Review: Kindle Aluminum (2026): Flashy but Expensive

A beautiful blue cover and a premium feel caught my eye, but the reading experience offers few reasons to replace a capable Kindle.

Amazon's smallest e-reader has a beautiful metallic finish. After testing it, I'm less convinced of the $190 price tag.

Compact size good for smaller hands or reading on the go. The aluminum back makes the e-reader heavier, but not so heavy that it's uncomfortable. The colors are beautiful, double the storage space of the plastic version. Compatible with the new Kindle Click remote. Aluminum is without ads (plastic version can be without ads if paid extra).

Expensive for the least amount of features on Kindle. No warm light, and no auto-adjust light like you get on other aluminum Kindles. Not compatible with Kindle Page Turn Cover.

The aluminum Kindle has no right to be this beautiful.

At the beginning of the month, Amazon announced the new Kindle product line with new versions of Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft. The basic Kindle is the first model available that has both plastic and aluminum versions. It's simply called Kindle Aluminum, while the Paperwhite and Colorsoft aluminum editions are now the new Signature Editions with extra features (like wireless charging, an auto-adjusting headlight, and a few AI features).

The Kindle Aluminum only offers AI features compared to the Signature editions, while the different body also includes 32GB of storage and no lock screen ads. It's not really enough to justify the price change, however I still find myself liking it.

It is worth noting that it is available in two green colors, Seaglass and Alpine Sky. Dumi is currently sitting just inches away from me as I write this, glistening in the sunlight. When Apple released their Sky Blue 2025, I was hoping it would be blue, and every single reader friend I've shown it to has said they want it just for the color. Even my editor, who strongly prefers physical books (which is funny considering she edits my growing list of e-reader reviews, including this one), said that just seeing my photos made her fall for it.

This is a smart move on Amazon's part. If you already have a Kindle, there's little reason to upgrade, but most generations only came in black. The last generation had only one color for the Kindle and one color for the Paperwhite. Now, with the base Kindle, you have two colors of the plastic version (classic black and Ube Purple) and the green or blue aluminum mentioned above — options that could compel many existing Kindle owners to upgrade.

But it's hard to say it's worth it just for the color, because you can always buy a bag instead. It's not a bad device, and there are some improvements - just not enough to justify the price tag.

The 12th generation Kindle still has the same 6-inch screen, but the overall shape of the device has changed. The screen is now flush with the rest of the body instead of indented, and the new Kindle body is actually a quarter-inch shorter than the 2024 Kindle. This seems like a small increase (and it is!) but with both devices side by side, it was easy to spot. The new Kindle also felt better in my palm, perhaps due to the softer aluminum back.

It is also heavier thanks to the support. Amazon says the aluminum Kindle is 5.7 ounces, while the plastic Kindle 2026 is 4.9 ounces. (The plastic Kindle 2024 is 5.56 ounces.) Despite the small weight difference between the Kindle 2024 and the new aluminum version, the aluminum felt noticeably heavier to me—it almost felt like my hand was trying harder to hold it. I double-checked my kitchen scale and it really only makes a difference of 0.2 ounces. I had my husband try both models, and he agreed that the aluminum was heavier and was surprised at how small the difference really was. I think the smaller frame makes the weight a little different.

Opening the Kindle Aluminum 2026 takes you to the same interface as any other Kindle. By tapping on the dots in the right corner or swiping down from the top of the screen, you'll have a home screen and your library screen, and the same set of menus. I noticed that while the page turning speed seems about the same, the new Kindle opens books much faster than the Kindle 2024. In the latter case, I always had to wait a few seconds for the last Kindle Unlimited book to open (I know it's Verity right now, my first and most likely last Colleen Hoover book), but the Kindle 2026 opened it almost instantly every time.

Another difference turned out to be the front light.While neither model has a warm-colored front light, the light aluminum Kindle looks warmer than the light blue Kindle 2024. It was still too blue to read easily in the dark before bed, but all in all, I could see some progress. It's hard to tell in the photo below, but I know I'm not delusional after seeing several similar photos already uploaded to Amazon Kindle reviews.

Ultimately, you don't need this Kindle if you already have one, and $190 is a steep price for a model that doesn't even have a heated headlight option. The main thing here remains the colored body, and Amazon has done a good job in this regard. My TikTok feed is full of reading fans talking about Ube's shadow, while Alpine Sky Glow is one that would have caught my eye if I hadn't been scrolling through it. I also like that the aluminum body really feels like an upgrade when I hold it in my hands.

Amazon may be trying to take a page from Apple's iPhone playbook and encourage you to upgrade your Kindle every couple of years for new colors, the same way superfans upgrade their smartphones. While the Kindle has a much lower cost of entry, that's because a smartphone has many more features and upgrades. Kindle always has one use: as an e-reader that shows you books. Unlike the 2nd to 3rd generation Kindle Scribe update, the Kindle doesn't offer a new home screen experience, although you do get two AI-powered features. You don't even get the auto-adjust light that the Paperwhite and Colorsoft aluminum versions will have.

It's a nice Christmas present for someone who already has everything, or an excuse to upgrade their Kindle if it's starting to lag. But you might want to wait and see if the Paperwhite or Colorsoft Signature Editions can be picked up instead, especially since only those two models will be compatible with the new Kindle Turn Cover ($80), which gives you on-device screen-turning buttons. Neither the aluminum Kindle 2026 nor its plastic version are compatible with these accessories, making it even harder to justify the upgrade, but at least they'll work with the Kindle Click remote ($35).

Again, this isn't a bad Kindle. Faster book opening, a slightly warmer (though still not actually warmer) front light, and double the storage space make it a legitimate upgrade to the 2024 model. If you don't already own a Kindle, it's not a bad choice if you're looking to get one of the prettiest models out there. It's up to you whether it's worth spending nearly $200 on.

You'll probably be just as happy with the plastic version of the Ube, and you'll spend between $20 and $40 less, depending on whether you want the ads or not (though it has half the storage space of the aluminum model, at 16GB). However, this price is much higher than these early Kindles were available for. Hopefully we'll see these Kindles on sale for Black Friday, but I'm not holding my breath for any good sales this year.