Kindle Colorsoft Reviewed: Amazon goes colorful
After years of speculation and waiting, Amazon has finally added color to its Kindle lineup with the newly announced Kindle Colorsoft. But does Amazon’s new reading device live up to the hype?
Amazon promises that the Kindle Colorsoft delivers everything Kindle fans love: razor-sharp, high-contrast text, weeks of battery life, and a glare-free display. Thanks to the E-Ink Kaleido 3 color technology already used by other brands, it’s meant to show book covers, highlights, notes, graphics, and images in a more appealing way—without disrupting the reading experience. Amazon also claims it has made further improvements to the LEDs and the light-guiding layer for an even better display.
Building on the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, the Colorsoft now offers more storage (32 GB), an auto-adjusting front light, and wireless charging. It’s also equipped with IPX8 waterproofing and an integrated front light that lets you fine-tune the color temperature.
But the big question is: Do these features—and, of course, the addition of color—actually improve the reading experience, or is it more show than substance?
Video Review (English)
Below you’ll find the review in the form of an English-language video:
7″ Color E-Ink Display
The 7-inch color display is without a doubt the heart of the Kindle Colorsoft. It uses E-Ink Kaleido 3 technology, which competitors have already been using for some time—for example in the Tolino Vision Color or PocketBook InkPad Color 3.
Library, now in color
Even the device’s name sets your expectations: Colorsoft. You could translate it as “Color-gentle”—and that’s spot-on, since gentle, soft hues are a hallmark of color E-Ink technology. In other words, don’t expect the same highly saturated, vibrant colors you get from a smartphone or tablet.
But in my opinion, that’s perfectly fine and only really matters if you have a direct side-by-side comparison. And honestly, most people only do that right after unboxing; in daily use, you get used to the more pastel look very quickly.
An LCD tablet like the iPad Mini (left) has much richer colors than the Colorsoft (right), but even so, the Kindle Colorsoft still offers a great reading experience in its own right
Here’s how it works: Just like the Kindle Paperwhite, the Colorsoft’s E-Ink display uses black and white E-Ink particles—tiny particles sealed in microcapsules that move up and down in the screen to create the paper-like reading experience E-Ink is known for.
RGB color filter under the microscope
What sets Kaleido 3 apart is the color filter placed over the E-Ink display. This filter uses semi-transparent red, green, and blue (RGB) subpixels to create color. The RGB layer is always present—it can’t be turned off—which means the screen background appears a bit darker and there’s a slight graininess (as pictured below) compared to black and white models if you don’t use the built-in front light.
Graininess and Screen Darkness
The graininess is especially noticeable if you place the Colorsoft next to a Kindle Paperwhite. The Paperwhite’s display looks extremely crisp, while the Colorsoft seems just a touch less sharp—a trait it shares with other color E-Ink competitors.
Kindle Paperwhite (left) with front light off vs. Kindle Colorsoft (right) with front light on
However, the effect is a bit less obvious here than with other brands. Other readers with Kaleido 3 tech often have a slight shimmer to the graininess, which is barely present on the Colorsoft. As a result, the Kindle’s display looks more paper-like by comparison.
This likely owes something to the new light guide layer I mentioned earlier, which is supposed to direct the light more efficiently onto the display. And it really does show here.
Resolution Differences
Because of the dual rendering approach employed with the color filter, the Colorsoft has two different resolutions. Black-and-white content is displayed at 300 ppi, just as sharp as any other Kindle. Color content, however, is rendered at a much lower 150 ppi.
The 150 ppi color resolution is almost never an issue
Although that sounds like a huge difference, in practice you barely notice it for most content. Comics, for instance, usually have black outlines—rendered at the higher resolution—which helps mask the lower-res colors. The 150 ppi is only really visible with tiny colored text, which can appear pixelated.
Amazon appears to have fine-tuned the rendering a bit, though, because in side-by-side testing, images often look better on the Colorsoft than on rival devices—especially when it comes to color gradients, which are very smooth on the Kindle but can show banding elsewhere.
Color Mode Options
One truly surprising feature of the Kindle Colorsoft is being able to switch the color mode from “Standard” to “Vivid.” It’s surprising, since neither Tolino nor PocketBook* offer such a simple toggle—even though both would benefit from it. Who would have guessed that Amazon, of all companies, would provide an extra customization option like this?
