12th-gen Amazon Kindle Paperwhite with 7 inch display leaked

Rumor has it that Amazon could launch a 12th-gen Kindle Paperwhite eReader this week. And that would probably help explain why the 11th-gen model is out of stock. But it looks like at least one person may have already gotten their hands on one a little early… and briefly tried to sell it on eBay.

While eBay listing is no longer active, redditor gavan820 saved a few pictures of the box that give us an idea of what to expect. And what we expect is a new model with a slightly larger display, but not many other changes… although it’s possible that Amazon has some other surprises in store.

The new 12th-gen Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is said to have the following features:

• 7″ glare-free display
• Adjustable warm light
• 16GB of storage
• Waterproof IPX8 2M, 60 MIN
• Weeks of battery life
• USB-C charging

The box shown in the pictures also has a note saying that it’s ad-supported, but that customers can remove the lock-screen ads by paying an additional fee.

In other words, the new model sounds a lot like the 11th-gen Kindle Paperwhite, which launched in 2021. One difference? The older model has a 6.8 inch screen. At the time, that was a step up from the 6 inch screen Amazon had been using up until that point, but it looks like Amazon’s flagship Kindle eReader screen sizes are continuing to inch (or fraction of an inch) upward.

But it’s worth keeping in mind that Amazon’s Kindle lineup includes several different models. Recently that’s included an entry-level Kindle, mid-range Kindle Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition models, and the premium Kindle Scribe with a larger display and support for pen input.

With rival Kobo having introduced its first model featuring an E Ink color display this year, I’ve seen a lot of speculation that Amazon would follow suit and launch its first Kindle-branded device with a color ePaper display soon. And while there’s nothing on this box that suggests we’re looking at a model with a color display, it’s possible that this is just one of Amazon’s new Kindle eReaders set to launch soon. Maybe there will be other models with color screens or other new features.

There’s also nothing on the box about the processor, memory, software version, wireless capabilities, or other features. So it’s possible that some of those things have changed. Another thing worth noting?  The box shows that we’re looking at a Kindle Paperwhite Gen 12 eReader with a black body, but it seems like there may also be at least one other color option.

via The eBook Reader