The $279.99 Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, Amazon’s long-awaited color ebook reader, is very much a first-generation product. We like its 7-inch E Ink color display, ad-free lock screen, speedy performance, waterproof build, and overall ease of use, but it’s expensive, lacks buttons for turning pages, and provides uneven lighting. The $249.99 Onyx Boox Go Color 7 isn’t waterproof, but it offers page-turning buttons, a more consistent display, and third-party app compatibility for a slightly lower price, so it remains our Editors’ Choice for color ebook readers.
Design: It’s a Paperwhite With a Color Screen
The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition is almost identical in design and function to the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition ($199.99), apart from the color display. The two devices share the same 7.0-by-5.0-by-0.3-inch (HWD) dimensions, are almost identical in weight (7.7 ounces for the Colorsoft, 7.5 ounces for the Paperwhite), and come with all of the same key features, including 32GB of storage, an automatically adjusting front light, a waterproof design, wireless charging, and an ad-free lock screen.
Left to right: Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (Credit: Sarah Lord)
By taking its design cues from the Paperwhite, Amazon’s premium ereader lacks physical page-turn buttons. Most competing 7-inch ebook readers have these buttons, including the thinner and lighter Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (6.1 by 5.4 by 0.25 inches, 6.9 ounces) and the $219.99 Kobo Libra Colour (5.69 by 6.33 by 0.33 inches, 7.04 ounces). I don’t mind tapping the screen to turn the page, but some readers prefer a button, so this is something to keep in mind.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
Amazon doesn’t specify the resolution of the 7-inch color E Ink display, though it lists a density of 300 pixels per inch (ppi) for black-and-white content and 150ppi for color. Both the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 and the Kobo Libra Colour have 7-inch displays with the same pixel densities. The Colorsoft’s screen supports a 16-level grayscale and puts out 94 nits of brightness.
All three models have an adjustable warm-and-cool front light, but the Colorsoft is the only one that automatically adjusts the light depending on your surroundings. This feature has been a staple on premium Kindles for a while, and though I find it useful at times, it can also be a little finicky and change the tone when you don’t want it to.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
The bottom of the Colorsoft holds a USB-C port for charging and transferring files and a power button that makes a satisfying click when pressed. It only comes in black, and the back is made of matte plastic that does a good job of hiding fingerprints but is also a bit slippery, so you might want to use a case.
The Colorsoft has an IPX8 rating and is fully waterproof, so it can withstand up to 2 meters of fresh water for 60 minutes. You should be fine reading in the bath or by the pool.
Display: A Lot Better for Comics
The Colorsoft’s colors appear true to life, though slightly muted, as though you’re looking at a color picture in a printed newspaper. I enjoy this quality and find that it adds a nostalgic feel. The display is easy to see in bright sunlight. It’s not completely free of glare, but you can easily eliminate any by adjusting the light.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
Reading comics was one of the highlights of my Colorsoft experience. When you open a comic, you can turn on Amazon’s Panel View by double-tapping in the middle of the screen. You first get a full-page view of your comic, but subsequent page swipes provide a close-up of each panel on the page. This guided view allows you to take in the colors on the screen and read every panel without the hassle of zooming in and out.
Reading in black and white is less enjoyable. The LEDs placed around the front to light the screen create an uneven effect. It’s hard to see when reading in color, but it becomes evident when reading grayscale content. A distracting yellow tint crosses the bottom of the display and appears to come from LED light leakage. It goes away temporarily upon a restart, but eventually returns as you continue to read.
Amazon is aware of the issue and responded to our inquiry with the following statement: “A small number of customers have reported a yellow band along the bottom of the display. We take the quality of our products seriously—customers who notice this can reach out to our customer service team for a replacement or refund, and we’re making the appropriate adjustments to ensure that new devices will not experience this issue moving forward.”
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
If you buy a Kindle Colorsoft and notice the yellow tint, you should contact Amazon customer service for a replacement.
The grayscale lighting is much better on both the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 and the Kobo Libra Colour.
Performance: Snappy Page Turns
The Colorsoft has the same internal hardware as the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, though Amazon doesn’t divulge the specific processor or memory inside either device. Instead, the company claims that the new models are 20% in overall performance, with 25% faster page turns than the previous Paperwhite. The Colorsoft feels speedy and is quick to swipe through pages and scroll through your library. The Boox Go Color 7, which has a 2.4GHz octa-core processor and 8GB of RAM, feels slightly faster when navigating the user interface, though the Colorsoft has faster page turns.
