picks up. On the very bottom of the case there is a single microUSB port, this is also the only port you will find. This port handles charging and syncing. All the sides are incredibly slim, so thin that you probably wouldn’t want to hold the Kindle Voyage by its sides alone. On the front there is a rather large bezel, however most of it serves a purpose. The only part that doesn’t serve much of a purpose is the bottom, which has the Kindle logo. In the upper left corner there is a light sensor for the auto dimming feature of the screen. The sides each hold two capacitive buttons, a forward and backward button to allow one handed reading. The screen itself is set into a plastic frame, which is different from the rubberized back of the device. The screen itself is a quite amazing. Yes it’s eInk, though it is a six inch screen with 300ppi which makes it very sharp, clear, and easy on the eyes. It’s much more pleasing to read on the Kindle Voyage than on phone or tablet, even though the Voyage has a backlit eInk display.
Software/UI
The main screen of the Kindle Voyage is as you’d expect, it’s a bookshelf. You can choose to see all books or downloaded books. You will also see an option that tells says All Items and tells you the total number of items on your device, it is also a menu that allows you to switch between grid view, list view, and choose to show all items, books, periodicals, docs, or collections. Right next to that you are given your sort menu where you can sort by recent, title, author, or collection. At the very top of the screen, in the standard location, is the notification tray which will display the current wifi connection, battery level, and the time. Just below that you have your main menu, this includes a home button, back button, quick settings for airplane mode, syncing the Kindle, all settings, and brightness settings. Continuing the menu has the Goodreads link, Kindle store link, search bar, and a button for menu options. These additional options are your library, reading lists, Kindle store, Goodreads, Kindle FreeTime, vocabulary builder, the experimental browser, settings, special offers, new collection creator, and about collections. Your in depth settings are fairly barebones as well, they are for airplane mode, wifi networks, device and household registration, device options, and reading options.
The reading options will allow you to enable or disable language learning which will enable Word Wise and create vocabulary flash cards, you can enable or disable the page refresh every time you turn the page, PagePress settings (PagePress are the capacitive forward and backward buttons), you can adjust the pressure needed to press these buttons, and adjust the level of feedback from them, or just disable them completely if you wish. You can connect social networks via wifi to share highlighted passages, and you can enable or disable popular highlights from other readers, public notations from other readers, and the about this book section when you first open a book.
The device options will allow you to set a passcode on your Kindle, set up parental controls for Kindle FreeTime and browser restrictions. You will also be able to enable or disable the Nightlight feature, which will continue to dim your screen when reading in the dark, this is a feature I quite enjoy. There are personalization options to name your Kindle, your own personal information, set the device time, send-to-kindle email, and you are also able to tweak recommended content for the home screen, next in series, Whispersync, and special offers. Lastly you are able to manage the language and dictionaries the Voyage uses.
The screen is a touch screen and the refresh rate is a little laggy being an eInk display. That is to be expected, it is however also the very reason you should never use the experimental browser. It’s best to pretend it doesn’t exist. While reading you have your normal Kindle controls and menu which can be accessed by pressing the top of the screen, this brings up your main menu as well as well bookmarking, text size and font adjustments, sharing, go-to, and Amazon’s X-Ray feature. As far as reading goes, it doesn’t get much better or clearer than on the Voyage with its 300ppi screen, the text is always clear. I would just be leery of side loading any books in PDF format, I tried side loading some short stories that way and the formatting was very off and I would have had to scroll side to side and up and down the entire time. Sticking to an eBook format you will have no issues though.
The Origami Case
The Origami case is one of the most unique cases I’ve ever come across. It’s a slim case that doesn’t actually snap onto the Kindle Voyage. Instead it’s held to the plastic inside of the case by magnets. This makes installing and removing the case smooth, easy, and seamless. The outside of the case is leather and brandishes the Amazon logo on the back, the power button even has the power symbol on it and is a physical button. On the front of the case you'll notice the lines that cut across it, these are what make it the origami case. Now the case is a folio as all Kindle cases are, however this one folds over the top and has magnets to hold it closed, and turn the display on and off. When you open the case and fold it over the Voyage, you can than bend the cover along the lines that are cut into it. Sometimes you’ll miss the right bend, though you will get used it. What you need to do is push the bottom center part away from the Kindle, which will fold the rest in as well. As the case folds into place the sides of the bends will snap together with magnets, and the newly folded stand will also snap to the back of the Voyage using another magnet. To unfold the stand and close the case, simply pull the stand off the back of the Voyage, pull the sides apart, and flip the cover back over. I really like the design of this case, however I don’t always want a folio. That’s my only gripe, I wish they made some Kindle cases that weren’t folio, just a nice leather back case would be great.
