'Thinner, lighter' £59 Kindle released

Amazon has launched its latest, “most affordable” Kindle, which is marketed as being thinner, lighter and with twice the memory as the previous generation for the same price of £59.99.

Available in black and white colour options, the new Kindle features a "more rounded design, making it easy and comfortable to hold in one hand at any angle for extended reading sessions".

The Kindle also features new fonts and "weeks" of battery life.

Arthur van Rest, general manager of Kindle, said.“Tens of millions of readers around the world have Kindle e-readers, and today we’re excited to make our most affordable Kindle even better, while keeping the same breakthrough price point. With a thinner and lighter design, twice the memory, and all the features customers love about Kindle, it has never been a better time to be a reader.”

This new, cheaper model Kindle closely follows the release of Amazon's high-end Kindle Oasis, costing £269.99, released earlier this year. That model received praise from reviewers for its design and engineering, but others questioned whether the high price tag would be affordable for customers.