The lacking hyperlink in Amazon’s ereader lineup

Nicely, it lastly occurred. After years of ready and requests, Amazon debuted the $280 Kindle Colorsoft, its first ereader with a shade show. The corporate’s ereaders have dominated this house because the authentic Kindle got here out 17 years in the past, however on this case, it seems like Amazon is enjoying catch-up. Colour E Ink shows aren’t novel: we’ve examined and reviewed a variety of shade ereaders and E Ink tablets from Kobo, Boox and reMarkable lately. However Amazon is actually attempting to tug an Apple with the Colorsoft: with claims that shade E Ink expertise simply wasn’t adequate to place right into a Kindle till now, Amazon’s promising the Colorsoft will get this implementation proper thanks partially to the customized tweaks it made to the show. And, unsurprisingly, Amazon’s able to cost you a premium for it. So is all of it it’s cracked as much as be? As you would possibly suspect, the reply isn’t so simple as sure or no.

Replace 11/4/24, 11:54am ET: There have been a number of experiences of Kindle Colorsoft homeowners seeing a yellow band on the backside of their ereader’s show. My overview unit was not affected through the time I spent testing the Colorsoft, however upon checking this morning, it has appeared for me, too. I reached out to Amazon for remark and a spokesperson informed Engadget: “We’re aware of a small number of reports from customers who see a yellow band along the bottom of the display. We take the quality of our products seriously and are looking into it. If customers notice this on their device, they can reach out to our customer service team.”

Display expertise and comparisons

Let’s get the tech particulars squared away first. The Kindle Colorsoft’s seven-inch display screen is predicated on E Ink Kaleido 3 expertise, however a consultant from the Kindle staff defined to me that they developed a customized show stack for this gadget. Meaning they made fairly a couple of adjustments to the tech in an effort to obtain issues like higher-contrast pigments and improved speeds general. The Colorsoft’s customized oxide backplane makes use of 24 driving volts to maneuver pigments round extra rapidly and it helps these pigments seem with higher distinction. Nitride LEDs improve colours and brightness, and a customized coating in between the show’s layers helps focus mild via every pigment so there’s much less shade mixing. A few of the similar tech helps make page-turns faster and supposedly reduces excessively noticeable display screen refreshing if you go from one shade web page to a different, or pinch-and-zoom on a picture.

That’s all to say that Amazon would really like you to imagine that this E Ink Kaleido 3 display screen will not be like the opposite ladies on this house, and whereas I don’t doubt the Kindle staff’s efforts, the variations should not as dramatic because the story would counsel. Till Kobo updates the Sage with shade, the closest competitor to the $280 Kindle Colorsoft is the $220 Kobo Libra Color (in measurement, platform and general expertise), so I did a whole lot of side-by-side comparisons of the 2.

The most important distinction I noticed was that the Kobo’s display screen skews hotter than the Kindle’s; I kicked the brightness as much as the utmost and turned all heat/pure mild settings right down to zero on each gadgets and the distinction was noticeable, no matter if the shows had been exhibiting shade pictures, black-and-white textual content or a mixture of the 2. This may counsel that the Kindle will present extra correct colours extra usually since there’s much less of a heat lean to its show.

However on the flip aspect, the Kindle display screen’s blue tint was simply as noticeable, notably in low-light conditions (like a darkish workplace or a dimly lit lounge). At max brightness with heat right down to zero, the Kindle’s display screen was borderline uncomfortable to learn in these environments — however all it took was a slight adjustment to heat stage 4 (out of 24) to get it to match the Kobo’s show in heat nearly precisely (at the very least to my eyes). That made it extra snug to stare at in darkish areas. I additionally in contrast the Colorsoft’s display screen to my private Kindle Paperwhite (earlier era) and the blue skew was noticeable there too.

Finally, how a lot heat or cool mild you favor whereas studying is as much as private style. My preferences would lead me to regulate the heat on the Kindle to be a bit greater than zero, mimicking that of the Kobo. In an unscientific ballot of the Engadget workers, each in particular person and with gadget images, all people most popular the display screen on the Kobo. I feel the slight added heat in Kobo’s display screen makes colours seem a bit extra saturated and extra inviting general. It additionally will get near mimicking the look of precise bodily pages (as a lot as one among these gadgets might, at the very least), and that’s the expertise I’m going for after I learn just about something. However I might perceive why some hardcore comedian followers would need to begin off with essentially the most color-accurate baseline as doable, after which regulate from there to suit their preferences.

Along with adjusting the nice and cozy mild, the Kindle Colorsoft has vivid mode, which “enhances color in less saturated images.” For the sake of efficacy, most of my time was spent in normal mode when testing the Colorsoft. However in attempting out vivid mode, I observed that its enhanced saturation was most noticeable in warm-toned pictures: reds appeared ever-so-slightly extra putting, whereas oranges and yellows had a extra bronze impact and the like. However I needed to flip vivid mode on and off a couple of occasions to clock the impact as a result of it’s fairly delicate.

