Amazon's leaked next-gen Kindle Paperwhite might not surprise you

What you need to know

• Amazon's 12th-gen Kindle Paperwhite allegedly leaked as images of its retail box surfaced online.
• The box shows the tablet could grab a slightly larger 7-inch display and 16GB of internal storage with "weeks" of battery life.
• The supposed upgrades are minimalistic at best as other options like Kobo's new color e-readers and the Onyx Boox turn heads.

Amazon might have a next-gen Paperwhite tablet on the way as it seemingly leaks unceremoniously.

The rumor stems from a retail worker who supposedly got their hands on the retail box for Amazon's 12th-Gen Kindle Paperwhite. As noted by Good E Reader , the images don't excite as the most notable change is its alleged 7-inch display. The back of the box adds the device could feature an "adjustable warm light," an IPX8 2M waterproof rating, and "weeks" of battery life.

The front of the box suggests the 12th-Gen Paperwhite will offer 16GB of internal storage.

The design of this alleged next-gen reading tablet mirrors the 11th-gen Paperwhite from 2021. The device still features quite thick bezels around its entirety, not to mention the rather pronounced chin with the Kindle name. Small differences in its form factor are expected as the display increases (slightly) from 6.8 inches to the rumored seven.

What's not clear is whether this is the only 12th-gen Kindle Paperwhite we're getting or if there's a Signature Edition on the way. The publication stated that a next-gen Signature Edition model could add features like page-turn buttons and an e-paper display. However, it's too early to tell as it's unclear when this leaked model will arrive.

But the existence of its retail box could indicate we're approaching such a launch date.

When Amazon launched its trio of Paperwhites in 2021, the company noted its 10% brighter display. More importantly, the battery life of those older tablets sat at around 10 weeks. This meant users would have to charge their Paperwhites (roughly) once every two and a half months. This was paired with a 9W charger that took around 2.5 hours to complete a full charging cycle.

If these images are to be believed, perhaps we should look elsewhere for more changes. It would be nice if Amazon could improve the tablet's charging capabilities with more strength to quicken its cycle.

But, the kicker is that Amazon could risk falling behind other, more popular e-readers that are doing more. Earlier this year, Kobo launched its first color e-readers : the Libra Colour and the Clara Colour. Those devices offer a 7-inch display with 32GB of storage and richer saturation with a palette of 4,096 colors.

There's also the Onyx Boox, which is turning heads over Amazon's options.