Amazon Kindle UK pricing pegged at £89

UPDATED: Amazon UK has issued a statement, which has been included

Amazon has announced that the cheapest ever Kindle will be coming to the UK for the not insignificant price of £89.

Sounds like a good deal, until you register that the US's cheapest Kindle is $79 – a straight conversion of which is approximately £50.

We've asked Amazon to clarify why we have to pay so much more; it looks as though the reason is that the $79 Kindle is an ad-supported ereader, so you save on the cover price but you have to put up with adverts. That's not an option here in the UK.

A spokesperson told TechRadar: "Operating costs differ by country, but as with all products on Amazon, we work hard to offer customers the lowest possible prices.

"Regarding pricing, I would also like to clarify that the $79 Kindle includes special offers in the US...Special offers are not currently available in the UK."

Wallets taking a hit

So the more accurate equivalent Kindle in the US is the $109 basic model without ad support - that translates to £69. Factor in 20 per cent VAT and you are getting much closer to parity.

The new Kindle UK release date was also revealed – if you want to shell out that £89, you can pre-order the ereader today, for delivery on 12 October.

This nets you a QWERTY-less Kindle with Wi-Fi connectivity, which weighs in at a crazily light 170g.

Amazon also announced a tablet, the Kindle Fire, and two Kindle Touch touchscreen e-readers, no word yet on a UK release date or pricing for these slates.