Amazon said to be working on new high

Amazon plans to release a new e-reader in the second quarter of 2014 that will feature a 300ppi screen, TechCrunch reports.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Less than two months after unveiling a new Kindle Paperwhite, Amazon is said to have another refresh in the pipeline for next year.

Sporting a high-resolution 300-pixel-per-square-inch screen, the new Kindle Paperwhite is expected to be released in the second quarter of 2014, TechCrunch reports. The new screen will put Amazon on technical par with the 265ppi Kobo Aura HD, which formerly boasted of the highest-resolution display available in an e-reader. The model Amazon released in October features a 212ppi screen.

In addition to an improved screen, the new model will be lighter than the current model and feature some hardware makeovers, such as a display that is flush with front panel rather than recessed, reported TechCrunch, which said it examined a prototype of the device. Amazon will move from plastic to a matte glass for the new model, the tech site reported.

No major software upgrades are planned for the new model, but Amazon is said to be developing a new custom font specially designed for the device. The company is also reportedly working on an option that will allow text to break with hyphens at the end of lines rather than a ragged right presentation.

Amazon unveiled the current Kindle Paperwhite device in September as one of its trio of new tablets. The device is Amazon's first self-illuminating e-ink reader.