The long-anticipated color upgrade adds a new dimension to Amazon’s Kindle lineup, appealing especially to graphic novel and comic readers.
Amazon’s Kindle, a name synonymous with e-readers for over a decade, has taken a significant step forward with the introduction of the Kindle Colorsoft. This device marks Amazon’s first color e-ink model, arriving in an era when competitor devices like the Kobo Libra Colour and Boox Go Color have begun challenging Amazon’s monochromatic dominance. Despite the entry of color, the Colorsoft retains the Kindle DNA—offering a familiar reading experience in a subtly enhanced form, but with limitations that prompt questions about its value relative to Amazon’s other models.
Priced at $280, the Kindle Colorsoft sits at the upper tier of Amazon’s e-reader lineup, slotting just above the Paperwhite Signature Edition but below the large-format Scribe. The Colorsoft brings a 7-inch display featuring Amazon’s own adaptation of E Ink’s Kaleido color filter technology, delivering muted yet vibrant color content at 150 pixels per inch (ppi) for color and 300 ppi for black-and-white text. This distinction is particularly meaningful for readers who delve into comics, graphic novels, and children’s books—segments of the market where color greatly enhances the reading experience.
Kindle Colorsoft vs. the Kindle Family
The Kindle Colorsoft follows the popular Paperwhite’s template but adds visual and technical upgrades specifically designed to optimize color content. Amazon integrated an oxide backplane, boosting brightness and contrast, and introduced custom coatings to enhance color reproduction while reducing glare. These enhancements provide a visually pleasing experience, though users accustomed to sharper black-and-white text may notice a slight fuzziness due to the screen’s lower ppi when displaying color.
Despite the color enhancement, the Colorsoft lacks some features expected at this price point. Most notably, there are no page-turn buttons or stylus support, both common in competitor models such as the Kobo Libra Colour. For users interested in note-taking or annotation, the absence of stylus support may feel like a missed opportunity, especially given the appeal of color-coded highlights and the device’s otherwise improved features. Additionally, the Colorsoft’s page-turn speed, while faster than previous generations, lags slightly with color pages—a limitation typical of current color e-ink technology but notable during long reading sessions.
The Market Context and Amazon’s Strategic Play
With over 80% of the e-reader market share, Amazon’s Kindle line defines the category. The addition of color, which many avid readers have long anticipated, finally fills a gap Amazon competitors have addressed for years. However, at $280, the Kindle Colorsoft is a premium purchase—positioned well above Amazon’s base Kindle and Paperwhite models and even above some rival e-readers with stylus and page-turn features. For instance, the Kobo Libra Colour offers a similar color experience with the addition of stylus support at a slightly lower price.
The Kindle Colorsoft serves Amazon’s niche of readers who may want more than just text but don’t require a full-color tablet. It delivers a reading experience that is easier on the eyes than a traditional tablet and offers all the benefits of Kindle’s extensive ecosystem, from Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited to a vast catalog of purchasable books. The device also includes wireless charging and customizable brightness, useful for long reading sessions or readers in varied lighting conditions.
Verdict: A Niche Yet Valuable Upgrade
Amazon’s Kindle Colorsoft is a premium e-reader, ideal for users who crave the convenience of Kindle’s ecosystem but with a dash of color for enhanced content immersion. However, at $280, it’s an investment that will likely appeal most to readers who want a single-purpose e-reader with color but without the full functionality of a tablet. With the holiday season approaching and Amazon potentially considering more aggressive pricing, the Kindle Colorsoft may just find a solid footing among Amazon’s loyal reader base looking to add a little color to their library.
