How long does a Kindle last?

If you’re considering investing in an Amazon Kindle, you might want to know how many years of happy reading you’re going to get from the ebook reader. Hard figures are difficult to come by, but here’s my first-hand experience of how long a Kindle will last.

I’ve only ever owned two Kindles:The Kindle Keyboard which I bought in 2010, and the Kindle Paperwhite (7th Generation), which I’ve had since 2015 and is still working perfectly today. These things are built to last.

It’s not only my Kindles that are lining up for long-service medals, either. We’ve got various Kindle eBook readers in the family and all of them are over five years old. All still work fine.

Do you need a new Kindle?

From time to time, I find myself browsing the Amazon website, looking at the new Kindles. Especially when Amazon is heavily discounting them on Prime Day, Black Friday or one of its other sales. Every time I stop short of pushing Buy Now because I don’t really need one, even seven years after last updating the hardware.

Yes, the screens have improved in that time. The text would be sharper and the page quicker to refresh, but neither is a problem on my current model.

My seven-year-old Paperwhite still gets software updates, still has 85% of its storage left (eBooks take up next to no space), still has a battery that lasts for 4-5 weeks between charges, even though I read for about 20-30 minutes before bed every night.

There’s no real need to replace it, and I’m confident that if you buy a new Kindle, it will last you for several years to come.

How to make a Kindle last

There are a couple of things I would suggest if you want to boost the lifespan of your Amazon Kindle.

1. Make sure you’ll use it regularly. If you stick the Kindle in a drawer and only get it out once or twice for year for your beach holidays, the battery will likely degrade badly.
2. Buy a case. Amazon’s official rubberised cases are superb at saving the Kindle from bashes and scrapes, and it will automatically switch the device to standby when you flip the case shut.