*PocketBook, unlike Amazon, doesn’t offer a quick color mode switch, but lets you fine-tune various parameters with sliders instead. While useful, it’s not as user-friendly and is only available within individual books, not system-wide.
Color mode: Standard (left) vs. Vivid (right)
Switching to “Vivid” mode does mean sacrificing a little accuracy and detail, but I suspect most people will prefer this setting since it makes the colors feel that much more lively.
Comparison with Other Devices
Compared to the Kobo Libra Colour (the same as the Tolino Vision Color), PocketBook InkPad Color 3, and Boox Tab Mini C—all with Kaleido 3 displays—the Colorsoft, InkPad and Tab Mini C come out similar in terms of color saturation (when Colorsoft is set to “Vivid” mode).
Some of the Colorsoft’s colors appear a bit darker than the others, but overall are higher in contrast—which means you see more detail in bright image areas compared to the competition. For scenes that are very dark, though, this can cause you to lose some details.
(For E-Ink) strong colors, great contrast, and the best color accuracy on the Kindle Colorsoft (in Vivid mode). Left to right: Onyx Boox Tab Mini C, PocketBook InkPad Color 3, Kindle Colorsoft, Kobo Libra Colour (Tolino Vision Color’s twin model).
In standard color mode, the Colorsoft’s color saturation is closer to that of the Kobo Libra Colour (Tolino Vision Color).
Overall, Amazon has struck a nice balance between color accuracy, contrast, and saturation, and along with the bright front light, this makes for a very pleasant color reading experience.
Note: When transferring PDFs directly via USB, colors didn’t show up on the device. Only after using the “Send-to-Kindle” feature did the files appear in color. Apparently, Amazon processes these PDFs to display color—much like how it handles handwriting with the Kindle Scribe.
New Front Light
Because the Kaleido 3 display technology is darker by nature, using the front light really isn’t optional in my opinion—not just for the Kindle Colorsoft, but on any device that uses this tech.
Without front lighting, reading indoors is often tough. Kindle Paperwhite (left) vs. Kindle Colorsoft (right)
Brightness Levels
Amazon has once again nailed it with the front lighting. The company promises a minimum brightness of 94 cd/m² for each of its new Kindle models, but my measurements hit an impressive 150 cd/m² on the Colorsoft at full blast.
Extremely bright front light—up to 150 cd/m²
This makes Amazon’s color model the brightest Kaleido 3 display so far. The combo of ultra-high brightness plus the Vivid color mode creates some seriously impressive color intensity for E-Ink. Of course, it still can’t match the richness of an LCD, but it’s getting pretty close.
Obviously, you won’t keep the front light at max all the time. One of the big perks of E-Ink is that you can mostly read using ambient light, which is easier on the eyes. Still, having the ability to crank the brightness up is a nice safety net for those occasional needs.
100% warm-orange front light setting
And you can, of course, adjust the color temperature between cool white and warm orange.
Front Light Quality
The overall quality of the front light is good, with only very minor differences in brightness across the screen.
Front light 0% warm: Hardly any irregularities, but slightly yellowish at the bottom edge.
The one area where the Colorsoft loses a few points is a noticeable yellow tinge at the bottom edge of the display. It’s not a deal-breaker—the effect only goes up to the first line of text, and the rest of the screen is very consistent. If you’re particularly sensitive to minor color shifts, though, you might find it distracting.
Update 05/11/2024: Amazon reached out today to say they’re working on a fix for the yellow hue at the bottom of the screen. Here’s their statement:
“A small number of customers have reported a yellow stripe at the bottom edge of their displays. We take product quality very seriously. Customers affected can contact our customer service for a replacement device or refund. We’re making adjustments to ensure that this issue won’t appear on new devices moving forward.”
If you’re considering a Kindle Colorsoft but have been put off by reports of the yellow stripe at the bottom of the screen, it’s worth waiting a bit for the issue to be resolved. If you already own a Colorsoft with this problem, you can keep using it until a replacement is ready (just contact customer support).
I’ll update this review as soon as there’s more news. I don’t yet know exactly when that will be, but I’m pretty confident Amazon is working hard to get this sorted out in the next few weeks—before the holiday shopping season is over.