The Good
The Bad
Conclusion
If you enjoy reading, and know you’ll use an eReader then you already know about Kindles. This is definitely just for reading, and the very reason I bought one. It may be a little pricey for some people, however the benefits easily warrant the price tag. There is one unfortunate consequence of buying the base model though, it will have ads, so I would recommend spending a little more if you can to avoid them and make the experience even cleaner. As far as eReaders go, I would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a dedicated eReader. Spending the extra money for the package that comes with the Origami Case and a power adapter is also recommended as it is cheaper than buying them all separately.
You can pick up the Kindle Voyage from Amazon for $200, they even a five month payment plan of $40 a month.
You can pick up the Origami Case from Amazon for $45.
You can even pick up a Kindle Voyage Essentials Bundle that includes the Origami Case, and a power adapter from Amazon for $255.
Simply put, the Kindle Voyage is hands down one of the best eReaders you can buy right now. Yes, it is a bit pricey, however it is well worth the cost if you enjoy using eReaders. Between being very slim, and having weeks of battery life, and an amazing e-ink display, it’s hard not to fall in love with the Kindle Voyage. When you couple the Voyage with the Origami case it adds a new dimension to the experience, one that I have a love/hate relationship with, that extends to all Kindle cases unfortunately. This review is going to be a little different as I will be going a little more in depth into the Voyage. So let’s not dawdle, and dive right in.
Hardware
For the hardware I’m not going to go into any technical details, just a basic rundown of the appearance, material, and the screen. So what makes up the Kindle Voyage? Starting with the back of the Voyage you are greeted by a rather large Amazon logo in the center and all the FCC requirements at the bottom. The body itself is contoured and fits in your hand just like you would expect. This was achieved by dividing the back into portions. The center portion has the aforementioned logo and technical requisites.The sides, bottom, and top, are all divided by cutouts and are angled to their respective sides of the Voyage. On the left side you have your power button near the top and that concludes the entire list of buttons the Voyage sports. The top portion of the back is glass, I would assume this is to better enhance the wifi signal that the device picks up. On the very bottom of the case there is a single microUSB port, this is also the only port you will find. This port handles charging and syncing. All the sides are incredibly slim, so thin that you probably wouldn’t want to hold the Kindle Voyage by its sides alone. On the front there is a rather large bezel, however most of it serves a purpose. The only part that doesn’t serve much of a purpose is the bottom, which has the Kindle logo. In the upper left corner there is a light sensor for the auto dimming feature of the screen. The sides each hold two capacitive buttons, a forward and backward button to allow one handed reading. The screen itself is set into a plastic frame, which is different from the rubberized back of the device. The screen itself is a quite amazing. Yes it’s eInk, though it is a six inch screen with 300ppi which makes it very sharp, clear, and easy on the eyes. It’s much more pleasing to read on the Kindle Voyage than on phone or tablet, even though the Voyage has a backlit eInk display.
Software/UI
The main screen of the Kindle Voyage is as you’d expect, it’s a bookshelf. You can choose to see all books or downloaded books. You will also see an option that tells says All Items and tells you the total number of items on your device, it is also a menu that allows you to switch between grid view, list view, and choose to show all items, books, periodicals, docs, or collections. Right next to that you are given your sort menu where you can sort by recent, title, author, or collection. At the very top of the screen, in the standard location, is the notification tray which will display the current wifi connection, battery level, and the time. Just below that you have your main menu, this includes a home button, back button, quick settings for airplane mode, syncing the Kindle, all settings, and brightness settings. Continuing the menu has the Goodreads link, Kindle store link, search bar, and a button for menu options. These additional options are your library, reading lists, Kindle store, Goodreads, Kindle FreeTime, vocabulary builder, the experimental browser, settings, special offers, new collection creator, and about collections. Your in depth settings are fairly barebones as well, they are for airplane mode, wifi networks, device and household registration, device options, and reading options.
