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

The Kindle Colorsoft hasn’t had the simplest launch. Final 12 months, Amazon made headlines when it introduced its first shade E Ink pill, with early appears to be like on the machine 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 experiences surfacing that many items had a noticeable yellow strip on the backside that would not go away irrespective of what number of occasions the machine was refreshed or reset. After pulling the machine from their web site and providing an untold variety of refunds and apologies, Amazon quietly fixed the issue, which was reportedly brought on by 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 fingers on the Kindle Colorsoft, and now that the yellow strip difficulty is properly and really gone, this e-reader is a straightforward suggestion for comedian and graphic novel fanatics. 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, good for studying magazines, comedian books or graphic novels.

Execs & Cons

• Vibrant shade E Ink show is simple to learn
• Auto-adjusting entrance gentle sensor works properly
• Wonderful battery life, even with shade

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

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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, virtually double the worth of the usual Kindle Paperwhite.

After all, the important thing improve customers get for this worth is the colour E Ink display, however the Kindle Colorsoft additionally boasts a barely greater body housing the identical 7-inch display, in addition to a battery able to eight weeks of life (primarily based on half-hour of each day utilization) which Amazon says is similar irrespective of whether or not the colour perform 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 should pay additional to take away Amazon’s lock display “recommendations,” and customers can get pleasure from shade e-book covers, or one in every of Amazon’s premium shade screensavers when not actively studying.

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What I favored concerning the Kindle Colorsoft

A vibrant world of shade

As somebody who often 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 grow to be kind of synonymous with e-reading within the US, would deal with this new function.

I downloaded Moon Knight within the Night time (2014) and Hellboy Wake the Satan (1994), two comics that I truly personal laborious copies of, to check out the colour perform. And although the E Ink would not precisely mirror the pages of the books completely, it is vibrant and incorporates 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 response to 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 had been fast, although speedy comics readers might want to get used to a small pause whereas the display does a full refresh throughout every flip. Customers additionally may also discover a bit of pause in the event that they use the zoom and pan capabilities 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 occasions a person turns the web page, I discovered myself quickly getting used to it as I paged by acquainted volumes, at the same time as I zoomed and swiped by totally different panels.

Once I converted from comics to studying an everyday 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 vibrant, 7-inch display. The auto-adjusting entrance sensor (which may also be discovered on the Paperwhite) makes studying nearly anyplace 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 power to spotlight in shade, which is nifty, however wasn’t a function I used a lot in follow.

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What I did not like concerning the Kindle Colorsoft

The premium worth 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 worth that’s practically double that of the Paperwhite, customers aren’t truly getting that many new options, aside from the power to see comics and graphic novels in shade. And sadly, due to its shade E Ink display, the Colorsoft truly loses the darkish mode function, which is a little bit of a bummer.

It could have been good for the Colorsoft to incorporate some additional options to assist justify its premium worth level. A number of Reddit customers on the unofficial Kindle Subreddit have bemoaned the lack of bodily page-turning buttons (like those who had been included within the erstwhile Oasis mannequin) or the addition of a wi-fi charger in order that customers might benefit from the Colorsoft’s wi-fi charging function out of the field.

Such inclusions might need helped this unit really feel extra like a premium-level Kindle as an alternative 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.

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Do you have to purchase the Kindle Colorsoft?

All of it relies on what you learn

Let’s get this out of the best way. In the event you solely learn text-based books, the Kindle Colorsoft is an pointless improve. Although seeing shade covers is neat, it isn’t price virtually double the worth of the Kindle Paperwhite, which itself supplies a premium-feeling studying expertise. The excessive worth is an enormous issue for these contemplating an improve to this latest member of the Kindle household, and for those who 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 price 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 ideal all-in-one machine for the fixed reader.

Advisable

Kindle Colorsoft

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