In the past, I have always gone with Amazon covers solely for the reason
that I need the built in lights, and lighting options from other
companies are terrible. With the Paperwhite's new built-in lighting
technology, I'm no longer forced to use Amazon and can finally evaluate
their covers solely for design and functionality.
FORM FACTOR
The cover design is very similar to the Amazon Kindle Touch Leather Cover.
It is a very tight fit, and can take some getting used to to learn how
to remove your kindle from it. Although I originally didn't like the
Kindle Touch cover because it was such a tight fit, this shouldn't be a
problem if you plan to leave your Paperwhite in the cover all the time.
It has an area cut out at the bottom for the power button and ac port.
The front of the cover is leather, but this time it has a cross-cut
textured pattern in it. It looks fairly stylish, and this is an
improvement over the Touch cover, which showed scratches and pits in the
leather very easily. All of the covers appear to be fairly true to
Amazon's images (I have not seen the saddle tan version yet), although
the actual Ink Blue cover is a little bit lighter and more
distinguishable as blue than what you see in the image. There is a soft
felt back on the front of the cover to shield the display when closed.
USE
The
Paperwhite pops in to the rubberized back of the case, which hugs it
fairly tightly, so there's no chance of it slipping out. Amazon has
added a magnetic clasp to the side to keep the cover closed. This was
missing on the Touch cover, but I never really found it to be much of an
issue with the cover staying closed. The magnet in the clasp is not
very strong at all, but it does seem to do the job. It takes almost no
force to open it though. The best part about the clasp, is that opening
the cover will turn on the Paperwhite, and closing it will put it to
sleep, so you never need to use the physical power button at all. If
you are left-handed, the cover actually makes it easier to hold the
Kindle since you can open it like a book and use the front cover to
support it.
PROS
- Opening/closing the cover turns on/off the paperwhite without having to use the power button.
- Completely protects the Paperwhite. I can't see any real way for it to get damaged when it is on.
- Makes holding the Paperwhite a bit easier.
- Adds color and makes your Paperwhite a bit more stylish.
CONS
- Expensive versus value
- Very tight fit which can make it difficult to remove.
- Adds weight and bulk to the Paperwhite and makes it less "pocketable."
CONCLUSION
Although
I purchased a cover for my Paperwhite to try it out, I don't really
like how much bigger the covers make my Kindle. The size difference is
fairly small, but that little difference changes the Paperwhite from
something I can easily fit in my pocket, to something I can "somewhat"
easily fit in my pocket. I also don't like that it covers over the
rubberized back of the Paperwhite and effectively makes it a little more
difficult to grip, since your hand is holding the felt back which has
less friction. But mainly, I just don't like the added size. I think
the Paperwhite is almost the perfect form factor on its own and the
cover takes away a little bit of that. If you are pretty rough with
your electronics or you travel a lot with your Kindle, it may be a nice
option, but if you're like me and leave yours on the nightstand a lot, I
would recommend holding off on purchasing a cover until after you've
spent some time with the Paperwhite on its own and can decide if you
really need one. Unless you have the Paperwhite 3G, the price of these
devices has gotten so low that the cost of the cover and its intended
function should be measured against the cost of the device it is
protecting. But it's a very nicely-designed cover and it will keep your
Paperwhite in mint condition if that is your main goal.
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