Both Kindles do the same basic job: a glare-free screen, weeks of battery and a library you can carry in one hand. The differences between them come down to four things — screen size, waterproofing, battery life and price. Most people agonise over the wrong one. Here's what actually changes once the box is open.

The short answer

If you read indoors, mostly in one place, and you're happy with a six-inch screen, the entry-level Kindle is a sensible buy and the money you save will cover several years of books. If you read in the bath, on the beach, on holiday, or you like larger text and a warm light at night, the Paperwhite is worth the extra.

That's the decision in two sentences. The rest of this explains why, so you can check it against how you actually read.

Screen size: the difference you notice most

The entry-level Kindle has a six-inch screen. The current Paperwhite is around seven inches — bigger than the previous generation, which sat at 6.8 inches. On a spec sheet that sounds trivial. In your hand it's the difference between a page that feels like a paperback and one that feels like a cramped pocket edition.

Sharpness is not the deciding factor. Recent Kindles in both ranges use a 300 ppi display, so text looks crisp on either. It's the amount of text that fits that changes.

Try this before you buy. Set the font on your phone's reading app to the size you genuinely prefer, then imagine reading a whole novel at that setting with fewer words per screen. The larger your preferred font, the more the extra inch matters, because you'll be tapping to turn pages constantly on the smaller display.

Physical size is a minor trade-off. The Paperwhite is slightly wider and a touch heavier, though not enough to notice during a long reading session — and it still slips into a coat pocket.

Waterproofing: the feature you can't add later

This is the clearest dividing line. The Paperwhite carries an IPX8 rating, which means it will survive a short accidental dunking in fresh water. The entry-level Kindle has no water resistance at all.

A splash from a glass of water is survivable on either. A drop into a full bath is not, and no case fully solves it — water gets in around the edges, and condensation inside the screen is usually the end of the device.

The rating isn't a licence to read in the sea. Salt water, chlorine and soap residue are all harder on seals than fresh water, so if your Kindle does take a dip, rinse it in clean fresh water, shake out the ports and let it dry fully before charging. Avoid the poolside lounge chair next to the deep end if you're clumsy.

If you read in the bath most evenings, stop reading this and buy the Paperwhite. If you don't, put the money towards books.

Battery life: weeks, not hours

Amazon quotes battery figures in weeks rather than hours — roughly six weeks for the entry-level model and up to ten for the Paperwhite. Those numbers assume around half an hour of reading a day, wireless switched off and the front light turned low.

Real life is less tidy. Read for two hours every night with Wi-Fi on, the brightness up and Bluetooth headphones connected for audiobooks, and you'll be charging far more often than the box suggests. Even so, expect weeks rather than days from either, and the Paperwhite will comfortably outlast the cheaper model because it has a larger battery.

Both charge over USB-C, so one cable covers your phone and your Kindle. Leaving aeroplane mode on when you're not downloading is the single easiest way to stretch a charge.

Price and what the extra money buys

Amazon doesn't price these two the same, and the gap moves with every promotion. Rather than quote a figure that will be wrong by the time you read it, it's more useful to know exactly what you're paying for.

• Screen size. Roughly seven inches against six, with more text per page.
• Waterproofing. IPX8 on the Paperwhite only.
• Warm light. The Paperwhite lets you shift the front light towards amber for night reading; the entry-level Kindle's light is cooler. Check the spec sheet for the exact generation you're buying, as features shift between releases.
• Battery capacity. Longer between charges on the Paperwhite.
• Wireless charging. Available on the Paperwhite Signature Edition, which also comes with more storage.

Two things worth checking before you order. Some listings offer a cheaper version with lock-screen adverts — those appear on the sleep screen and occasionally on the home screen, never inside a book while you're reading. And if the difference in price feels steep, look at Amazon's Certified Refurbished stock and at bundles that include a cover, which are often better value than buying separately.

Which one suits which reader

Buy the entry-level Kindle if: you read mainly at home, in bed or in an armchair; you're on a budget or buying a first e-reader for a teenager; you want the lightest possible device; or you'd rather spend the difference on books.

Buy the Paperwhite if: you read in the bath, on the beach or by a pool; you use large text or a font that fills the page; you read at night and find a cool white light harsh; you're on holiday or commuting regularly; or you keep devices for years and want the one with the longer useful life.

Before you click buy

1. Check the generation, not just the name. "Kindle Paperwhite" covers several models with different screen sizes. Look at the year and the display size in the listing.
2. Storage matters more if you listen. Audiobooks and comics eat space quickly; text-only novels barely touch it. Standard storage is plenty for most readers.
3. Buy from Amazon.co.uk if you're in the UK. Books are priced in pounds with VAT included, and the store is tied to your account region, which is fiddlier to change later.
4. Check your library. Many UK council library services lend ebooks through their own apps rather than sending them to a Kindle, so look at what your local library actually supports before assuming free borrowing is an option.
5. Budget for a cover. A folding case protects the screen and lets you prop the Kindle up. Cheap third-party cases do the job well.

The bottom line

The entry-level Kindle is not a compromised device — it's a good e-reader that happens to be smaller and not waterproof. If that describes your reading life, buy it and put the savings into your library.

The Paperwhite is the safer long-term purchase for most households. Waterproofing, a bigger screen and a warmer light are the three things you can't retrofit, and they're the three things people most often wish they'd had. If you read in the bath, or you plan to keep the device for five years, spend the extra once and stop thinking about it.

Photo: MabelAmber / Pixabay