A 12-year-old Kindle and replaceable batteries: the real life of an e-reader

Twelve years with a Kindle and still reading: the real lifespan of an e-reader

How many years does an e-reader last before it dies? It's a question everyone asks before spending between 100 and 300 euros on a device that only does one thing, and the answer is uncomfortable: it depends on whether you replace the battery. The testimonies that pile up over the years point to one clear conclusion: the e-ink screen and the circuit board hold up just fine; what gives out first is the lithium battery, and that can be replaced.

Some people have had a Kindle for more than 12 years and use it every day. Another case: a third-generation model, the one with the physical keyboard, bought in 2010, still going "like the first day" and only ever given a new case. A first-batch Paperwhite, used one hour a day, zero failures. The veteran readers, the ones released between 2009 and 2012, have turned out to be the toughest: minimal-function devices, no frills, that haven't aged because their only job —turning pages— hasn't changed.

The battery, the only component that truly dies

Flash memory doesn't last forever: it has a limited number of write cycles. But a book takes up so little space that this wear is irrelevant in practice. The battery is another story. Leaving it completely discharged for months damages it, and some people have seen it lose capacity and start acting up after a stretch without reading. The advice that keeps coming up: charge it now and then even if you're not using it.

Replacing it is no trivial matter. You have to buy the part online —they can be found from around 9.55 euros for older models— and dare to use a small screwdriver. Not for beginners, people warn. Those who have done it, though, boast about having revived a device they'd written off as dead.

Why do older models last longer than new ones?

The theory going around makes industrial sense: when you launch a new product, you're taking a gamble, so you build it as well as possible so the invention gains traction. Once it's established, you cut costs. The first mobile phones, the first televisions, the first mp3 players: indestructible bricks. Recent models, prettier and more fragile.

In the specific case of e-readers, there's one episode that fuels the suspicion: the period when many Kindles developed a sustancia ilegal in the casing, attributed by some users to the drop in quality from manufacturing more units in less time. It's not a formal accusation from anyone, just the reading of those who experienced it.

The USB stick breaks; the e-reader, not so much

It's worth separating two things that often get mixed up. USB sticks do fail over the years: there are cases of well-known brands dying after a year and a half. But an e-reader is not a USB stick. Its memory is barely written to, and the rest of the electronic components, barring a factory defect, shouldn't wear out.

The conclusion that emerges: we're not falling short on lifespan, we're falling short on replaceable batteries. The device lasts; the battery doesn't. And as long as the manufacturer doesn't make it easy, the obsolescence won't be planned, but it will come pretty close.

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In the end, the e-reader has turned out to be the longest-lasting appliance in the living room. Twelve years of reading and nobody has ever reviewed it.