In a surprise announcement, Amazon has recently unveiled its new flagship Kindle series.
Although we’re yet to review either the Kindle or Kindle Aluminium, we’ve compared the specs of both and noted all the key differences between them below.
We’ve also rounded up our list of the current best Kindles and best e-readers too.
Price and Availability
Both the Kindle and Kindle Aluminium are available to buy now in a handful of countries around the world, including the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Ireland and more. The standard Kindle is the cheapest of the two, with a starting price of $149.99.
The Kindle Aluminium is pricier, with a starting RRP of $189.99.
Kindle Aluminium has, unsurprisingly, an aluminium back
Although it shares the exact same six-inch form factor and flush-front display as the standard Kindle, the Kindle Aluminium is fitted with an aluminium back. Made from 80% recycled aluminium and sporting a matte finish, the Kindle Aluminium promises to give readers a more premium feel that’s noticeable as soon as they pick it up.
The Kindle Aluminium also comes in two colours, Alpine Sky and Seaglass Green.
Otherwise the standard Kindle is made from recycled materials and comes in a choice of two colours: Ube and Graphite.
Kindle Aluminium comes with more storage
Choosing the Aluminium iteration means you’ll benefit from 32GB of storage whereas if you opt for the standard Kindle then you’ll have to make do with just 16GB instead.
Having said that, we found the older Kindle (2024)’s 16GB of storage to be more than enough to house ebooks and a few audiobooks too. However, if you’d prefer to err on the side of caution, then we’d recommend opting for the larger Kindle Aluminium.
Both support Amazon’s new Kindle accessories
Amazon has introduced a range of optional accessories that support the entire 2026 Kindle line-up, including the cheaper Kindle and its Aluminium iteration. Alongside new Kindle Covers that are available in different materials is the Kindle Click – a Bluetooth remote designed for page turning. In fact, the Kindle Click is also compatible with older Kindle models that were released in 2024 and later.
Both have a six-inch, e-ink display
Despite their different housing, both the Kindle and Kindle Aluminium share the same six-inch, e-ink and flush-front display.
Amazon has stated that to achieve the flush-front display, which means the screen sits at the same level as the surrounding frame, it needed to rethink how the “display, front light, and touch layers” were assembled and bonded. This means that the entry-level Kindle has seen quite a major design overhaul from its predecessor.
However, and probably reason you’d choose a Kindle or e-reader is that both are fitted with an e-ink display. That makes reading text feel much easier on the eyes than a normal LCD or LED panel that you’d find on a smartphone.
Both promise 30% faster book opening than before
Compared to the 2024 iteration, Amazon promises the Kindle (2026) and Kindle Aluminium will see 30% faster book opening. That’s a pretty exciting prospect, given we concluded the Kindle (2024) was “more than fast enough, with pages flipping quickly and the store loading up without too much waiting around”.
Finally, and unsurprisingly if you’re familiar with Kindles, both devices offer access to Amazon’s brilliant Kindle Store and you can sign up to optional subscriptions like Kindle Unlimited or Audible too.
We’ll have to wait until we review the Kindle or Kindle Aluminium to see whether Amazon’s promise is really noticeable.
The Kindle and its Aluminium iteration look set to be brilliant affordable e-reader options. At this early stage, we’d say the standard Kindle (2026) is a better choice for those who want the cheapest possible device, while the Kindle Aluminium is the next step up for those seeking the balance between affordability and premium design too.