There’s little that can stand between me and a good book. I spent last weekend chipping away at Sarah J Maas’s Kingdom of Ash and could be seen on the treadmill, at the coffee shop, and upside down on my couch devouring the digital pages on my Kindle. But if you saw me in all three places, you wouldn’t have seen the same e-reader in my hands.
That’s because I have two different Kindles: a 2024 Kindle Paperwhite and a 2015 Kindle Paperwhite. The 2024 Paperwhite is a major step up in the specs department, but my 11-year-old one is still in perfect working condition despite being nearly 11 years its senior. Because of that, I haven’t banished it to the miscellaneous kitchen drawer with all my micro-USB and mystery cables. In fact, it’s arguably the e-reader I use the most — because it’s the one that lives in my bag.
Two Kindles, one reader, and zero friction when it comes to picking back up where I left off. Here’s why I keep multiple e-readers in my daily rotation and split my reading life in two.
- Storage
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16GB
- Brand
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Amazon
- Screen Size
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7-inch E-ink (300ppi)
- Connections
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USB-C
And always with me
Amazon’s 2015 Paperwhite is small enough to take up little to no real estate in my work bag, backpack, or even a Lululemon fanny pack. Its size makes it especially comparable to the current entry-level Kindle nowadays, and fulfills the same purpose just as well: convenient reading. I’m a fully remote worker who’s constantly jumping between my apartment and a steady rotation of local coffee shops, so I’ve become pretty adept at packing my bag with all my tech — which includes this little e-reader. But why?
Don’t tell my boss, but there’s always the daily risk of falling prey to the doomscroll devil on my shoulder that tells me to prolong my lunch break with a few more TikToks. Now, instead of reaching for my phone, I grab this old Kindle and treat myself to a quick chapter or two. I find it just as hard to put down fiction as it is to put down social media, so I typically have a non-fiction or personal development book in my library to indulge in.
When I’m not at work, having the Kindle constantly on my person is another way to avoid relying on my phone. When a companion goes to the bathroom at a coffee shop, I like to whip out the old e-reader instead of consuming 15 TikToks while they’re gone. It’s also been a refreshing new habit when I’m in security lines, waiting rooms, and even killing time between errands.
Sure, I could just as easily read on my phone with the Kindle app, but how much of our days do we spend staring at that screen even when we aren’t working?
The Kindle Paperwhite stays home
Because that’s where I get the most comfortable
You can’t argue that the newest Kindle Paperwhite in my possession is better than its 2015 predecessor. It’s a much more seamless reading experience on a much bigger, faster display — which makes binge reading that much easier and more enjoyable. I can spend hours upon hours staring at that 7-inch screen and finishing book after book, and that’s why I keep my Paperwhite at home.
My 2024 Kindle Paperwhite is my sit-down-and-sink-in device. It feels much better for longer sessions, and makes you forget you’re reading on a device at all. When I settle down for a hundred-page reading sprint, I curate an intentional vibe: comfy clothes, calm music, and maybe even a candle or two. Dedicating my new Paperwhite to that space makes it feel all the more relaxing and helps me actually disappear into whatever book I’m reading.
Would it be amazing to have that reading experience everywhere I go? Absolutely. But will I remember to grab it off my nightstand and throw it in my work bag? No. It also doesn’t fit as easily in my smaller Lululemon belt bag (unlike the 2015 Paperwhite), which is my daily errand driver.
Having two separate Kindles eliminates the chances that I’ll forget one somewhere and be unable to steal a chapter between meetings. Or, I won’t have the energy to run out to my car in the cold night if I’m cozy in bed. Giving each Kindle a specific place to live allows me the freedom to pick up my book wherever I am, whenever I want.
Other benefits
Durability and sustainability
The 2015 Kindle Paperwhite is slower and has fewer shiny bells and whistles — not to mention, my specific device is particularly beat up from over a decade of jostling and tough love. I tried to pawn it off to friends in the past, but they understandably prefer the less scratched, faster models from this decade. But it still works well, and it definitely doesn’t deserve to end up as e-waste or even just collect dust in a drawer.
Plus, my attention span could use some rehabilitation after years of relying on social media to fill my time anyway. It makes sense, contributes to less waste, and really does represent my effort to squeeze every last drop of entertainment from the loyal old e-reader.
Switching between the two devices daily only enhances my reading experience on 2024 Kindle Paperwhite — especially when I’m settling in for a 300-page marathon after a long work week.
