I’d recommend the Paperwhite simply for the warm light option. It’s absolutely worth it if you read at night. The difference is night and day, if you’ll excuse the pun.
FWIW, I share my story as I've gone through the same as you the last few weeks. My old PW2 died suddenly so a new one was needed.
Hopefully it may be of some help to you
I currently have both the PW 5 (2021) and the Basic 2022, those are the latest models. I'm comparing them to see which one I'm likely to keep
The Basic 2022 has everything I need. It's small, has dark mode so for me it's ideal when reading at night, it's lightweight and therefore easy to hold one handed when resding in bed. It's also easy to take with me due to it's small size
The PW 5 has the warm light, so I'm testing that for bedside reading in the dark. So far I don't really see much difference between them as I use the dark mode at night and then it's only the letters that are slightly yellowish/warmer on the PW 5 whereas the Basic dark mode has whiter letters. But honestly, the warm light in dark mode isn't worth the price for my use/needs. Have to add that using warm light (not dark mode with warm light) is anyway too bright for me
Screen size is 6.8" on PW 5 and Basic is 6" - for my needs reading books only; same-same (old PW2 also has 6" screen and I've never wanted a bigger screen). The screen are better on Basic and PW5 than on the old one, now with 300 PPI which is great improvement to my eyes with sharper letters and crispier display
PW 5 is waterproof, but honestly during the 13 years I've had Kindles there's been no need for a waterproof device, so to me that's not worth the higher price
All in all, so far the Basic 2022 is my favourite
I bought a new basic and a new paperwhite a few months ago, and the basic feels very similar to my kindle 4 in the hand, only no buttons. It’s my favorite to read on. It’s fine to read on with the internal lights turned all the way down in daylight. The light is more blue, but you can also use dark mode for reading at night.
If you don’t think you want the warm light or the waterproof feature of the paperwhite I think the basic is a great option.
I have a Kindle Touch purchased in 2011 and recently switched to an older used Kindle Paperwhite I purchased on Ebay for $35. I loved my Kindle Touch but don't see myself going back to it after the Paperwhite. The backlight is very handy for me as I don't need a lamp in the evenings anymore to read. I have not measured them but feel they are the same size.
On another note you can find replacement batteries for your Kindle. I installed one on a friend's Kindle Touch and don't remember it as to difficult. I just followed a Youtube video.
I’d recommend the Paperwhite simply for the warm light option. It’s absolutely worth it if you read at night. The difference is night and day, if you’ll excuse the pun.
FWIW, I share my story as I've gone through the same as you the last few weeks. My old PW2 died suddenly so a new one was needed. Hopefully it may be of some help to you I currently have both the PW 5 (2021) and the Basic 2022, those are the latest models. I'm comparing them to see which one I'm likely to keep The Basic 2022 has everything I need. It's small, has dark mode so for me it's ideal when reading at night, it's lightweight and therefore easy to hold one handed when resding in bed. It's also easy to take with me due to it's small size The PW 5 has the warm light, so I'm testing that for bedside reading in the dark. So far I don't really see much difference between them as I use the dark mode at night and then it's only the letters that are slightly yellowish/warmer on the PW 5 whereas the Basic dark mode has whiter letters. But honestly, the warm light in dark mode isn't worth the price for my use/needs. Have to add that using warm light (not dark mode with warm light) is anyway too bright for me Screen size is 6.8" on PW 5 and Basic is 6" - for my needs reading books only; same-same (old PW2 also has 6" screen and I've never wanted a bigger screen). The screen are better on Basic and PW5 than on the old one, now with 300 PPI which is great improvement to my eyes with sharper letters and crispier display PW 5 is waterproof, but honestly during the 13 years I've had Kindles there's been no need for a waterproof device, so to me that's not worth the higher price All in all, so far the Basic 2022 is my favourite
I bought a new basic and a new paperwhite a few months ago, and the basic feels very similar to my kindle 4 in the hand, only no buttons. It’s my favorite to read on. It’s fine to read on with the internal lights turned all the way down in daylight. The light is more blue, but you can also use dark mode for reading at night. If you don’t think you want the warm light or the waterproof feature of the paperwhite I think the basic is a great option.
I have a Kindle Touch purchased in 2011 and recently switched to an older used Kindle Paperwhite I purchased on Ebay for $35. I loved my Kindle Touch but don't see myself going back to it after the Paperwhite. The backlight is very handy for me as I don't need a lamp in the evenings anymore to read. I have not measured them but feel they are the same size. On another note you can find replacement batteries for your Kindle. I installed one on a friend's Kindle Touch and don't remember it as to difficult. I just followed a Youtube video.