# Kindle Oasis

23 Hacker News commenters recommended Kindle Oasis and 6 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 10 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 8 years (3 owners). It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Fans praise its physical page-turn buttons, ergonomic shape and build, and say no newer Kindle matches it. Common caveats: aging software and no physical buttons on newer models.

## Why people recommend it

- Physical page-turn buttons (4 comments): "buttons are in the middle. Since you tend to not use the back page button much, it works pretty well." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48259796)) "I need the physical page turn buttons so Amazon has basically abandoned me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47836726)) "the only device that meets my needs (page turn buttons and waterproof" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48254214))
- Unmatched design and build quality (4 comments): "No one has made something remotely as nice to use as the Oasis, including Amazon themselves." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47845397)) "they already designed the perfect e-reader and released it in 2016" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48257877)) "The Oasis was the pinnacle of e-reader hardware design" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48252977))
- Comfortable ergonomic shape (3 comments): "There's something about the apparent ergonomics that look precisely like what I've always wanted" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47829501)) "I love having a safe area on the side to, ya know, hold the damn thing." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47563714)) "Horizontal and square is extremely comfortable to read on" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49955464))
- Good layout and typography (3 comments): "the Kindle Oasis was, to me, one of the best ways to read books" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47871385)) "The Oasis layout engine and typography are both pretty good" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48664041)) "still the best device there is to read on" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47560977))

## What people warn about

- Slow, aging software (3 comments): "And now Kindle devices lost cellular (why?!?), lost physical keys (facepalm), and are getting worse and worse UI/UX-wise." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47838430)) "The latest Kindle software is already glacially slow on it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46219577)) "it's very slow loading for large books" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49601312))
- Newer Kindles lack physical buttons (4 comments): "And now Kindle devices lost cellular (why?!?), lost physical keys (facepalm), and are getting worse and worse UI/UX-wise." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47838430)) "I need the physical page turn buttons so Amazon has basically abandoned me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47836726)) "Amazon steadfastly refuses to release an ergonomic e-reader with buttons" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46218906))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Kobo e-reader](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kobo-e-reader.md): 154 recommend
- [Onyx Boox e-reader](https://hackerapproved.com/p/boox-e-reader.md): 48 recommend
- [Kobo Clara](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kobo-clara-bw.md): 38 recommend
- [Kindle Paperwhite](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kindle-paperwhite.md): 34 recommend
- [Kobo Libra Color](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kobo-libra-colour.md): 26 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Amazon+Kindle+Oasis+e-reader&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Kindle Oasis", https://hackerapproved.com/p/kindle-oasis/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).