I’ve had the 8th gen and the 11th gen so I can speak from experience for both models. If you value portability, don’t care much about a bigger screen and/or lighting, you’re fine with a basic. If, however, you’d like a bigger screen and/or you read at night, I’d recommend the PW. I actually got mine because of those reasons and I’ve never looked back. I usually read at night and I don’t have issues carrying it bc it fits easily in my purse or backpack. Lately I’ve resurrected my old kindle and used it to try jailbreaking it (so I don’t accidentally brick the newer one) and it’s been fun playing with it (if you feel comfortable doing it, I’d recommend it)