Amazon raised Kindle Paperwhite prices globally on October 13, 2026 — $200 for the standard model, $250 for the Signature Edition. That’s up $40 and $50 respectively from previous pricing. The devices themselves haven’t changed: both remain the 12th-generation Paperwhite launched in late 2024. Wired’s testing confirms it still has the largest screen and highest contrast ratio of any Kindle, a three-month battery life (up from two), and the thinnest form factor yet. The Signature Edition adds auto-adjusting front light, wireless charging, and 32GB storage, but no new hardware beyond that. Neither model got a refresh today. Amazon just hiked the price tag.  And it did so while leaving the Kindle Scribe line untouched: the second-gen Scribe (2024) remains at its original price, still the top pick for students and note-takers who want reading + writing in one device. Wired calls it their most-used Kindle. Not because it’s the newest, but because of its 10.2-inch, 300-ppi paperlike display, white border for notebook-style framing, included Premium Pen with soft-tipped eraser, and 12-week battery life. Its software updates, Active Canvas, which lets you write directly in books (though notes appear as floating Post-It–style boxes), Expandable Margins for side-panel note-taking, Refined Writing to convert handwriting into script font, and Summarization to condense pages of notes into bullet points. Are available to first-gen Scribe owners via OTA.  The Kindle Colorsoft lineup now has two models: last year’s Signature Edition and a new base variant, both with 7-inch color displays using oxide backplane tech. They’re Amazon’s answer to Kobo and Boox color e-readers, not a breakthrough, just parity.  Wired notes the basic Kindle also launched in new colors, but still lacks a front light. Making it less suitable for nighttime reading than the Paperwhite. And while the Paperwhite remains Amazon’s most popular Kindle, Wired advises against upgrading if you already own one: the changes since late 2024 aren’t major enough to justify the cost, especially now that the price has jumped. They suggest waiting for Prime Day or Black Friday, when the old $160 and $200 prices may reappear as sale benchmarks.  No new Kindle hardware launched today. No new features shipped. Just a price bump on the Paperwhite line. Timed, Wired notes, ahead of fall sale season. If you’re buying now, you’re paying $200 or $250. If you wait, you might see those numbers drop again, but not before November.  Kindle Unlimited remains unchanged: same subscription, same library access. So does library lending via Libby and OverDrive. Nothing about how you read changed. Only how much you pay for the Paperwhite did.