An almost-perfect Kindle? Why the Colorsoft left me torn

The Kindle Colorsoft hasn’t had the best launch. Final yr, Amazon made headlines when it introduced its first shade E Ink pill, with early appears to be like on the system promising vibrant shade for graphic novel readers, all inside that acquainted Kindle interface that we’ve grown to love.

Nevertheless, upon launch, issues shortly went haywire, with reviews surfacing that many items had a noticeable yellow strip on the backside that would not go away regardless of what number of instances the system was refreshed or reset. After pulling the system from their web site and providing an untold variety of refunds and apologies, Amazon quietly fixed the issue, which was reportedly attributable to glue, and really subtly re-launched the Colorsoft, hoping that this preliminary blunder would quickly be forgotten.

After a number of months, I lastly acquired my palms on the Kindle Colorsoft, and now that the yellow strip situation is nicely and actually gone, this e-reader is a straightforward advice for comedian and graphic novel fans. For everybody else although, there is a bit extra to think about from the colourful Colorsoft.

Advisable

Kindle Colorsoft

Amazon’s first-ever Kindle e-reader with a 7-inch shade E Ink show, excellent for studying magazines, comedian books or graphic novels.

Execs & Cons

• Vibrant shade E Ink show is straightforward to learn
• Auto-adjusting entrance mild sensor works nicely
• Wonderful battery life, even with shade

• Costly
• Does not include a wi-fi charger
• Slower web page turns

See our course of

How we test and review products at Pocket-lint

We do not do arm-chair analysis. We purchase and take a look at our personal merchandise, and we solely publish purchaser’s guides with merchandise we have really reviewed.

Value, availability and specs

The Kindle Colorsoft is undoubtedly the brand new “ultra-premium” Kindle mannequin, changing the fan-favorite Oasis because the mannequin above the Paperwhite. And the worth actually displays this standing, as it’s presently the most costly (non-Scribe) Kindle, costing an eye-watering $280, nearly double the worth of the usual Kindle Paperwhite.

After all, the important thing improve customers get for this value is the colour E Ink display screen, however the Kindle Colorsoft additionally boasts a barely larger body housing the identical 7-inch display screen, in addition to a battery able to eight weeks of life (based mostly on half-hour of each day utilization) which Amazon says is similar regardless of whether or not the colour operate is getting used or not.

All Colorsoft items include 32GB of onboard storage (sufficient for a couple of hundred books) and are additionally ad-free by default, which means customers do not must pay further to take away Amazon’s lock display screen “options,” and customers can get pleasure from shade e-book covers, or considered one of Amazon’s premium shade screensavers when not actively studying.

Associated

4 Kindle secrets I use to get books for cheap or free

You may bulk up your Kindle book library with out promoting a kidney within the course of – listed below are a number of the greatest lesser-known strategies.

What I preferred in regards to the Kindle Colorsoft

A vibrant world of shade

As somebody who steadily reads manga, graphic novels, and comics, I used to be fairly excited when the Kindle Colorsoft was introduced. Although there are a couple of different E Ink shade e-readers on the market, I used to be curious to see how Kindle, which has change into roughly synonymous with e-reading within the US, would deal with this new characteristic.

I downloaded Moon Knight within the Evening (2014) and Hellboy Wake the Satan (1994), two comics that I really personal laborious copies of, to check out the colour operate. And although the E Ink would not precisely mirror the pages of the books completely, it is vibrant and encompasses a very excessive distinction that helps to seize the temper and tone of those two, very darkish volumes.

This was helped by the Colorsoft’s vivid shade mode, which will increase the depth of colours in less-saturated imagery. In accordance with Amazon, this mode would not produce any further pressure on battery life, so I discovered myself simply leaving it on because it made no matter I used to be studying look higher, immediately.

Web page turns have been fast, although speedy comics readers might want to get used to a small pause whereas the display screen does a full refresh throughout every flip. Customers additionally may additionally discover a bit pause in the event that they use the zoom and pan features to see sure panels up shut, because the show switches to a decrease decision whereas adjusting the picture, after which will reload the picture in its highest decision as soon as completed. The impact is fairly fast, and although it would really feel annoying the primary few instances a person turns the web page, I discovered myself quickly getting used to it as I paged by means of acquainted volumes, at the same time as I zoomed and swiped by means of completely different panels.

After I converted from comics to studying a daily text-based e-book, I discovered the expertise to be just about the identical as studying on a Kindle Paperwhite, with speedy web page activates the unit’s brilliant, 7-inch display screen. The auto-adjusting entrance sensor (which may also be discovered on the Paperwhite) makes studying nearly wherever really feel easy, and I discovered the Colorsoft duplicated this expertise precisely. The one actual enchancment that the Colorsoft brings to the desk over the Paperwhite is the flexibility to focus on in shade, which is nifty, however wasn’t a characteristic I used a lot in observe.

Associated

Amazon’s latest Kindle tweak is also a crackdown on DRM-free ebooks

Eradicating Obtain & Switch through USB ends assist for some older Kindles, but it surely additionally makes it a lot more durable to take away the DRM from ebooks.

What I did not like in regards to the Kindle Colorsoft

The premium value could also be laborious to justify

As talked about beforehand, the Kindle Colorsoft is not low-cost. At $280 it’s the most costly Kindle for studying solely, and for a value that’s almost double that of the Paperwhite, customers aren’t really getting that many new options, apart from the flexibility to see comics and graphic novels in shade. And sadly, due to its shade E Ink display screen, the Colorsoft really loses the darkish mode characteristic, which is a little bit of a bummer.

It will have been good for the Colorsoft to incorporate some further options to assist justify its premium value level. A number of Reddit customers on the unofficial Kindle Subreddit have bemoaned the lack of bodily page-turning buttons (like those who have been included within the erstwhile Oasis mannequin) or the addition of a wi-fi charger in order that customers may reap the benefits of the Colorsoft’s wi-fi charging characteristic out of the field.

Such inclusions might need helped this unit really feel extra like a premium-level Kindle as a substitute of simply an costly Kindle with shade, and will even have made this a extra interesting selection for readers who do not essentially learn graphic novels or comics.

Associated

One of Kindle’s most useful features was just discontinued for no real reason

Kindle customers on Reddit are reporting receiving a warning message from Amazon a few characteristic going away quickly.

Must you purchase the Kindle Colorsoft?

All of it is dependent upon what you learn

Let’s get this out of the way in which. In the event you solely learn text-based books, the Kindle Colorsoft is an pointless improve. Although seeing shade covers is neat, it is not value nearly double the worth of the Kindle Paperwhite, which itself supplies a premium-feeling studying expertise. The excessive value is a giant issue for these contemplating an improve to this latest member of the Kindle household, and if you happen to do not learn comics or graphic novels, you merely don’t want this unit.

Nevertheless, in case you are a graphic novel fanatic, and even only a informal comedian reader, the Kindle Colorsoft is certainly value a glance. The premium really feel of the unit and the vivid shade E Ink show make studying on this unit a breeze and switching between image-based media and common novels makes this an awesome all-in-one system for the fixed reader.

Advisable

Kindle Colorsoft

Associated

This Kindle-like E Ink smartphone could blow Boox’s Palma away

The Bigme Hibreak Professional is an E Ink price range smartphone that appears to present the Boox Palma 2 a run for its cash.