Kindle Colorsoft Review: The E-Reader You Want but Maybe Can't Afford

[@CNET]

Read the review on CNET.com: Kindle Colorsoft Review: Color Is a Treat, Price Is Tricky cnet.us/qdx

[@afrothundar]

Actually impressed with the color screen

[@joseppebatman]

I bought it. It’s expensive but I can make up for it by using Libby, plus I don’t drink or smoke or anything so I feel it’s a justified splurge. Especially because you can finally enjoy beautiful book covers 🎉

[@steveguyman]

good purchase, king

[@jire9831]

This is the way

[@steveguyman]

my Colorsoft arrives tomorrow and i'm soooo excited

[@GalaxyFur]

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is arguably Amazon's most "flagship" E-Reader, even surpassing the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, in my opinion. Here why. While the Colorsoft does gain color over the Signature Edition, that's all it has. The Colorsoft is just a Signature Edition with color and nothing else. However, the black-and-white Signature Edition does have better battery life than the Colorsoft. It also has even better screen brightness, contrast ratios, and sharper text than the Colorsoft. Even if Colorsoft displays black-and-white text at 300 PPI, it's still not as sharp or crisp due to the RGB filter that helps it create color compared to the black-and-white Signature Edition. The black-and-white Signature Edition is still faster than the Colorsoft. This is because rendering color requires a bit more CPU processing time. (Hence, the black-and-white Signature Edition's battery life isn't quite as good.) This is also why Amazon's website doesn't advertise Colorsoft as their fastest Kindle. That is only for the Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition. The other downside is that the Signature Edition costs $199.99 for the black-and-white unit, while the Colorsoft Signature Edition is $279.99. Also, the black-and-white Signature Edition is available in colors besides black, like the Colorsoft. I get that the color might make sense for those who read a lot of comics. But otherwise, the display isn't going to be as crisp, vibrant, or sharp as the regular Kindles. This is why the regular black-and-white Signature Edition is the true flagship of the lineup. It may not have color, but in every other way, it's more refined than the Colorsoft version. I'm not bashing Colorsoft, either. I think it's great to be able to read comics in color instead of black and white. But once you get past the color aspect, the comic text will still look sharper on regular Kindles, as will all text. The light emitted on the black-and-white Kindles is a bit nicer and more white, like real paper. But ultimately, the Kindle Colorsoft does have a nice color screen that may appeal to some folks. Plus, it is a small step above the Kobo devices in terms of their color displays and overall picture quality. So, if you want color, go for it. Just note that there are minor visual trade-offs regarding visual text, brightness, and battery life compared to the other Signature Edition model. 🙂

[@trubadyr99]

If only there were schools offering their entire courses in e-book format! This would revolutionize the study process and boost sales of such e-readers. I remember carrying a super-heavy backpack to my nursing school classes and their prerequisites: it was unbelievably, murderously heavy!

[@TGRRAG01]

This was a very objective and clear review. Thanks for presenting it for what it is so folks like me (11th gen Paperwhite owners) can figure out if it’s worth the upgrade. Think I’ll wait for Black Friday and see what happens as it’s too expensive for now. Why would I want to pay for wireless charging for something that lasts for months? Seems like an odd choice that unnecessarily drove up the price,

[@Shiveria]

I bought the 12th gen paperwhite and i love it

[@sharondavidson7412]

Do you think they'll have a deal for something so new? One thing I learned is that it doesn't have ads.

[@TGRRAG01]

@@sharondavidson7412 no ads is a must have for me, but you can get that on a base Paperwhite for about $100 less. Since it’s Amazon, it seems likely they’ll have a deal at Black Friday…but you raise a good point that’s new. Guess we’ll see.

[@spottycrocs8270]

Think they could have priced this just slightly lower.

[@GTYellowJacket9]

It'll be on sale multiple times per year like every other Kindle

[@TBHJR]

Considering it’s not as bright or crisp as the Paperwhite or as quick to turn pages with the color pages, I’m gonna wait until the next version.

[@ethanpowell3203]

Like other Kindle users, I’ve been waiting for this for years! Preordered.

[@GBM6988]

I just ordered it tonight I can't wait til Saturday to get it.

[@seventeencents]

Most reviews of the Colorsoft I’ve seen so far are sure to mention and demonstrate how much dimmer/grayer the display is than the Paperwhite when the front light is off. Which feels like a significant negative when you consider the battery life will likely fare worse than even the claimed battery life simply because of the higher propensity to leave the front light cranked.

