The charging cover is there because the change in design has reduced the battery capacity by 2/3. The cover brings it up to parity (and 50% beyond) with the Pap

The charging cover is there because the change in design has reduced the battery capacity by 2/3. The cover brings it up to parity (and 50% beyond) with the Paperwhite/Voyage line. Making it mandatory lets Amazon advertise "months" instead of the somewhat more accurate "2 weeks" if you compared to the others without the cover being included. Their spec days are 30 minutes a day on WiFi with the light up, I believe (iow, they model reading in bed), so what you should actually be hearing is something more like "21 hours for the old one, 7 hours for the new one but 30 hours with the charging cover on." It's a pretty big step down. That said, I've still pre-ordered an Oasis even though I have a Voyage already. The ergos on this look much more suited to my reading style. The Voyage is by no means heavy, out of the case at least (the official leather case is a brick, unfortunately) but the thin bezel means I either put fingerprints on the screen or can't really get a solid grip on it without cramping my hand and causing some shake. The Oasis looks like it's taken a page in ergonomic design in particular from cameras and will be much more steady and sure to hold. That has to translate into a better reading experience. I'll probably end up using the cover as what amounts to a leather charging dock.