Amazon Kindle Colorsoft is the e-reader I've been waiting for

A splash of color opens up new possibilities for Amazon's Kindle

(Credit: Amazon)

• 🙏 The Kindle Colorsoft feels like a long time coming

• 😍 It’s Amazon’s first color Kindle, and it’s an exciting proposition

• ✍️ The new display will bring book covers to life and make annotating easier

• 😁 However, it’s the transformative effect on graphic novels that’s really exciting

Amazon’s first color Kindle, the Kindle Colorsoft, is something customers have been crying out for. I’ve been waiting patiently to replace my aging Kindle Paperwhite, but never felt the need until Amazon could offer something truly compelling. The Kindle Colorsoft achieves that goal.

The Kindle Colorsoft is an exciting step forward for Amazon’s e-reader. It retains the best elements that have helped establish the Kindle as the market leader but opens up a world of new possibilities, primarily graphic novels.

I’ve dabbled with graphic novels in the past. But in a digital age, where my living space is at a premium and the thought of packing a bulky A4-sized book into a backpack feels plain wrong, the Kindle Colorsoft could be the perfect gateway to a new hobby.

Hopefully, the experience won’t be dampened by how the Kindle navigates through each page and comic book-style panel. The Verge reported that the screen flashes (refreshes) whenever you load a new page, which could get annoying fast. Zooming in also caused images to pixelate for a few moments before returning to normal.

However, even though the Kindle Colorsoft’s 7-inch E Ink screen can’t compete with an iPad’s crystal-clear retina display, the paper-like quality is the real highlight. I’ve tried reading on my iPhone and tablets, and unless you’re doing so in the middle of the day, it’s an unpleasant experience unless you enjoy eye strain.

(Credit: Amazon)

It isn’t just graphic novels that will come alive on the Kindle Colorsoft, though. You can markup and highlight text in various colors, enjoy beautiful, inviting book covers when browsing your library or the store, and it lasts eight weeks on a single charge. The color display is far more appealing than the Kindle Scribe’s notepad-like focus.

Of course, the Kindle Colorsoft isn’t the first color e-reader to hit the market – Kobo’s Clara Color and Remarkable beat Amazon to the punch. But this is the Kindle that so many have wanted, and it seems like Amazon has waited until it’s just right to release it instead of caving to the competition.

Rest assured, when the next Amazon Prime Day event rolls around, the Kindle Colorsoft will be at the top of my shopping list; I suspect it will be at the top of many others as well.

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Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.