The cheapest Kindle

Kindles seem to be just about everywhere at the moment, with a launch last week of the cheapest ever model at £69 and the news of two new Kindle Fire tablets bringing it into closer competition with Apple.

As a lover of books, I seem to be the only person I know resisting getting a Kindle. However as the price falls it is becoming a more appealing option.

What's different about this model?

The new model is pretty much the same as the original Kindle, but it's smaller, lighter and around £20 cheaper.

On the scales it comes in at 170 grams, so it’s lighter than a paperback, which would be ideal for me as I usually end up picking weighty novels which I then end up carting around all day.

It has several new features including improved fonts, faster page turning features and better parental controls (increasing the likihood of it being on most children's Christmas wish lists). The model includes all the same elements as the standard model including the electronic ink display, a one-month battery life and parental controls.

If you want to get your hands on one, you can pre-order the eReader from the Amazon website and it'll be sent out on the 12th September.

What about the Kindle Fire?

Two new models are launching in October which could become potential rivals to the iPad.

The first is the Kindle Fire HD, which includes features such as Wi-Fi access, high definition audio and Dolby Digital Plus, and will cost £159. The seond model is the latest generation Kindle Fire which promises to be 40% faster and have twice the memory. This will set you back £129.

There are 7-inch and 8.9-inch versions to choose from with the larger likely to be a direct competitior to the iPad. Both will have access to Amazon's extensive collection of books, music, films, TV shows and magazines.

As the price tag is so much less than other tablet models, notably the iPad, it's expected these will be very popular. Both will be available through the Amazon website and you can preorder yours now on the website to be shipped on 25th October.

The cheapest way to buy a Kindle

As Kindles are only made by Amazon it's quite hard to get a cheaper price than the main retail price used by the company. This is similar to the iPad - which is only really available at a set price.

However, there are occasional deals and cashback websites are a good place to start. For example at Quidco right now if you buy a Kindle you’ll receive 2.5% cashback from Comet, 1.5% at Currys or 30% off winning eBay auctions (if you were to buy a Kindle on the auction website).

Refurbished models

Buying a refurbished model is another way to cut costs. Amazon takes pre-owned kindles and refurbishes them so they’re up to the same standard as a brand new model.

When you buy one of these models, it comes with a one-year warranty and has exactly the same returns service as a brand-new one.

The best of the rest

Although Kindle might be the best-known eReader, there are a few other models around. Kobu, for example, is pretty much the same as the Kindle, with a similar range of eBooks. It comes in three versions: the push-button model which is £69.99, a touch screen version for £99.99 or a multimedia model for £169.99.

There's also the Sony Reader which comes in at £130 and has the added benefit of not being locked to one particular retailer, meaning you can buy e-books from a range of different stores. For a full run down of the alternatives and how much they'll set you back read our guide on Kindle v the rest. 

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