Front light 50% warm
Front light 100% warm
Auto-Brightness
Above the display is a light sensor that automatically adjusts the front light brightness to match your environment.
Light sensor above the display
This function dims the front light when possible while maintaining comfortable readability. It works well and is genuinely convenient, but I found I tended to set the brightness manually to a brighter setting anyway—so I didn’t really end up using auto-brightness. But, the choice is yours.
Build Quality and Design
The Colorsoft sticks with the classic, much-loved Kindle design—with all its strengths and a few familiar drawbacks.
The well-known Kindle design with a flush glass front
The eReader uses the same housing as the new Kindle Paperwhite (2024), so it feels identical in hand. The plastic back is pleasantly grippy, and the flush front gives the device a modern vibe. There’s nothing to criticize about the build quality.
The rounded corners fit comfortably in your hand
Compared to the previous Paperwhite generation, the corners are even more rounded, which makes it even easier to rest the device in your palm.
While the design is overall well done, it’s a bit disappointing that Amazon left out any page-turn buttons on this new Kindle generation. That’s especially true since no one else has managed to match the perfectly tactile buttons from the recently discontinued Kindle Oasis.
Color-shimmering Amazon/Kindle logo on the back
Software Features
With the addition of color, the software suddenly looks much more inviting—no longer bland or monotonous. While simply having color book covers might not justify an upgrade on its own, they definitely make the user experience more pleasant. It’s only after switching that you realize how much you missed color on monochrome E-Ink devices.
Color makes the experience much better
Other than that, the user interface is basically unchanged. The home screen shows recommendations, and a downward swipe brings up quick settings—mainly for front light, color mode, and Bluetooth. The library still offers the usual filtering and sorting options.
Amazon has replaced the old Kindle sleep screens with brighter, more colorful ones. You can also set the book cover as your sleep image—a feature that’s been available since 2021, but now shows in color too.
Standby with book cover
Reading Features
This eReader gives you all the reading features previous Kindles offered. You can customize the text style with options for font, boldness, size, margins, and line spacing. You can also save your settings as a custom theme, letting you easily switch between reading styles.
Customizing the font
You can look up words in the built-in dictionary, search Wikipedia, or get an instant translation online.
A big advantage with every Kindle—and the Colorsoft is no exception—is how responsive it feels. Despite using E-Ink, the color eReader is fast and you don’t notice any major lag.
Quick note-taking, too
The Kindle Colorsoft also has
- a vocabulary trainer for collecting and testing looked-up words,
- X-Ray for giving you more insight into important characters and places, and
- Word Wise, which offers explanations for tricky words right on the page—a great help if you’re learning a new language or reading challenging texts. Note: this feature needs to be enabled for each title and isn’t available for every book.
You can also change the page color. Interestingly, this feature has now replaced the system-wide dark mode available on other Kindles. That means inside a book or comic, the pages and menus can be set to dark, but the rest of the interface stays light.
You can switch the page color from white to black
Worth noting: ghosting is much less pronounced with a dark page color than on most other eReaders. Ghostly traces from the previous page fade within seconds after turning the page—no need for a full refresh—making this page mode much more usable than on other brands.
Colored Notes and Highlights
One of the standout advantages of the Kindle Colorsoft over black-and-white Kindles is the ability to color-code your notes and highlights.
Text highlighting now in color
Highlighting text or creating notes works extremely well and hardly ever needs any tweaks or corrections. The device’s high responsiveness shines here as well.
You can filter notes by color in the overview
You can choose from four highlight colors in the context menu (yellow, pink, blue, and orange) for color-coded annotations—and filter them by color in the notes overview.
Comics and the Kindle Ecosystem
Color is a major plus, especially for comic lovers. The reading experience is just so much better—a quick side-by-side with the Paperwhite and Colorsoft proves it.
Kindle Paperwhite (left) in black and white vs. Kindle Colorsoft (right) in color
The Kindle Colorsoft’s greatest strength, though, is its ecosystem. About a decade ago, Amazon bought comiXology—a company that transformed digital comic reading with its “Guided View” technology.
Now, that integration means easy access to a huge comic library via the Kindle Store. Many titles are available through Kindle Unlimited (currently €11.75/month), making reading comics much cheaper than buying them individually.
