- Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition 32GB (newest model) – With color display, auto-adjusting front light, wireless charging, and long battery life - Metallic Black

A perfect upgrade/2nd device to my 2018 (32gb) Kindle PW, especially considering it’s the 1st Gen of its kind. I was initially scared it’d feel a lot bigger than my current 6” reader (which I love size-wise because it fits in even the smallest of bags/pockets), but it honestly isn’t too noticeable & still light/easy to carry with me on-the-go. One of the first things I noticed was its speed & how much faster it was than my PW model. The 32gb of storage space was also something I didn’t want to compromise on because, imo, it’s such great value for the money and I really hate how they limit the other models to only 16gb (the Oasis and Scribe models just aren’t for me/too large & expensive). Regarding issues others have pointed out in reviews (and hence why I am updating my own review, after now having my CS for about a week)— I have yet to experience any *major* problems with the screen color or brightness/warmness (my device does have a very faint yellow tint at the bottom, but it’s barely noticeable so I really just…. don’t care lol, it doesn’t impact my reading at all). My favorite part is how you can switch the Color mode from “Standard” (for a more subtle, muted look) to “Vivid” (higher contrast than the latter setting, but still easy on the eyes & not too jarring). Lastly, I also love that Dark Mode + other misc things (like adding custom fonts) are still available. It IS worth noting that Dark Mode only works for [most] books & does NOT currently extend out to the Main Menu headers/Homepage— I say “most” because I have some downloaded files on my Kindles and, even though they’re the right file format (.epub), they don’t always allow for certain features to work for whatever reason. I genuinely didn’t realize that Dark Mode didn’t work across the board, so that was a little disappointing to discover later, but hopefully it’s something that can be fixed via software updates or in later Generations! For some added context: I have really bad eyes & need to wear glasses daily but, even so, I still do *not* view this as a dealbreaker on whether or not the CS device is worth it, because I still believe it is. Rather, I just use my PW at night & at home (so that I can utilize Dark Mode to the fullest), and keep/bring my CS now when I’m out or at work. Overall, my recommendation is just to do your own research on each model before buying! If some of the features (or lack thereof/limitations) are a dealbreaker for you, I’d consider holding off or buying a different model. However, if you’re just looking for a simple & new or supplemental e-reader that has plenty of space AND also just happens to be in color, I’d say this one fits the bill just fine!

I received a notice from Amazon that my elderly Kindle Fire was no longer going to be supported. Naturally I was disappointed. I went ahead and bought a new Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition 32 Gb reader, which arrived just over a week ago. My disappointment went away very quickly. The first thing I noticed was that it is always on -- it has a sleep mode, with extremely tiny power consumption. There's no lengthy boot-up process (which was about 2 minutes with the old Kindle Fire). I made very extensive use of the reader over the past three days -- probably averaging 4 to 5 hours a day -- and that didn't include the hours spent downloading all of my Kindle books to the new reader; the battery charge is still at about 85% full. At this rate I won't need to plug it in for a recharge for another 2 weeks or so. The next nice feature is that it charges through a USB-C port, which means very fast charging. (It also can use a wireless charger, but I'll likely never get one of those.) Then there's the available cover, which cost me $31.99 and is worth every cent of that. Close the front of the cover and the reader goes to sleep. Open it and your last page read shows up immediately. The color quality isn't quite as good as that of the Kindle Fire, but it's still very good. That's part of the trade-off when you go from the Fire tablet (which needs recharging every 8 hours or so, which takes all night using its USB-A port) to the Colorsoft, which uses a lot less power and only needs charging twice (or maybe once) a month. The text quality and readability are excellent. It has an easily selected airplane mode, so you can have your whole library available on long airline trips (and its battery lasts easily long enough for that). Another advantage of the Colorsoft is that text highlighting can be done in a number of colors. That has some advantages when multiple persons are using it, i.e., the text can be color-coded by user. It could be very useful in an editorial process. I love it and recommend it.