Then there’s the query of really studying phrases on the Colorsoft. Even the Kindle staff consultant I spoke with acknowledged that, because of the additional bodily layer within the display screen that allows shade, one would possibly discover a bit much less sharpness and distinction in black-and-white textual content on the Colorsoft’s display screen. That’s not distinctive to this explicit Kindle — each shade ereader can have this concern to a point.

When evaluating the text-only expertise of the Kindle Colorsoft to that of the Kobo Libra Color, I discovered each to be fairly good and comparable to at least one one other. The place there’s an even bigger risk for discrepancies is in a comparability of the Colorsoft to, say, the brand new Kindle Paperwhite. I didn’t have the latter gadget to check to, however I did have my private, previous-generation Paperwhite, and the distinction was ever so slight, with the usual Paperwhite having the (small) higher hand within the distinction and sharpness departments.

Studying expertise

The colour display screen is essentially the most consequential factor concerning the Kindle Colorsoft, and chances are high in the event you’ve had a Kindle up to now, the studying expertise on this new gadget will really feel fairly acquainted. The Kindle UI hasn’t modified a lot, nonetheless dividing the principle display screen into Dwelling and Library choices. The previous is mainly an area for Amazon to serve you customized e-book suggestions and promote new Kindle releases, whereas the latter reveals your total digital library together with books, paperwork, Audible audiobooks and library loans. The Library web page is putting in shade and there’s something undeniably satisfying about seeing your whole title covers in full-color glory.

Whereas studying a e-book, you possibly can nonetheless customise and save totally different themes with fonts, font sizes and web page layouts that greatest fit your preferences. You continue to have the choice to rapidly navigate inside a title by web page, location, chapter and even well-liked highlights. Web page turns are speedy and can probably be an enchancment for anybody coming from an older Kindle or different ereader.

Annotations and your individual highlights are collected in the identical place for straightforward reference, and with the latter, you possibly can filter by spotlight shade as nicely. You might have 4 colours to select from on the Colorsoft — orange, yellow, blue and pink — so in the event you use the yellow highlighter to mark favourite quotes, you possibly can then filter by simply that shade. Notice that each one highlighting and note-taking have to be finished together with your fingers as a result of, in contrast to the Kindle Scribe, the Colorsoft has no stylus help.

The pinch-to-zoom characteristic on the Colorsoft is nice for individuals who learn a whole lot of graphic novels and comics. Amazon developed a customized algorithm to make this movement as easy as doable, and it’s a fairly good expertise, albeit not a novel one. You can too pinch to zoom on the Kobo Libra Color, which principally helps get in nearer to comedian panels to learn small textual content or higher see minute particulars.

On each gadgets, there are full-screen refreshes if you pinch to zoom on shade pictures and the velocity of completion is roughly the identical. I additionally discovered picture high quality to be fairly related as nicely, and it’s value noting that artwork type can skew your impression of a picture’s high quality. A comic book that employs clear, distinct strains in comparison with one which’s extra grungy and watercolor-like will at all times come off extra crisp.

The Colorsoft, just like the common Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version, additionally has an auto-adjusting entrance mild that guarantees to light up the show excellent relying on in the event you’re studying outdoors on a sunny day, in the dead of night cabin of an airplane or anyplace else. It’s a pleasant {hardware} perk to have and, with the characteristic turned on, removes a lot of handbook fiddling that some would possibly discover annoying to do once they take their Kindle into totally different environments.

The competitors

Whereas we already went via the display screen comparisons for the $280 Kindle Colorsoft and the $220 Kobo Libra Color, there are many different variations between the 2 that you need to contemplate when selecting your subsequent ereader. I’ve added a spec checklist under to interrupt down the fundamentals, and essentially the most consequential to me are the truth that the Kobo has page-turn buttons and stylus help.

The previous is known as a matter of choice — you both love bodily buttons otherwise you discover no use for them — however the latter is pure added worth even in the event you do need to buy the $70 Kobo stylus individually. It basically means that you can flip the Libra Color right into a makeshift Kobo Sage or Kindle Scribe, which might be helpful for anybody in academia (college students and educators alike) or anybody who simply loves the sensation of placing pen to “paper.” In the meantime, the Kindle has the higher hand in its wi-fi charging capabilities and its barely cleaner flush-front design.

