The new Kindle Oasis is the best e-reader you can buy

I tried out the Oasis with two different cases: a gorgeous leather version (which costs $60) and this gray fabric one, which retails for $45. 

While I loved the leather case, I was disappointed to see that it scuffed and scratched quite easily. I didn't do anything differently with the device than I normally would — tossed it in my bag for work, packed it in a suitcase — but I still ended up with several noticeable marks on the leather. For $60, I expected something more durable. 

The gray case feels sturdier, plus it's great-looking. Although to be perfectly honest, $45 feels like a lot to pay for a Kindle case. 

The Oasis was designed to be your go-to reader by the pool, beach, or in the tub, which means it has one very important new feature: it's waterproof. 

The new Oasis is IPX8 rated, which means you should be able to submerge it in 6.5 feet of water for up to 60 minutes. 

I didn't fully submerge my Oasis, but I did run it under a steady stream of water for about five minutes total. So far, so good. The fact the Oasis is waterproof seems more like a "just in case" feature than a "use often" feature, but it's good to know that if you do drop your device in the pool or leave it outside in the rain, it will likely survive. 

The screen also comes in handy at the end of a long day at work. Staring at a computer screen for hours on end means I don't want to look at another screen when I get home at night. Having the Kindle's E-Ink display meant my eyes — and brain — got a break. My Kindle Fire also has a digital display, so using the Oasis was a wonderful and much-needed change of pace. 

The new Oasis gained an extra inch on its display, making it the largest Kindle display on the market at seven inches. 

Amazon says you'll be able to read 30% more before turning the page, but it doesn't really matter the exact amount. What really matters is the fact that the screen size straddles the line of being small enough to hold one-handed, but large enough that you don't feel like you're constantly turning the page. 

This is where testing the Oasis side by side with the iPhone app made the difference really clear. When reading on my iPhone, I feel like I'm swiping to the next page every few seconds, and it makes reading while I eat or drink a coffee nearly impossible. The Kindle's larger screen size was perfect for me, and was my favorite feature of the device. 

The Oasis has an aluminum body, which somehow manages two seemingly opposite feats: It makes the device feel high-end and expensive, but it also ensures that the Oasis is shockingly lightweight.

At 6.8 ounces, it's only slightly heavier than an iPhone X, which weighs 6.14 ounces. 

The Oasis also has a funny little hump on its back just like the first generation device, which is likely intended to make it easier to grip one-handed. This is a nice feature — and one that's pretty unique to the Oasis — but is rendered useless if you put a case on it. The case snaps on magnetically to the back of the device, sitting flush next to the hump and creating an even back. The hump is nifty, but if you like having a case on your electronics like I do, you'll probably forget it's there altogether. 

Besides the hump, the Oasis is super, super thin at 3.4 millimeters.