Let's get one thing out of the way from the beginning: if the question is "which Kindle should somebody get," the answer most of the time is probably the Kindle Paperwhite. If, however, your pre-existing Kindle is almost a decade old or you're somebody who loves the latest and greatest thing, the Kindle Colorsoft might be for you. If that's you, my experience is that you won't regret diving into a more colorful world. I've been using the Kindle Oasis since 2017. In that time, the gradual degradation of hardware becomes noticeable: the ghostly appearance of text from pages past, the leisurely page turn speed, slow navigation, etc. None of these personal details matter to you, the person reading this review, but I share them because it should help provide some context so you can take my comments about the Colorsoft with a grain of salt if you would like to do so. With that said, I am genuinely impressed with what I've experienced so far. The text is crisp, and page turns are lightning quick. The star of the show, of course, is the introduction of color. I was initially skeptical of how much the color would add to the Kindle experience, especially given the existence of smaller tablets with LCD screens. After about a week with the Colorsoft, I must say I am surprised by how impactful the inclusion of color has been. Seeing the color versions of the book covers in my library is delightful, though I'm not sure why it resonates so much with me. Of course, the colors will be more vivid on an iPad but that misses the point. I enjoy reading on Kindles because they strain my eyes so much less than tablets do. The colors on the Colorsoft may be more muted (though you may be able to goose them a bit if you fiddle in settings), but they still look good, and the trade-off is worth it if you're prioritizing your eyes or if you tend to do a lot of reading in bed. I've seen some comment in reviews that the page turn speed is a bit slower when you go from a color page to a color page, but it hasn't been terribly noticeable for me. If you've gotten this far, you might be wondering about the yellow discoloration that some have noticed at the bottom of the Colorsoft's screen. While I understand that many people had this issue with their devices, I haven't noticed it with mine. Maybe it would show up if I took a photograph of my screen, but if I can't detect the issue with my naked eye, I'm not going to worry about it. With that said, I completely understand if the discoloration would be a dealbreaker. At $279.99, the Colorsoft is priced as a premium device. A premium device should deliver premium performance. Thankfully, it appears Amazon has already taken steps to address this problem for those affected by the discoloration issue. In my experience, though, the screen has been excellent. To sum it all up: the Kindle Colorsoft is really enjoyable to use, and you might be surprised by how much color adds to the experience. However, the price point does make the Colorsoft a bit of a tough sell if you're using a more recent Kindle or don't have issues using a tablet for reading.

2nd UPDATE (March 12, 2025): The 2024 Kindle Paperwhite that I purchased to replace my yellowed Kindle Colorsoft in November arrived with EVEN WORSE YELLOWING. I could NOT believe it. So instead, I sent THAT Kindle back, and requested Amazon send a replacement Kindle Colorsoft instead. The replacement Colorsoft arrived in December and I sent back my original, yellowed Colorsoft. Then over the past three months, that replacement Colorsoft BEGAN YELLOWING TOO. It's ABSOLUTELY clear Amazon did not change their production process. No matter what 2024 Kindle device you buy, its display will eventually turn yellow due to the faulty display adhesive they switched to in 2024. DON'T BOTHER. Just DON'T BOTHER. If I could give my Kindle Colorsoft--for which I'll never get my money back--ZERO STARS, I would. Same with the 2024 Paperwhite. I just use my iPad now to read Kindle books. But I will NEVER, EVER buy another Kindle device. Neither should you. ____ UPDATE: After 10 days of owning my new Kindle ColorSoft, I changed my 5-star review to a 1-star review. My original review is below, and all of it still stands. But the weird, prominent yellow bar across the bottom of the display--almost like someone wrote across the display with a yellow hi-liter, is a real thing. The only way not to see it, or be distracted by it, is to pump your display warmth up so that the yellow from the warmth blends in with the bottom stripe. It's ridiculous that Amazon went to market with this display flaw. Were they hoping no one would notice? Now reviewers are saying there won't even be a hardware fix--there may instead be a "software fix". Which means either making your whole display yellow or putting a black bar across the bottom of the screen. Either way, hard nope. If you request a call from Amazon Product Services, you have options to return or exchange your dingy Colorsoft. If you return it, you'll wait 2 to 4 weeks for your funds to be processed back to you. If you exchange it, you can only do