Left to right: Onyx Boox Go Color 7, Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition (Credit: Sarah Lord)
The Colorsoft comes with 32GB of non-expandable storage, which should be enough for all of your books and documents. The Kobo Libra Colour has the same amount of non-expandable storage, while the Boox Go 7 offers 64GB of storage that can be expanded further with a microSD card.
Amazon doesn’t specify the size of Colorsoft’s battery, but states that it should last up to eight weeks on a single charge. This is noticeably less battery life than the 12-week estimate for the Paperwhite. Your battery life will depend on many factors, including the amount of time you read and the light settings you use. I found the battery level dropped by 20% over five days of regular use. Amazon says it takes 2.5 hours to fully recharge the Colorsoft with a 9W adapter. Unlike the Boox or the Kobo, the Colorsoft can charge wirelessly at 10W, though you’ll need to supply your own Qi-enabled wireless charger. You’ll also need your own charging brick, as Amazon only includes a USB-C cable.
Dual-band Wi-Fi allows you to browse books from home or anywhere else you can connect to Wi-Fi, but there’s no cellular connectivity.
The Colorsoft lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you’ll need Bluetooth headphones to listen to Audible books. Amazon doesn’t specify which version of Bluetooth the device supports.
Software: Your Usual Kindle
The Colorsoft’s software is almost identical to other Kindle devices. There’s a Kindle search bar at the top of the page for browsing your Kindle library or searching the Kindle store, followed by a menu button (four dots) that brings up settings for Your Lists, Goodreads, Amazon Kids, Web Browser, Household Sharing, and Settings. You can also create a collection from this menu. The search bar and four-dot menu remain at the top of the screen whether you are in the Home tab, which shows some of your personal book collection and recommendations from Amazon, or the Library tab, which displays all of your books.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
Reading settings are also the same. Tapping on the Aa button brings up Themes, Font, and Layout tabs, where you can adjust the font size, line spacing, margins, and more. You have fewer options when reading a comic, as just the Page Refresh, About This Book, and Page Turn animation toggles are available. Swiping down from the top of the screen brings up the Quick Settings menu, where you can switch the page color from white to black as well as control the brightness and warmth of the light. The Quick Settings menu also lets you tap into Airplane Mode, Bluetooth, Sync, and all Settings.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
You can purchase books directly from the Kindle Store on the device or from your phone or computer. You can also send your own documents to the Colorsoft through Amazon’s Send-to-Kindle service. You can send library books to your Kindle through the Libby app by tapping Send to Kindle during checkout. Amazon uses its Whispersync technology to sync your content across all of your devices and the company offers free cloud storage for your book and audiobook purchases.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
The Colorsoft doesn’t have ads on the lock screen, which typically costs $20 to remove from standard Kinlde moves. To customize the lock screen, you can choose between the book cover of your current read or Amazon’s generic wallpapers.
The company offers four years of security software for the device but doesn’t specify whether it will receive full OS updates.
While Amazon’s software focuses on simplicity, Onyx Boox puts its emphasis on customization. You can adjust every aspect of your reading experience, from changing the E Ink refresh rate to refining the space between every character in your text and everything in between. You’ll also have full access to all of the apps on the Google Play Store, which means you’ll be able to read all of your books from third-party apps, like Amazon, on your Boox device—albeit without the full reading customization options you get from Boox’s own NeoReader app.
Verdict: A High Premium for Color
Amazon’s Colorsoft Signature Edition brings a colorful E Ink screen to its Kindle line for the first time. We like its ad-free lock screen, auto-adjusting front light, pleasing colors, waterproof design, and wireless charging. However, it has some tell-tale signs of a first-gen product, including a high price and inconsistent lighting. We’d also like to see physical page turn buttons. Even though it isn’t waterproof, the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 remains our Editors’ Choice thanks to its even lighting, page-turning buttons, Google Play Store support, and lower price.
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition
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The Bottom Line
There’s a lot to like about Amazon’s Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, including its colorful E Ink screen, waterproof design, and ad-free lock screen, but uneven lighting and a high price hold it back.
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About Sarah Lord
Analyst, Mobile