The reading options will allow you to enable or disable language learning which will enable Word Wise and create vocabulary flash cards, you can enable or disable the page refresh every time you turn the page, PagePress settings (PagePress are the capacitive forward and backward buttons), you can adjust the pressure needed to press these buttons, and adjust the level of feedback from them, or just disable them completely if you wish. You can connect social networks via wifi to share highlighted passages, and you can enable or disable popular highlights from other readers, public notations from other readers, and the about this book section when you first open a book.
The device options will allow you to set a passcode on your Kindle, set up parental controls for Kindle FreeTime and browser restrictions. You will also be able to enable or disable the Nightlight feature, which will continue to dim your screen when reading in the dark, this is a feature I quite enjoy. There are personalization options to name your Kindle, your own personal information, set the device time, send-to-kindle email, and you are also able to tweak recommended content for the home screen, next in series, Whispersync, and special offers. Lastly you are able to manage the language and dictionaries the Voyage uses.
The screen is a touch screen and the refresh rate is a little laggy being an eInk display. That is to be expected, it is however also the very reason you should never use the experimental browser. It’s best to pretend it doesn’t exist. While reading you have your normal Kindle controls and menu which can be accessed by pressing the top of the screen, this brings up your main menu as well as well bookmarking, text size and font adjustments, sharing, go-to, and Amazon’s X-Ray feature. As far as reading goes, it doesn’t get much better or clearer than on the Voyage with its 300ppi screen, the text is always clear. I would just be leery of side loading any books in PDF format, I tried side loading some short stories that way and the formatting was very off and I would have had to scroll side to side and up and down the entire time. Sticking to an eBook format you will have no issues though.
The Origami Case
The Origami case is one of the most unique cases I’ve ever come across. It’s a slim case that doesn’t actually snap onto the Kindle Voyage. Instead it’s held to the plastic inside of the case by magnets. This makes installing and removing the case smooth, easy, and seamless. The outside of the case is leather and brandishes the Amazon logo on the back, the power button even has the power symbol on it and is a physical button. On the front of the case you'll notice the lines that cut across it, these are what make it the origami case. Now the case is a folio as all Kindle cases are, however this one folds over the top and has magnets to hold it closed, and turn the display on and off. When you open the case and fold it over the Voyage, you can than bend the cover along the lines that are cut into it. Sometimes you’ll miss the right bend, though you will get used it. What you need to do is push the bottom center part away from the Kindle, which will fold the rest in as well. As the case folds into place the sides of the bends will snap together with magnets, and the newly folded stand will also snap to the back of the Voyage using another magnet. To unfold the stand and close the case, simply pull the stand off the back of the Voyage, pull the sides apart, and flip the cover back over. I really like the design of this case, however I don’t always want a folio. That’s my only gripe, I wish they made some Kindle cases that weren’t folio, just a nice leather back case would be great.
The Good
- Lightweight
- Long battery life
- Crystal clear text
The Bad
- eInk display lags
- Browser is nearly unusable
- Lacks physical buttons
Conclusion
If you enjoy reading, and know you’ll use an eReader then you already know about Kindles. This is definitely just for reading, and the very reason I bought one. It may be a little pricey for some people, however the benefits easily warrant the price tag. There is one unfortunate consequence of buying the base model though, it will have ads, so I would recommend spending a little more if you can to avoid them and make the experience even cleaner. As far as eReaders go, I would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a dedicated eReader. Spending the extra money for the package that comes with the Origami Case and a power adapter is also recommended as it is cheaper than buying them all separately.
You can pick up the Kindle Voyage from Amazon for $200, they even a five month payment plan of $40 a month.
You can pick up the Origami Case from Amazon for $45.
You can even pick up a Kindle Voyage Essentials Bundle that includes the Origami Case, and a power adapter from Amazon for $255.
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