The Kindle Colorsoft, Amazon’s first color E Ink e-reader, is priced at $280 (£270 or around AU$530), making it a costly choice. With Amazon releasing two other new e-readers – the entry-level Kindle ($110, £95, AU$199) and the new Kindle Paperwhite ($160, £160) – the question arises: does color enhance the Kindle reading experience significantly, and is it worth the investment? The answer depends on how you utilize your Kindle.
The Colorsoft, considered the new luxury Kindle, caters to readers of e-comics and content with color images and graphics. However, it targets the same audience that bought the now-discontinued Oasis due to its high price tag upon release. The Colorsoft and new Paperwhite share similar chassis and weight, with both devices fully waterproof and featuring 7-inch screens.
While the Paperwhite boasts a 300 ppi monochrome display, the Colorsoft is equipped with a 150 ppi color filter. The Colorsoft highlights color content, allowing for a more engaging experience with comic books, graphic novels, and images. Additionally, users can highlight text in different colors.
In terms of performance, the Colorsoft mirrors the Paperwhite with faster page turns but has a slightly shorter battery life of eight weeks compared to the Paperwhite’s 12 weeks. The Colorsoft, designed for Kindle power users, lacks physical page-turn buttons but offers a more premium look with a color screen.
Compared to Kobo’s Libra Colour e-reader, the Colorsoft exhibits better contrast and more saturated colors. While both devices offer similar pinch-and-zoom functionalities, the Colorsoft performs slightly smoother. The Libra Colour, priced at $220, includes physical page turn buttons and stylus support with an additional accessory cost.
Ultimately, the Colorsoft caters to users invested in Amazon’s e-book ecosystem and seeking a premium color E Ink e-reader experience. While other color e-readers exist, Amazon’s Colorsoft stands out for its utilization of existing E Ink color technology. Though priced at $280 initially, similar to the Oasis, it may eventually go on sale like other Kindle models, offering trade-in discounts for older Kindles.