so for a new, hopefully corrected Colorsoft, and they're not shipping for "3 to 5 weeks". Until then, you get to keep on using your faulty one. If you want to exchange for a different new Kindle model, Amazon will NOT process that for you in one transaction. Instead, you have to initiate a return--triggering that 2 to 4 week wait for your refund--and purchase a different new Kindle SEPARATELY. Which means, until your refund arrives, you're essentially lending Amazon your money for a month for free. Making things EVEN MORE complicated, if you used your old Kindle for trade-in value, Amazon WILL NOT give you that value back, giving you zero options for a clean return. The Product Services representative will, however, give you a 20% discount code to purchase a new Kindle. But you still have to do the return and new purchase separately. (And wait that month for Amazon to give you back your original purchase price.) All in all, the handling of this complete launch misfire has been unacceptably customer-unfriendly. Amazon could make it SO MUCH EASIER for the people who placed advanced orders, traded in their old Kindles, and early adopted the Colorsoft to get their money back and get new devices. You would think they'd want to do that after all the hard promotion the Kindle management team did with tech media and influencers in mid-October. Instead, the nearly complete lack of proactive customer service for what is Amazon's 100% own goal and no one else's fault has turned their product ambassadors into naysayers. That's a lot of marketing money thrown in the toilet. I decided to return my Colorsoft, and use the 20% discount code to order a new Paperwhite. Amazon charged me A DOLLAR to send me a shipping label, and I have to BUY MY OWN BOX at UPS. (At this point, are you surprised? Whatever you do, DO NOT BUY THIS DEVICE. This launch has been an unmitigated disaster. If I want color book covers, I'll use the Kindle app on my iPad. You should, too. ____ ORIGINAL REVIEW: Like reading a newspaper with full-color photos. Not tablet-like photos, not meant to be. Absolutely joyful. A breath of fresh air to be able to easily browse the covers in your library, your wish list, and the Kindle Store. The Vivid mode makes the colors pop better. Auto-brightness and scheduled warmth make the device less fiddly. The alleged fuzzy look of reading B&W text due to the color layer is a nothing burger—the layer is barely noticeable at all. The layer allegedly making things darker is also mildly ridiculous. That’s what your brightness control is for—including when auto-brightness is on. Just choose your preferences once and you’re all set. And does anyone really care the battery now lasts for two MONTHS instead of three? Unless you were an Oasis owner, this will be the best Kindle you’ve ever owned. Take advantage of current generous trade-in offers and treat yourself.

I've been reading ebooks for years on a variety of platforms. But the Kindle has been my go-to one for many years because of the battery life, as well as Amazon's variety of reading material. But I've always wanted them to have a color screen model. When they announced the Colorsoft, I ordered one immediately. Once I received it set up was easy. It was nice seeing the covers in color, and viewing books with color photos much nicer that seeing them in B&W on a Signature device. I played with display settings trying to optimize the color displays and have to admit I was not impressed with them. They did not match the Amazon site displays, they were much more subdued, almost like pastel colors. I've used my iPad mini to read them on, and while I didn't expect that quality of display, it was still somewhat of a disappointment. Battery life is slightly less than the Signature that I had but given it takes more power to display color than monochrome, I expected that. I also ordered the fabric cover which fits well, a necessary accessory in my opinion. The reason I'm writing this today is I've been reading some reviews and was surprised about the yellow artifact on the lower part of the screen. I had not noticed it before. So I looked at mine today, and surprisingly there is a very subdued yellow artifact. It seems to be about the size of the menu at the bottom of the screen when it's on the library screen (that menu has a yellowish tinge to it as well). It's not a major distraction but from what I'm reading it seems to be a manufacturing or software that Amazon is aware of and is working to correct it. I can return mine up till Nov. 2025 so I'm thinking I might do that since my was one of the first ones shipped. It's a great reading device, well worth the price. Given that it's Amazon's first dedicated color reader, it's worth it. FOLLOW-UP: Since my Colorsoft warranty can be exchanged through Nov. 1, 2025, I tried to contact them and arrange for an exchange due to the yellow band. There is no way that I am able to do that, when I follow the return process is only offers suggestions for self troubleshooting, nothing else. A little dissappointed since this seems to be a current problem.