[@GalaxyFur]

This is true. Its battery life takes a double hit because it requires a bit more CPU to render color (also slowing the device down slightly compared to the black-and-white Signature Edition), hence eating away at battery life and giving it its initial advertised lower battery life vs. the other Paperwhite units. But it will be even worse since the color displays are a bit darker and aren't quite as sharp or crisp. Most people will end up cranking up the brightness more than usual compared to the Paperwhite models, resulting in even worse battery life. But you have to be willing to make that trade-off if you want color on an e-reader.

[@Rockinandwatchin]

I don't think Amazon realizes it but they would have hit the jackpot with a color Oasis. People have been complaining about that button on the bottom forever. Can anybody tell me how do we get Kindle developers to listen to us?

[@flavio6325]

They know that that button is more of a hindrance than a help. A button in capital letters turns the device on and off unnecessarily. The button should be in lower case, slightly hidden, so that it doesn't turn off by accident when we leave the Kindle standing upright, leaning against something. But Amazon would rather not have my money. Okay, I don't care about that either.

[@alialmurtada]

I like this guy’s delivery! Thanks for the info!

[@davidcarnoy961]

Thanks for watching!

[@jayvansickle7607]

I think that Amazon probably prices their Kindles with the Trade-In promotion in mind. If that wasn't an option, they'd probably be a little cheaper.

[@steveguyman]

i went to see the return refund for my old kindle (newest model) and they'd give me a whopping $25 for it. i'm just giving it to a family member instead because that's ridiculous.

[@jayvansickle7607]

@ Yeah…because you get the 20% on top of that

[@AryaStarky]

We need a real Oasis/Voyage successor, the colorsoft is for a different audience. Hardcore readers want a premium b&w device.

[@texaslonestar1514]

Yes! I'm getting this for my son because his books have color. Me on the other hand, I'm in love with my paperwhite. Wish it was smaller like the boox palma. Only grip about it.

[@jasonswitzer1748]

The Colorsoft looks cool, but it’s Gen 1. I’ll wait until it has 300 ppi, and faster/smoother scrolling. Also, not having physical buttons really is a bummer. I hate holding a Kindle where my thumb covers the screen. Too easy to accidentally change pages back and forth. Also, will Amazon allow Marvel Comics Unlimited on the Kindle? That’s one subscription I actually don’t mind.

[@MineMineMineMineMineMineMine]

I ordered it, though it won't arrive until next Tuesday so I have almost a week to wait still. I love reading comics/mangas, along with regular text books, so being able to read the comics in color is exciting. Yes I could just read them on my phone or a tablet, but I like the idea of eink for less eye strain.

[@Pierrue]

This is best for comic readers who don’t care for note taking or the other stuff that comes with other kindles. If you only read novels or manga you could just stick with other kindles. I read manga and color comics so this helps me have them both in digital format in one place rather than me buying physical copies of comics separately. Plus I’m already integrated in Amazon’s ecosystem so it’s another reason I pre-ordered the colorsoft. If you’re not integrated, maybe the Kobo Color would be best but I don’t know much about it.

[@aliengoboom-t9k]

Yeah, it's got a really specific niche. I'm looking at it because I like history. Colored maps and different highlights would be so helpful. While I do like mangas, I'm not going to bother. They're mostly black and white anyway.

[@Septymus]

I'm so glad I didn't buy Kobo. My Colorsoft is arriving in a few days! 🥳

[@hiyaworld2170]

i never used coloured one , but i feel nothing beat the black and white , i am very happy with the 7th kindle paperwhite it has everything i need

[@Chovieisin08]

how is it $280 US and then £280 UK GBP... amazon ripping us islanders off again!

[@GalaxyFur]

Generally, electronics in the UK are much more expensive than in the United States. Plus, the UK often gets new electronics and features later than the U.S. market. Even after sales tax, I would only pay $295.39 for Colorsoft, where I live. You are paying $67.21 more for it than I would have to.

[@PaniaPania-c8v]

I didn’t like the Kobo Color there was not enough contrast and the ghosting was bad. No auto brightness or wireless charging. It was cute and the stylus and buttons were cool. But I ended up returning it since the actual reading experience was not good

[@eiralunaris]

there's always going to be ghosting on this type of display since e-ink works differently. You can just quickly power cycle the device and the ghosting "resets".

[@_Matt_handle_taken_]

No mention of how it’s notably darker than a PW with no backlight on, mentioned in other reviews. This is what killed the Kobo Libra Colour for me, leading me to return it. You almost always need a bit of backlight when reading text. Dealbreaker for me, the biggest selling point of e-ink is that I can usually use it with zero backlight, like a book, easier and better for the eyes. Of course a backlight is essential, and I use it when necessary, but an e-ink display that almost always needs a bit of backlight is a significant drawback in my opinion.

[@eiralunaris]

That "slightly darker" look is due to the color filter on top of the display on the colored e-readers. It's unfortunately an expected thing to see in color e-ink readers. That might be why it wasn't mentioned.

