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Amazon’s New Kindle Case Places Page-Turn Buttons Only on the Right Side
By Drooid · · How we work
New Kindle Case Limits Page-Turning to Right Hand
Amazon’s latest refresh of its Kindle lineup introduced two accessories: a “Kindle Click” remote and a protective case with built-in page-turn buttons. The case, released with the new “seaglass” and “ube” color options, positions both buttons on the right side of the device. The author of the Business Insider commentary notes that while the remote is functional, the case’s button layout effectively excludes left-handed users from easy one-handed page turning.
Historical Design of Kindle Buttons
Early Kindle models featured physical buttons on both sides of the bezel—one for turning pages backward and a larger one for moving forward. This symmetrical design allowed readers to hold the device comfortably in either hand. With the debut of the Kindle Paperwhite in 2012, Amazon shifted to screen-tap navigation: tapping the left side of the screen turned a page back, and tapping the right side turned a page forward. The author explains that this change favored right-handed operation and made left-handed use more cumbersome.
Left-Handed User Concerns
The commentator, a left-handed Kindle owner, describes the new case as a “micro-aggression” toward left-handed readers. They point out that Amazon recently stopped supporting older Kindle models, preventing the addition of new titles through the Amazon store—a move that forced many left-handed users to retain devices with dual-side buttons. Although the case’s buttons can be remapped and the case flipped upside down to place the buttons on the left, the author argues that such work-arounds result in an unintuitive, upside-down case orientation.
Product Details and Options
Beyond button placement, the refreshed Kindle lineup offers faster page-turn speeds on Paperwhite and Colorsoft versions, along with the new color selections. The Kindle Click remote provides an alternative method for page turning without relying on the case’s buttons. However, the author emphasizes that for left-handed readers who prefer holding the device in their dominant hand, the lack of left-side buttons remains a notable accessibility shortfall.