Relating to precise content material accessible on Kindle and Kobo gadgets, the libraries you should buy from on each are huge: each have ebooks and audiobooks accessible, and each the Colorsoft and Libra Color help Bluetooth, so you possibly can take heed to audiobooks straight from the gadget together with your wi-fi headphones. On the time of scripting this overview, the entire high 5 New York Instances bestseller titles had been accessible on each platforms on the similar costs, with the one discrepancies being one which was on sale as a Kindle e book and one which was accessible to learn totally free for Kindle Limitless and Kobo Plus subscribers. Each of these month-to-month subscriptions offer you limitless studying entry to hundreds of titles, however I’d give the benefit to Amazon on this one since Kindle Limitless has been round for for much longer. Amazon additionally has Prime Studying and Youngsters+ subscriptions that work with Kindle gadgets and supply much more content material to paying subscribers.

So far as borrowing ebooks out of your native library goes, it is perhaps a draw. Kobo integrates elegantly with Overdrive, making it practically seamless to get borrowed books in your ereader. Merely join your Overdrive account and library card within the settings menu and you may then both browse your library’s choices straight on gadget, or use the Libby cell app to borrow titles and people will seem routinely in your Kobo. My solely gripe with this technique is that it really works greatest in case you have only one library card, since you possibly can solely join one after the other. I’m a novel case the place I’ve at the very least three library playing cards and I swap amongst them in Libby relying on which has the title I’m in search of.

These like me would possibly favor the “send to Kindle” possibility in Libby, which simply takes a pair extra clicks to get any e-book from any library community to your Kindle gadget. The most important draw back right here is that my Colorsoft overview unit didn’t present all of my library e-book covers in full-color glory on the lock display screen. After troubleshooting with a consultant from Amazon, it was decided to be a title-specific concern. In response to Amazon: “For library books, the lock screen is taken from the designated marketing cover for the book used by the library, which may not be the same as the actual book cover.” So simply know that in the event you get most of your studying materials out of your native library, there’s an opportunity a number of the covers might not show correctly on the Colorsoft.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the $250 Boox Go Colour 7, which earned a spot in our greatest ereaders information after my colleague Amy Skorheim examined it. First, it’s crucial to know that Boox gadgets require a bit extra tech-savvy than a Kindle or a Kobo, in addition to a willingness to experiment. They’re full-blown Android tablets in spite of everything, and that is perhaps precisely what you’re in search of in the event you get your studying materials from many various sources, because it provides entry to the Google Play Retailer and all of its apps. As for specs, the Go Colour 7 has a seven-inch Kaleido 3 show with 300 ppi in black and white and 150 ppi in shade (much like the Colorsoft), together with a heat mild, page-turn buttons, a splash-resistant design and 64GB of storage (and a microSD card slot for more room!). It’s much more much like the Kobo Libra Color in characteristic set and worth, so it’s another choice for anybody keen to suppose a bit outdoors the usual ereader field.

The choice between Kindle, Kobo and Boox is infinitely extra sophisticated than selecting between the Colorsoft or the usual Kindle Paperwhite — and that’s exactly due to the stark worth distinction. The Colorsoft is $120 greater than the common Kindle Paperwhite ($100 extra in the event you pay to take away the lock display screen advertisements from the Paperwhite, and $80 greater than the Signature Version) and except for the colour panel, it solely provides wi-fi charging, the auto-adjusting entrance mild sensor and doubles the storage. Take away shade from the equation, and arguably essentially the most helpful of all of these is the additional storage however, make no mistake, 16GB of house on the Kindle Paperwhite is nothing to scoff at and will probably be simply wonderful for most individuals. Until you’re 100-percent sure that shade will make an enormous distinction in your day-to-day studying expertise, the usual Paperwhite is the higher worth.

Wrap-up

Whereas it’s very late to the colour E Ink celebration, the Kindle Colorsoft is a strong premium ereader that gives a wonderful expertise each in shade and black and white. I centered loads on comparisons on this overview as a result of most individuals won’t have the chance to have the Colorsoft and any of its contemporaries aspect by aspect (except you’re my dad, who buys nearly each ereader and small pill beneath the solar). However to be clear, the Colorsoft is an effective Kindle, and in some ways, Amazon did pull an Apple right here. Should you’re already closely entrenched within the Kindle ecosystem and have been holding out for a shade ereader, that is the gadget to get — simply be ready to pay a premium for it.

Additionally, like Apple and its numerous working techniques, there’s one thing to be stated concerning the comfort and ubiquity of the Kindle ecosystem. The library is seemingly limitless (with reductions galore), supplemented by Prime Studying and Kindle Limitless, so it’s straightforward to get sucked in if you’re already buying on Amazon for family items and vacation items. However in terms of worth to your cash (and a pure spec breakdown), you may get extra from Kobo and Boox gadgets. Kindle isn’t the one identify on the town anymore for ereaders, and it hasn’t been for a very long time, and that appears to be a extra pronounced truth now with the introduction of the Colorsoft. If nothing else, Amazon has lastly crammed a obvious gap in its ereader lineup with this gadget.

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft vs. the competitors