Amazon has lowered the price of the 2024 Kindle to $89.99, bringing a modern, high-resolution e-reader closer down to its lowest price ever by virtue of a $20 discount. That’s an 18% discount from its $109.99 list, and currently the best widely available price if you buy a new model in either Black or Matcha (as opposed to watermelon red).
The deal is not forever — and pricing can change — but for shoppers who have been delaying a move off phone reading to a dedicated device, this represents the sweet spot where value and capability intersect.
- Why this Kindle deal is a standout value today
- How it compares to other e-readers in the real world
- Display and performance details for the 2024 Kindle
- The market context for e-readers and pricing trends
- Who this Kindle is for and who should skip the deal
- Bottom line: the best cheap Kindle deal right now
Why this Kindle deal is a standout value today
The 2024 Kindle is the smallest and lightest model in Amazon’s line-up, but still provides you with a 6-inch, 300 ppi display — that’s sharp enough that text looks laser-printed. Amazon claims that page turns are faster than before and that the front light is 25 percent brighter at its max (that should help in dim interiors without washing out contrast).
Battery life estimates are up to six weeks of use on typical settings, a figure common in the e-reader world that presumes about 30 minutes of reading a day with wireless off.
Onboard, there’s 16GB of storage, so you can fit thousands of novels on the device, and a modern USB-C port for charging.
At less than $90, you’re spending phone-accessory money on a device made entirely to let it all melt away for uninterrupted reading — no social pings, no colorful app icons, just yourself and a page that’s easy to spend hours staring into.
How it compares to other e-readers in the real world
Compared with the more expensive Kindle Paperwhite, the 2024 Kindle sacrifices screen size (6 inches versus 6.8), warm light control and water resistance. But in raw clarity, both deliver 300 ppi text, and a lot of readers like the smaller footprint for one-handed use on commutes or at bedtime.
Competitors like the Kobo Clara series generally cost more at full price and emphasize OverDrive for library borrowing. In the United States, Kindle owners can continue to borrow e-books via Libby and send to Kindle, so public-library readers are not left out. It remains the budget choice for readers who prioritize cost per page over extras.
Display and performance details for the 2024 Kindle
Most newer Kindles use E Ink’s Carta 1200 technology, which E Ink has said increases contrast by around 15% and page-turn speed by about 20% relative to earlier generations. The result, in practice, is clearer text, blacker blacks and a page that refreshes quickly enough to fade into the background of whatever tale you’re reading.
The front light is even and bright (more than enough to read by on late-night chapters), and the glare-free surface is easily readable in direct sunlight — a huge plus over LCDs and OLEDs when you’re outside. And readers prone to eye strain frequently say that it’s this paper-like quality that keeps them from giving up E Ink.
The market context for e-readers and pricing trends
Pew Research Center has repeatedly documented that about 30% of American adults read an e-book in the past year, a relatively stable figure even as audiobook listening has grown. That stability matters: It suggests a lasting audience for dedicated e-readers, rather than something of a novelty that ebbs between sale events.
Price-wise, today’s deal equals recent post-holiday lows and is just $10 above the brief doorbuster-level $79.99 tags that pop up around major shopping holidays.
If you missed those, $89.99 is a fair floor for buying in without waiting forever.
Who this Kindle is for and who should skip the deal
If you’re looking for an inexpensive, small reader for novels, nonfiction and long-form articles, this is the one to buy. People who annotate books, people trying to live out of a pocketable library, students in the Kindle app ecosystem and anyone who wants to get reading more in 2026 will all get mileage out of it on day one.
The advertised price, however, usually pertains to the lockscreen-ads version. Add an additional $20 or so if you want a device that is 100 percent ad-free. Many buyers also get free, limited-time trials of Kindle Unlimited — factor that into your first month’s reading plans if you’re looking to discover new authors.
Bottom line: the best cheap Kindle deal right now
The 2024 Kindle ($89.99) does all the basics of an e-reader well — sharp text, long battery life, and weighs less than a paperback book — at a price that’s impossible to argue with. Unless you specifically want a larger screen, warm light tuning or an IPX8 waterproof rating, this is the deal to grab.