For reference, I have the Kindle Colorsoft, 11th generation Paperwhite, and a competitor color e-reader. I have seen so many negative reviews for this new Kindle and I completely disagree. 1) People have issues with a “yellow band” at the bottom of the screen. To be fair, I use the warm settings so it might go unnoticed. But I don’t see this band. 2) Complaints on grainy text. It’s not as crisp as my 11th gen Paperwhite, but it’s still very very good. I have read for hours with no eye strain. The quality in my opinion is better than the competitor color e-reader. The other company’s color e-reader I couldn’t read more than maybe two hours because my eyes hurt. It didn’t matter how I adjusted the brightness, warmth, font, or font size. Again, the Colorsoft I have read for hours and hours. 3) Battery life: I agree, the battery life is not as good as the Paperwhite. HOWEVER, it is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the Kindle Oasis. A family member has the Oasis and the battery is the biggest con of that device. Battery would last a couple days or barely a full day depending on how long a reading session is. Absolutely terrible. The Kindle Colorsoft battery again is very very good in comparison. 4) I have seen people complain about the ColorSoft not having dark mode. There is an option in the settings for dark mode. I have used it. It’s there. I DID notice that it’s in the book as you’re reading, but it doesn’t appear dark on the main menu. But there’s dark mode when you are in a book. The competitor ereader I have does the same exact thing and I haven’t seen any complaints on this. 5) There are complaints that the color is not vivid enough. There is a setting on the device that’s “standard” and “vivid”. The Kindle ColorSoft is the name. It’s colorSOFT. I think the color is phenomenal for e-ink technology. To me it is more book-like, natural, and easy on the eyes than the competitor. It is e-ink. Not LED. If you want heavy saturation of colors then maybe an iPad or Kindle Fire is the better choice for you. But LED tablets come with more eye strain, glare, and bad battery life. The Kindle ColorSoft has screen savers that are so cute, it’s fun seeing my covers in color when my Kindle is sleeping or on the main menu browsing. The highlighter color options are so vibrant. Overall this Kindle is wonderful. It is essentially the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition but in color. I read comfortably for hours. The only request I have for a future color device is pen compatibility and page turn buttons. If they revamp and relaunch the Oasis in color I know people will jump on that opportunity, myself included. But for someone that has the Paperwhite and then got the ColorSoft, this is a seamless and happy experience.

Alright grab a cup of coffee or a cocktail and settle back as I spin my yarn. So, I'm a big fan of kindles. Since 2010 when we had this technology explosion, smartphones and tablets came on the scene and e-paper became an alternative to reading on LCD and OLED, I have been a "Kindle Aficionado.". I have gotten many, many kindles and sometimes paid more for them than I would have preferred, like 350-400 bucks. I usually can recoup about 100 bucks of that by selling them on later after I'm done as I take care of my devices. I got the first generation Paperwhite with the ever-so-slight visible backlight "issue" that people overeacted to. I remember when that got improved and the processor speed went up making it more usable. I remember when we got warm mode for the first time. I remember the first kindle with Auto Brightness. I remember "whispersync" when we could actually download things off wifi for free via 3G networks. I remember Kindle Voyage's glass screen and coffin-shaped back. I remember the original Oasis with the detachable and expensive "leatherette" cover. I remember the waterproof second generation Oasis. All of them were wonderful and all had pretty much steady improvements. All still usable, Still have a Voyage to this day because of it's glass screen quality, despite it not having enough space. Unlike phones, kindle devices last a long time, well past their internal technology sell by date. The kindle I replaced was relatively new for Kindles, but ancient in tech terms (2019, 6 years ago. Technology uses dog years so about 50 years old, lol). Still works flawlessly. Couple issues, one is no color and the other is no USB C (or wireless charging). So it's time, I traded one of my 2nd gen Oases in for this device and Although it's not a premium build as Kindles go, it's a color paperwhite - And probably the first of many color e-ink displays - it's features were an ABSOLUTE MUST for me. Color, wireless charging and USB C so I can start getting rid of all micro USB keyed cables in my house. These are all big deals. I skipped the scribe, it's cool but I'll wait for the eventual color version, color is that big of a deal. Now you're probably reading some of the pearl clutching reviews people have posted complaining about those things like yellow bottom border, lower resolution and less white "paper" - it's now more of a greyish color and it's a slight step back I will admit. But the fact I can see all my books in color - pretty decent color mind you - that alone is worth the cost of admission. I read comics and "graphic novels". and I'm reading the X-men series from the 80s on up atm and am loving it. Been doing it on an ipad pro, brand new and extremely expensive and fragile device also not worth what is charged for it (1100 bucks). I basically use it to browse the web occasionally and read comics. Now I can read them on my kindle colorsoft signature edition along with my books instead of not being able to. Also, books with 2 color printing like the Illustrated Silmarillion now have their colored titles show up which is