Amazon’s fundamental Kindle is one in all my favourite latest purchases — I even raved about how a lot I like its portability for Mashable — however amongst the lineup of recent releases Amazon dropped final yr, the Kindle Colorsoft is one thing that has caught my eye. That is the Amazon’s first coloration Kindle, that means you may get pleasure from guide covers, comics, and extra with a pop of coloration. However since that is Kindle’s first outing with a coloration e-reader, I used to be curious if the Colorsoft was definitely worth the hefty $280 price ticket.
The Kindle Colorsoft hasn’t been in need of reward. Senior Editor Allison Murray from Mashable’s sister website ZDNet reviewed the Colorsoft upon launch and stated, “In the world of color e-readers, the Kindle Colorsoft is a top competitor thanks to its customizable color display, fast performance in downloading books and page-turning, and wireless charging.” Nevertheless, buyer opinions have not all the time been tremendous constructive — it is presently sitting at 3.5 out of 5 stars on the Amazon retailer web page.
That is largely because of a yellow band problem that has been extensively reported. The Verge reported on the problem again in November, noting how customers discovered the discoloration on the backside of the display screen to be distracting. It was such a problem at launch that the corporate even delayed shipments of the machine. So I used to be curious to know whether or not this problem has been resolved. And is the Kindle Colorsoft definitely worth the improve if you happen to already personal the essential Kindle machine?
Extra coloration for Colorsoft
In response to the yellow band problem, Amazon began delaying Kindle Colorsoft shipments to aim to resolve the issue. In a report from The Verge, an Amazon spokesperson additionally said that, “we’re making the appropriate adjustments to ensure that new devices will not experience this issue moving forward.” This was from November of last year, so what’s the deal with Kindle Colorsoft displays now?
While there are recent reviews on the store page that lean in a more positive direction, Amazon has also posted a notice about the yellowing on the device’s store page, which reads: “A small variety of prospects have reported a yellow band alongside the underside of the show. We take the standard of our merchandise severely — prospects who discover this could attain out to our customer support group for a substitute or refund, and we’ve made the suitable changes to make sure that new gadgets is not going to expertise this problem transferring ahead.”
Mashable Mild Velocity
A few Reddit customers have additionally shared extra constructive findings with their gadgets, with one person on r/Kindle noting their latest experiences, saying, “It looks like that Amazon has now resolved the yellow band issue that plagued earlier releases of the Colorsoft.” With this in thoughts, it looks as if the machine is transferring previous the struggles it had at launch. And Amazon appears open to changing or refunding if issues go incorrect, which is good to know.
Is Kindle Colorsoft definitely worth the improve?
Should you’re nonetheless inquisitive about shopping for the Kindle Colorsoft, it is price realizing the way it differs from different Kindle gadgets. In my case, it is discovering the important thing variations between the Kindle Colorsoft and the common Kindle. Primarily, selecting between the 2 will depend on what you prefer to learn. Should you’re an enormous comedian guide fan or somebody who loves to paint code and spotlight your novels, there are advantages to having a colourful display screen with the Kindle Colorsoft. Should you’re somebody who merely enjoys getting misplaced in a narrative through the phrases on the web page in black and white, then the essential Kindle will get the job achieved simply effective.
Should you’re actually not trying to drop numerous money, the essential Kindle is a superb price range choose as effectively. Our evaluation of the 2024 Kindle stated that if “you’re looking to spend about $100 on an e-reader, the Kindle will deliver quick page turns and 16GB of storage to hold thousands and thousands of books.” Nevertheless, if cash isn’t any problem and also you’re trying to have an e-reader that may exhibit your comics of their colourful state, the Kindle Colorsoft is available in at a better $280 value level.
In addition they have barely totally different sizes. As talked about earlier than, I benefit from the portability of the usual Kindle (because it involves about six inches). The Colorsoft is an inch larger at seven inches, which is not too unhealthy and nonetheless makes it an amazing machine to journey with. Its show can be glare-free and options an auto-adjusting entrance gentle, so you may simply learn in brilliant daylight or at night time just a bit bit simpler. The Colorsoft additionally boasts an extended battery lifetime of as much as eight weeks, in accordance with Amazon, whereas the essential Kindle lasts as much as six weeks.
It isn’t time to say goodbye simply but.
Credit score: Sam Mangino / Amazon
On the finish of the day, I am most likely not going to improve proper now. However the attract of these colourful pages may turn into too nice if that $280 value level comes down.
The place to purchase the Kindle Colorsoft
Should you’re trying to purchase the Kindle Colorsoft proper now, it is out there at Amazon for $279.99. It is price conserving in thoughts that these gadgets often drop in value throughout massive sale occasions. Amazon often holds one other Prime Day in October and Black Friday lands on the finish of November, so there’s nonetheless loads of alternative left all year long to attain them at a reduction.