[@_Matt_handle_taken_]

Yes. I know, like you say, it’s due to that layer. I think it’s worth mentioning in a review though. I was aware of it prior to getting the Libra Color but was disappointed how much darker it was. The Colorsoft does appear slightly better than the Kobo in this regard, judging from videos anyway. Not a big deal for a lot of people though I’m sure, it’s just I do like to read without backlight altogether ideally.

[@marioa.hernandezcatin4036]

I agree with you. And all the reviews are made with full bright screen when the important is to see how the kindle screen looks with the least backlight possible and the light of the room where we are. I returned kobo libra color, too. Anyway I want to give the kindle a try with some fear 😢

[@_Matt_handle_taken_]

Plus, at 2:03 he says when reading B&W the Colorsoft is no different to a PW when it clearly is. Other videos show how the Colorsoft is slightly grainer too. The grain wouldn’t bother me I don’t think, but details are everything and I found the review a bit lacking. Chalid Raqami channel has a much more thorough review that covers these things.

[@bigl4201]

@@_Matt_handle_taken_ so do your own review. My God you're miserable.

[@BrianHartman]

I have a birthday coming up, and I went with the Kobo Libra Colour. To me, the Colorsoft is overpriced, for what it is. For less than the price of the Colorsoft, you can get the Kobo Libra Colour *and* a stylus. (Compatible styluses are as little as $20, because it'll work with any Microsoft Surface-compatible stylus.) For the slight improvement in color (which you could definitely see in the video), I don't think it's worth it for me. I would find the note-taking more useful than the color. I intend to use the color screen for comics, newspapers, and magazines, and the Kobo will do that fine.

[@tonybowen455]

Such a solid review, ty!

[@UAL320]

The Kindle hardware used to be loss leaders to get you into the ecosystem, Amazon appears to be now pricing them to make a profit.

[@rustlesee]

01:42 who agreed on this clip? Man’s hand holding it on the left, women’s manipulating on the right.

[@zulemy8149]

😂

[@AlekVS]

As a kindle manga reader I would be paying to see covers in color

[@christianbearden28]

I can’t afford it with no problem, but I don’t want it at all. If it was a color Scribe, then I would pay.

[@myv6mustang]

Where are you getting comics for this Amazon?

[@cooluser23]

What I want is a Boox Air4C but with a Gallery 3 screen.

[@MrBoJangles]

Color Oasis would’ve been better.

[@jviani]

3:37 maybe I’ll wait for the Kindle Colorful in a few years

[@BrianBBBB]

Kindle ColorHard

[@DimasFajar-ns4vb]

peace be upon you sir from me from java programming language

[@dbreardon]

I have a circa 2019 Oasis and really like it. I do like the physical buttons but I've used an older Kindle with just touchscreen and that's fine with me too. My battery is starting to drain a bit quicker on the Oasis so may opt for the PaperWhite. I like color but I read fiction without pictures for the most part and never read comics so not sure color would benefit me.

[@gsogymrat]

My 2019 Oasis battery lasts less than a week now.

[@dbreardon]

@@gsogymrat Yeah, if I read a lot the power drops faster than it used to.

[@velnntine]

thank you so much ‼️

[@NhiepKen]

2:02 NO DIFFERENT between colorsoft and Paperwhite in reading black and white text????????????? Unsubscribe this channel I have to....

[@edmondaggabao]

maybe?

[@londonzhou418]

so the colorsoft is 150ppi in color display, is it still 300ppi when you read in black and white or just 150ppi on the whole?

[@MrKlawUK]

the black and white parts are still 300dpi so eg outlines in comics would be higher resolution (which can work well if the colour is mainly block fills)

[@mehrdadhg]

@@MrKlawUK That is not correct even though the reviewer mentioned it in the video. If you do more research and watch other videos they say that both color and black and white are 150 dpi unfortunately

[@caribmi6247]

Yes its still 300 ppi when using black and white. Its says so on the site

[@RevanParker]

Lmao the reMarkable add before the vid started

[@BrianHall-Oklahoma]

They still don't have good color. The color looks washed out and the technology they are using negatively affects the black and white mode. Not worth it yet. If you want color, the Fire 8 tablet is much better for $99. The only disadvantage is needing to charge it more often.

[@dakotahjadee]

Great review!!

[@enginerunsable]

looks nice

[@jcasstudio]

Tbh there are only a few moments that the colour can be applied

[@alistairsmith2396]

I see no benefit outside of comics?

[@NhiepKen]

@@alistairsmith2396 and comics size are nearly A4 so this one too small for that purpose too. No point of having it

[@johnosam4681]

Just waiting for an oled ipad mini

[@Rkuuyam]

Does it have auto rotate?