refreshing and something I love about the print editions. These also have their color illustrations in color instead of a greyscale mess where before you'd try to work out what it was. It's a game changer. SImply put. For those who read books with "plates" (as long as the kindle edition supports it I assume) you now get them in color. Comics are almost like reading old yellowed comic books. It has a charm that makes it worthwhile. Now, is it as vibrant as an Ipad, no, it's not and there might be some use cases for still using your ipad first for art heavy books, but being able to see them in color with only an e-ink device is still huge, as before you wouldn't even be able to appreciate or make sense of them. You'd never open them, it was print only and no color in the print ever breaking up the monotony. The fact this is a thing of the past now ? That's fantastic and worth the tradeoffs. The trade offs - let's talk about them. They're only issues if you had bad expectations, wanted a tablet, or are OCD. That's my feelilng anyway. You get a greyer, "dirtier" background and a lower resolution of 150 DPI when images are on the screen. Sure, this is kind of noticable but not deal breakers by any means unless you're "pixel peeping" and letting your OCD get the best of you. If you are using warm mode the bottom of the screen can geta bit yellowish (I mean it's warm mode, the whole screen is getting more yellow) but it can be slightly un-uniform and I guess this freaks some folks out that want something perfect. I'm not one of them, but that's probably the reason for the returns and 3 stars I guess. It is what it is... those people will miss out on color e-ink. Also I'm sure they'll improve these very minor limitations over time. Similar thing happened with the OG paperwhite and itnever stopped me reading on it, I eventually replaced it and got a better display and more speed. Let's face it. Your average kindle you could expect to keep for 2 or 3 years until a new model comes out and then sell it for a few bob on ebay, provided you didn't lose it or damage it in that time. Or you could keep it for 10 years until it was totally obsolete and nobody wanted it and have to toss it as it fails as all electronics do these days as nobody repairs em anymore. I know what I've been doing with mine, flipping them back and getting the latest and greatest. Technology will always improve and I look forward to future kindles with improvements, but know this much... I'm not going back to black and white only. Even if it's a little cleaner and whiter. Also I have some older kindles still so If I want that experience I can have it. Some people may not be able to make this trade off and that's fine - you can keep to your paperwhite. The speed of this device is also quite good, yes it has to do page refresh more often on color but old kindles had that issue too and had worse "dirt" that accumulated, I think people today are a bit spoiled. One area I would like to see is 64 GB, with color file sizes are more, and 32 GB is not a lot. 64 GB and 128 GB ought to be the norm, come on, it's 2025, and NAND flash is cheaper than ever and getting cheaper constantly. I remember when kindles had 2 GB on them. 2 GB ! lol. All in all, I'm all in. And i'm excited where the future of color e-ink is going.

First my Paperwhite history. I had a Paperwhite that I first registered in 2017. Then in Oct. '23 I bought the 11th generation Paperwhite because I decided it had enough upgrades to be worth it. Very pleased with it! Then this comes along and I see Color! I missed seeing covers in color! So I traded in my 2017 Paperwhite and preordered. Just received it a couple of hours ago. Unlike some reviewers who evidently are more tech savvy than me, I fully expected the covers to be bright and vibrant like what I see when I buy from the website. They are not. They are muted - even with the vibrant setting. The yellow band - well once I read the reviews, I looked and checked brightness and warmth settings - and yes if I squint it is there. And I did notice that the screen seemed to be darker than my other Paperwhite so I had to turn the brightness up. Don't forget that as usual Amazon makes sure that the size is just a hair off from previous devices so your old Paperwhite cover will not fit correctly. I could get the colorsoft in it but the cover would not lie flat. This has more storage than my old Paperwhite. However I haven't even used half the storage space on my old. I have about 50/60 books downloaded at one time and I remove one once I read it. I do think that when I downloaded a book, it was faster - why that would be I don't know. Faster processor? Larger storage space? Also - thought. You can highlight in different colors. But then why can't I choose a color for my collection folder? They are now a Carolina blue. Pretty but I would love to change the folder colors to reflect different collections. Maybe that is something they will add later. So was this a good purchase? I would say if you are thinking about getting a Kindle/Paperwhite for the first time, then no. The color option at this time is not worth it unless you read lots of magna/comics. If you want to replace an old one, also probably no. Not enough difference to reflect the increased price. Does that mean I am going to return it? I think not. I do like the muted colors compared to no color. I admit that only having had it a few hours, I do not know if the decreased sharpness that everyone says is there will affect my enjoyment of reading. I don't notice the "yellow band" enough to care. And I could use two readers - one to have at work, in my purse available always and the other at home. I will have to buy another cover though. It is not probably not a "good" purchase and perhaps I am not getting "my money's worth" but I am going to indulge myself anyway.