It was solely a matter of time earlier than Amazon revealed its first colour e-ink Kindle. In any case, colour e-ink expertise has been within the works for years, with colour e-readers from smaller producers hitting the market since 2021. In actual fact, earlier this yr, Kobo, one of many main gamers within the e-reader house, jumped on the bandwagon with its colour e-ink lineup, together with the Kobo Clara and Kobo Libra Shade.
Amazon is late to the colour e-ink celebration, however the Kindle Colorsoft leaves a lot to be desired.
As a self-proclaimed Kindle fanatic who owns each technology of Amazon’s flagship e-readers, I’ve been eagerly ready for the day Amazon would unveil its imaginative and prescient for the way forward for e-readers. However now that it’s right here with the launch of the Kindle Colorsoft, I’m not dashing to improve. Right here’s why.
Lack of helpful options
One of many greatest attracts of a Kindle has all the time been its single-minded give attention to studying. Regardless of proudly owning a number of iPads and Android tablets, I’ve all the time appreciated the Kindle’s distraction-free, “just-works” expertise. A colour e-ink reader presents the potential to broaden these experiences, however Amazon hasn’t demonstrated any compelling purpose to take action.
There is no compelling characteristic addition to the Kindle Colorsoft. No, fairly wallpapers do not justify the extra value.
Whereas I haven’t had hands-on expertise with the Colorsoft but, early impressions counsel its colour capabilities are restricted to a full-color book library, wallpapers, and color-coded highlights. That’s not almost sufficient to make me improve from my beloved Kindle Oasis. Options like a digital pocket book or a color-coded digital post-it system for organizing notes from books would have been game-changers — options already obtainable on options just like the Kobo Libra Shade and Kobo Clara Shade. However, that’s not right here but.
Low-resolution colour show
One of many important promoting factors of colour e-readers is the power to get pleasure from full-color comedian books the best way they’re meant to be seen. Nonetheless, there’s a trade-off with the present crop of Kaleido 3 screens: the show decision drops in half when displaying colour. A decision of 150 ppi isn’t ultimate for studying textual content comfortably. Belief me, I’ve tried studying manga on a 300 ppi monochrome e-reader, and even that requires frequent zooming. I can’t think about an amazing comic-reading expertise on the Colorsoft.
The 150ppi decision in colour mode is not fairly sufficient to get pleasure from comedian books or magazines.
Moreover, as somebody who’s carefully adopted the evolution of e-ink, I’m conscious of constant complaints from customers of different colour e-ink readers, significantly concerning the display screen’s graininess as a result of colour filter layer. Whereas this texture won’t trouble everybody, anybody used to the sharp show of high-end readers just like the Kindle Oasis would doubtless discover the distinction. And whereas Amazon could have mitigated this difficulty, colour e-ink additionally tends to have slower refresh charges. A full-color web page requires a full refresh, which frequently leads to the display screen blinking or lagging — interrupting the immersive studying expertise. The mix of decrease decision and sluggish efficiency makes this a no-go for me.
Lack of note-taking performance
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Whereas studying comedian books is one use case for a colour e-ink reader, I see these units as good digital journaling instruments. Options like color-coded notes, highlights, or digital post-its would add to the Kindle’s outside readability and lengthy battery life, making it the best on-the-go journal. Amazon already has all of the groundwork in place due to the Kindle Scribe, and bringing that very same inking expertise to the Colorsoft would have dramatically upped the attraction.
The Kindle Colorsoft was the proper alternative to make a comparatively pocketable, smaller Kindle Scribe. Nonetheless, Amazon selected to not.
That’s why it baffles me that Amazon didn’t give the Colorsoft the identical note-taking skills because the Kindle Scribe. Certain, the smaller 7-inch display screen of the Colorsoft won’t be as appropriate for annotating giant PDFs, however for customers like me, its pocket-friendly type issue would outweigh the necessity for these superior capabilities. Much more perplexing is that the Kobo Libra Shade, a direct competitor, presents journaling and pen enter — making Amazon’s omission all of the extra stunning.
No bodily web page flip buttons
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
Right here’s one more reason I’m hesitant to improve, and it’s not even concerning the fancy new options. Together with the Kindle Colorsoft reveal got here the announcement that Amazon is discontinuing the Kindle Oasis. The Oasis, my fixed studying companion, has the proper type issue for each left- and right-handed customers and — most significantly — bodily page-turn buttons. When you’ve ever tried studying in mattress, you know the way irritating unintended faucets on a contact display screen could be.
Whereas I perceive the absence of bodily buttons on entry-level fashions, Amazon’s resolution to take away them from its now top-tier e-reader feels utterly out of contact with its main viewers.
Worth
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
Lastly, there’s the worth. At $279, it’s an $80 enhance over the usual Paperwhite. Now, that may not seem to be a lot for individuals who love being on the chopping fringe of tech. Nonetheless, on condition that Amazon hasn’t added any substantial new options, the extra value feels laborious to justify for the common person. That price ticket hurts much more once you see that the equal Kobo Clara Shade is priced at simply $149. In the meantime, the $220 Kobo Libra Shade presents an identical e-ink show whereas including options like stylus-based textual content enter, digital note-taking, and bodily page-turn buttons.
The $80 premium over the Paperwhite is difficult to justify given the dearth of extra options, and rivals providing the identical expertise for an entire lot much less.
Certain, full-color covers are good, however I’d a lot moderately have the additional month of battery life supplied by the Paperwhite and save a bit of cash if I’m invested within the Kindle e-book ecosystem or begin taking a look at different choices. In actual fact, for many customers, I’d suggest sticking with the Paperwhite and investing the financial savings in a high-quality case as an alternative. Whereas Amazon’s e-readers have all the time felt like good worth, and even the Oasis justified its extreme price ticket due to the premium construct, I fail to spot that right here. The Colorsoft’s $280 value level comes throughout as Amazon capitalizing on its monopoly within the e-reader house as an alternative of justifying its worth.
The Kindle Colorsoft barely retains up with the options
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
I do know I haven’t had the possibility to attempt the Kindle Colorsoft but, and a few of these opinions would possibly come throughout as me being a bit jaded. Nevertheless it doesn’t change the truth that Amazon performed it extraordinarily secure with the launch of the Colorsoft and has delivered a barebones expertise. When smaller rivals like Kobo and Boox are pushing the boundaries when it comes to performance, you count on the main e-reader producer to at the very least match, if not exceed, its choices.
I am going to preserve a watch out on the way forward for Kindle Colorsoft, however, for not, it simply would not add sufficient worth to justify an improve.
Whereas I’m nonetheless considering the way forward for colour e-ink, I’ll be sitting this one out for now. I’ll control what Amazon does with future generations of the Kindle Colorsoft, however within the meantime, I’m sticking with my trusty Kindle Oasis.
Will you purchase the Kindle Colorsoft?
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