Easy zooming with Guided Panel View
Guided View lets you double-tap to zoom in and swipe to jump from panel to panel—a unique feature in e-reading that makes comics feel genuinely comfortable to read, even on a moderately sized 7-inch screen.
Because this is natively built into the Colorsoft’s software, it handles ghosting much better than the Kindle app running on Android E-Ink tablets. On the Colorsoft, ghosting is barely even noticeable.
As an alternative to Guided View, you can also pinch to zoom, which also works well—but you have to reset your zoom level with every page turn. Ultimately, the comiXology panel method is far more comfortable for comics.
Audible Audiobook Support
As with the rest of the Kindle family, the Colorsoft supports audiobooks through Audible. There’s still no way to use audiobooks from other providers, but the Audible integration itself is smooth and easy to use.
Audible audiobook support with an external Bluetooth speaker
Audio playback isn’t possible directly on the device—as the Kindle Colorsoft does not have built-in speakers. Instead, you need Bluetooth headphones or a speaker. That worked seamlessly and reliably in my tests.
A very handy Audible feature is Whispersync for Voice, which lets you switch seamlessly between the ebook and its audiobook (you need to own both). Syncing works perfectly and is great if you want to keep reading even when you can’t look at the screen.
Battery Life
Amazon promises battery life of eight weeks based on 30 minutes of reading a day, airplane mode enabled, and brightness at 13—that’s about 28 hours of actual runtime, which is pretty solid.
Kindle Colorsoft passes the battery test
Personally, I prefer a brighter front light, so I adjusted my test setup a bit: with a front light set to about 45 cd/m² (level 19 of 24) and a page turn every 15 seconds, the battery dropped by about 4% per hour, which works out to roughly 25 hours of use. That’s still a very good result—not far behind the Paperwhite.
The Colorsoft also supports wireless charging—a handy, comfortable option that helps make up for its slightly lower battery life compared to the Paperwhite.
Conclusion
So, is the Kindle Colorsoft worth the money? That really depends on your needs and what you expect out of your eReader.
With its new 7-inch color E-Ink display, the Kindle Colorsoft is an excellent choice for comic fans and anyone who takes a lot of notes. It now lets you highlight and organize notes by color—a real improvement.
But especially for comics, the Kindle Colorsoft is outstanding—not just because of the color on the device, but mainly due to its seamless comiXology integration.
The Kindle ecosystem really shines here, offering easy (and often affordable) access to a massive library of comics. With the Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can read countless comics (and ebooks) that could cost far more if bought individually.
Easy and affordable access to countless comics thanks to the massive Kindle ecosystem and comiXology integration
Still, it should be mentioned that there is a definite “lock-in” effect—the Kindle ecosystem makes purchasing primarily through Amazon the easiest route, and getting other content on the device (or moving content to non-Kindle readers) is trickier.
Besides the ecosystem, though, the Colorsoft itself is simply better for comics than the monochrome Paperwhite.
Even if the colors are pastel rather than the super-saturated hues you get from tablets and smartphones, it’s still a major plus. And once you stop directly comparing the Colorsoft to an iPad or similar device, the softer colors feel perfectly fine.
Of course, this addition of color does come with a trade-off: without cranking up the front light, the display is noticeably dimmer—a limitation of all color eReaders with E-Ink Kaleido 3 technology.
If you only read plain text ebooks and don’t need comics or annotations, the Paperwhite is still the better choice. That’s probably why Amazon didn’t discontinue the Paperwhite when the Colorsoft debuted.
That said, the dimmer screen is easy to fix by turning up the front light a bit. In day-to-day use, a quick tweak to the lighting will give you a reading experience just as comfortable as with the Paperwhite.
Color improves the user experience overall
So, is the Colorsoft worth it? Yes and no.
If you frequently highlight or annotate books, or love reading comics, then it’s a resounding yes—the eReader is a fantastic choice. Especially for comics, it’s hard to beat in this size class thanks to the “Guided Panel View” available on so many comiXology titles.
But if you only ever read plain text books, the Kindle Paperwhite (Signature Edition) is still your best bet. Color book covers in the library are nice, but in my opinion, they alone aren’t enough reason to switch—at least not yet.
All in all, the Colorsoft makes for a strong color Kindle debut. Amazon definitely took its time, but as the saying goes: Good things come to those who wait. And with such solid hardware and the dependable Kindle software, the wait has certainly paid off.
