Kindle Oasis 6" 3G E-Reader with Cover

I've been a Kindle fan since the original $400 Kindle, and since then have owned or used nearly every variation of the Kindle. I remember using traditional book lights on the older Kindle models and how awful that feels compared to the modern frontlit Kindles like the Paperwhite, Voyage, and now the Oasis. A little history on the lighted Kindles. The front lighting that was introduced on the Paperwhite was arguably the most significant improvement to the Kindle since it originally launched. The Paperwhite has LED lights at the bottom of the display, and there is some sort of film that goes over the screen that is supposed to evenly distribute the light across the screen. The problem with the original Paperwhite was that the lighting wasn't perfect -- even though it was a massive improvement over using external lights. There were bright spots and shadows that you could see at the bottom of the screen. They had made a big leap forward but it was a little bit of a disappointment because why do it if you're not going to do it right? Amazon fixed the lighting with the Paperwhite 2 -- the main selling point was that it had improved lighting, though there were quality control issues and it became a bit of a lottery. Some people got perfectly lit Kindles with no imperfections, other people still had bright spots and/or shadows. I personally owned a Paperwhite 1 and 2 and had imperfect lighting that always bothered me and I found it distracting. I bought a Paperwhite 2 as a gift that had perfect lighting. Again, it's a lottery. Then Amazon came out with the $200 luxury Kindle Voyage, which was quite a bit more expensive than the Paperwhite models. This one didn't so much have the bright spots or shadows, but many (mine included) have a 2-toned screen because the color of the light shifts as it goes from one end of the screen to the other. You can actually clearly see the color of the screen shift from the bottom of the device to the top of the device. The Voyage also became a bit of a lottery, some people got ones that have better screens than others. I wrote a review of the Voyage which speaks to this issue, and was disappointed that it felt like on a $200 premium e-reader, you'd think Amazon would have the quality control down and have the screens look consistent. I returned my Voyage and bought one again over a year later and the one I have now has a pretty decent screen. Just goes to show that it's still a lottery and QC is inconsistent. So how do you think Amazon did on a $290 premium Oasis? It supposedly has improved lighting. Now it has more LED's, and they're positioned on the side of the screen rather than the bottom. You can see the attached photo for what a brand new Oasis looks like right when you turn it on. You can see all the bright spots along the edge of the screen. It actually looks worse in person than it does on the photo. I'm not trying to display an extreme example where I'm trying to find minor flaws. I've browsed many reviews and posts and almost every picture I can see from people have the same issue with their Oasis. Some are complaining about it, some don't notice it, some don't care, and it's possible that some also have struck gold with the Oasis lottery and have gotten one with a perfect screen. I've not been so lucky and mine looks like the photo. So for the sake of the review -- main thing I wanted to share is that Amazon still hasn't figured out how to consistently get good quality front lighting on Kindles, even if it's a $290 premium device. That's inexcusable and as a big fan of the Kindle platform, really frustrating and disappointing. But anyway some other thoughts on the Oasis, besides the disappointing front lighting: Price: --- $290 is a lot, but I don't mind. It's a luxury device. If you win the Oasis screen lottery, totally worth it. The original Kindle was $400, the Voyage is at least $240 with a case, so I don't find $290 to be that crazy. Weight/Ergonomics --- The reduction in weight is huge. It's 20% lighter than the Voyage, and the weight is shifted to the palm of your hand so it feels even lighter. I never read one handed on any other Kindle, but now I can with the Oasis and it's quite comfortable. The drastic reduction in weight and improvement in ergonomics are a big deal. The Return of Physical Buttons --- On the Paperwhite you have to tap the screen to page forward or back. You can also do that on the Voyage, or it has sensors on the edge of the screen that you can squeeze (not buttons though). I really liked the sensors on the Voyage a lot, but the buttons on the Oasis are great. They can sound a little "clicky" depending where on the button you press though. If you press the edge of the button they are more silent. I wasn't sure how I would like this because I was such a fan of the pagepress sensors on the Voyage, but I quickly have really come to like the buttons on the Oasis a lot. In summary, Pros: - Extreme lightweight - Most comfortable Kindle ever (this is a BIG DEAL) - feels like nothing when you're holding it without the case - The buttons are well done and a welcome return - It looks very sleek Cons: - The front lighting is a lottery. Hopefully you'll get a good one. - Some will be turned off by the $290 price. I don't mind paying that much, but am annoyed by the poor quality control on the screens/front lighting - Mandatory inclusion of the case, which jacks the price up, seems like a "miss" to me on several levels. 1) requires the price to look higher than if you break out the Kindle and Case separately (which most people buy anyway), 2) some will never use the battery case (I'm one who would prefer an even lighter weight and use just a sleeve, even if it means sacrificing battery life), 3) not enough variety with case options if it is going to be required If you get a good screen with even front lighting, or if you aren't bothered or won't notice a series of 10 bright spots along the edge of your screen, the Oasis is by far the nicest Kindle amazon has ever made and worth the price. 5 stars if you get a good one or don't care about the screen issues, but I left a 3 star review because I am disappointed in Amazon's QC for the last 4 models of Kindle that I have bought (Paperwhite 1, 2, Voyage, and now Oasis). Update - I got a 2nd Oasis, screen is the same.