derek87 :
thanks for your prompt reply. my 3rd gen paperhite i'm almost 100% certain has 4 lights. The Voyage, i think has 6, and my first generation Oasis has 10, while the 2nd generation has 12.
i would love to hear if they improved on the low light issues with the front lighting. i've long been disappointed on the unit-to-unit variation in quality from the units i've received (returned several) and compared against (friends). some can be quite good, and some are quite bad at least in the challenging situation for which i read (in bed with the light out and trying not to disturb my wife)
Thank you again for your question.
I've updated the review per my findings, which I'll explain here:
1. Yes, the 2015 Paperwhite had 4 LEDs, not 5.
2. In pitch-dark lighting, the 2018 Paperwhite's lighting, when set between 5 and 8 notches of backlighting, is more even, with no cones, than the 2015 Paperwhite's, at those same brightness settings.
3. Also, at 1 notch of brightness the 2018 Paperwhite's brightness is still even, and slightly brighter than the 2015 model at 5 notches.