Amazon has launched the Kindle Voyage, the new flagship Kindle e-reader that replaces the Kindle Paperwhite. It sports a 300 ppi display that promises to be sharper, and it also has an ambient-light sensor that automatically adjusts brightness to match the environment.

It looks like battery life is slightly inferior, though, down to 6 weeks as opposed to 8 weeks for the previous generation. However, at those numbers it doesn’t really matter, both have battery life to spare.

Prices start at $199 for the WiFi-only model, and $269 for the WiFi + 3G model with Special Offers (which is Amazon speak for ads). Each model is also available without Special Offers for $20 more.

Also available are the previous generation Kindle Paperwhite ($119 WiFi-only, or $189 WiFi + 3G), and the regular Kindle (with no backlight) at $79.

All in all, The Kindle Voyage looks like a very interesting upgrade, and it will probably be an extremely popular gift this holiday season. If you make your purchase through one of these links, you will also be supporting my work and contributing to keeping this site running. Thanks!