It’s a different form factor Kindle, and..?
Anybody loves reading books? Or want to love reading books? Carrying physical books is too bulky? How about ebooks? Oh, maybe… a Kindle?
If you are looking for a device strictly dedicated to reading, you are in the right place. Kindle. It is designed strictly for reading, and the concept is great: one device for one purpose. It makes perfect sense from a physiological and psychological perspective; our brains can focus much better when a device only does one thing. But… how is the actual experience? It wouldn’t work if you keep running into bugs, or design flaws that keep you away from actually using it.
From that perspective, I absolutely did not like traditional Kindle devices with their standard vertical form factor. But… product designers didn’t settle for the status quo. They came up with a square form factor device with physical buttons on the side. Even better, this design actually has a grip! This is “Kindle Oasis”
Kind Oasis, back side
The experience? One word, GREAT.
Sure, it runs on the Kindle operating system, which locks you into their ecosystem, but in the U.S., Amazon holds the biggest ebook market share. Access to bestsellers books is definitely not limited on Amazon anyway. You can import PDFs, although there are multiple annoying steps to do it. so honestly, I wouldn’t bother. If you want to read PDFs like textbooks and research papers, I suggest buying a different device entirely. Any kind of Kindle at this point (in 2026) is strictly an entertainment reading device.
Totally an entertainment device.
The two side buttons are incredibly pleasant to click. I almost wish I could read faster just so I can take advantage of that satisfying tactile feedback more often. The device responds immediately to those buttons, but the real game-changer is the physical space on the side where my hand rests.
In love with those physical buttons
As you likely know, one of the biggest flaws of the traditional Kindle devices is the thin side bezel. Because of it, my fingers always touched the screen and accidentally turns the page. I absolutely hated that design flaw, but the Oasis form factor completely resolved that issue. Eureka.
Other good stuff? it is light, and thin, with a sharp display and an auto-adjusting backlight (although the backlight isn’t perfectly smooth when reacting to light changes.) I currently use a case, but I might just take it off once it wears out. Cases actually make the device bulkier and much less pleasant to hold. The device is quick to respond. The battery life is also excellent. I forgot to read for over a week, left it sitting in my backpack, and it still had a plenty of juice when I finally took it out.
Light, and thin. It uses a micro 5-pin cable to charge.
Caveat, here it is.
Sadly, this model is discontinued. I got the final model off eBay for a good deal, but it still runs on an old processor. If you are looking to get one now, you are going for an outdated tech. And since the Kindle Scribe was added to the product line, I highly doubt Amazon will bring the Oasis back. It would be amazing if they revived this exact form factor with note-taking feature — honestly, that would make it the ultimate portable e-reader and digital notebook.
The other issue is the intentional difficulty of importing PDFs. I can see Amazon’s rationale here. If importing PDF were seamless, people would just read free files rather than buying books from Kindle store. Sure, you can import PDFs, but Amazon purposefully makes it much more tedious than competing devices do — because of this, Kindles stay at an entertainment reading device line.
Wishing my dream comes true.
Sure, it lacks modern features like color support, but you have to remember this is an older model. If you want this exact square form factor with an updated processor, display and modern features, the Boox Go 7 looks like a highly attractive alternative (though I haven’t personally tried it yet). It is a bit more expensive than a used Kindle Oasis, but it is the modern equivalent if you want those updated specs. However, at a more economical price point, a used Kindle Oasis is still a remarkably solid option — unless, Amazon miraculously decides to bring it back.
Let me know what you think in the comments, especially if you have used Boox Go 7. I want to hear your perspective. See you in the next one.