[@donovyegg1]

Very nice!

[@daytrippera]

I still use my iPad Mini Gen 1 for reading. Until that dies, I won't be buying one.

[@saminnippon]

btw amazon is cracking down on sideloading files so

[@djYuz]

It seems like you can still use software like Calibre to transfer files but the switch to a different USB transfer mode makes it much harder to drag and drop files like before. Send-to-Kindle doesn't seem to have changed from what I've experienced and heard. If anybody doesn't know what that means, you're probably not going to be affected or care. But otherwise, it seems like the Kobo devices still offer the most open environment for sideloading lots of content from a variety of ebook stores.

[@AryaStarky]

Send to kindle works great and i don’t see them getting rid of it.

[@Chovieisin08]

@saminnippon no they aint.

[@Sar1386]

This is the first time I’ve heard someone say the kindle coloursoft is better visually than the kobo colour. Even in this comparison u can see the kobo appears to have a better display in regards to the colour, contrast ect..

[@GalaxyFur]

Cnet isn't the only one. The Kindle Colorsoft actually does have a nicer display. Amazon made some refinements that the Kobo devices lack in their color displays. "Chalid Raqami" on KZbin did a much further tech breakdown analysis and compared the Kobo and Kindle Colorsoft displays in detail. The difference was noticeable, with the Colorsoft's new enhancements helping it shine above the Kobo. This is expected, though, since Amazon's new Colorsoft is newer and because Amazon has bottomless pockets to throw a bit more cash at R&D.

[@charrio2]

Too expensive! My Scribe has more features ...this one is just color.

[@KevlarCondom]

Why does this just sound like a negative against Jeff Bezos more than a product review.... I've had mine for 3 weeks... Buy it for comics and Manga. You own a phone if you want full color.

[@dennisrogers6786]

Boox has better colour than both of these

[@ronp3000]

I definitely do look forward to seeing some Boox and Kindle ColorSoft comparisons. I absolutely love my Kindles, but I do like the option to have the freedom to use other apps on my reading devices too.

[@GerryMinetos]

Very v1.0-beta product with poor color and unbelievably no reviewer criticism of the buggy flashing redraw that happens. This product should be slammed in reviews instead of praised, ugh. 😠

[@iheuzio]

looks worse than a 1980s computer screen

[@kevinwalsh9704]

I don’t understand reading comics on a kindle. Like watching a movie in 720p. If you’re going to read a digital comic and you want it in color, read it on a tablet.

[@AryaStarky]

Much easier on eyes.

[@kevinwalsh9704]

The trade off of everything being so muted isn’t worth it to me. Love reading books on an e ink display but the colors of comics pop in real life. They def don’t on a kobo color or this.

[@AryaStarky]

@@kevinwalsh9704 To me this is also about accessibility. Many people get migraines from lcd screens and reading on color eink would be much better. Its like colored newspaper or older comics, muted but still good. You're just not the audience and thats okay.

[@kellywalsh64]

The kobo is smoother has less flashing with page refresh

[@GalaxyFur]

Most reviewers on KZbin, and in my experience, Kobo's seem slower. But everyone is entitled to their opinion. 🤷

[@joelnehl]

Not buying anything from amazon after bezos washington post failure.

[@andressalasaguilar4896]

Yeah yeah, he's crying bc you won't buy on Amazon

[@tfr6398]

For less than $250, you can purchase a new iPad. While its battery life may not last as long as kindle, it offers a wider range of applications. etc

[@natebridge1663]

that's a totally different thing though lol. ipads don't have e-ink screens which are the main appeal of basic e-readers like this. sure you can still read books on an ipad but it's a totally different/better experience to read them on a kindle. this one is def overpriced though

[@stellarVoid123]

IKR! For $250 you can buy like 2 pairs of ray bans

[@tfr6398]

@ Reading on ipad is a much better experience. I chose ipad, you choose kindle. I'll do a lot more on the iPad, you won't

[@significantone]

@@tfr6398 if you are 12 and don't care about your eyesight, then yes, the iPad is a much better experience.

[@mimicallsit7675]

@@tfr6398 that's the point, for those of us with severe migraines, reading on an iPad is not an option. That's why we buy e-readers. So this is helpful is we are considering saving for it.

[@williamquintana2097]

@cnet Is the Colorsoft Signature edition ad- free?

[@davidcarnoy961]

I’m NOT seeing ads and there’s no option to pay more to have them removed, so it appears to be ad-free. Amazon still pushes e-book recommendations to you, though. But I’m not seeing ads on lock/sleep screen.

[@williamquintana2097]

@@davidcarnoy961Nice,thanks for the response.I can’t wait to have one!!

[@jasonlaws2374]

Yes all signature editions are ad free