The Amazon Kindle Colorsoft is Kindle's first color e-reader — a 7-inch color E-ink display with 300 PPI that makes comic books, illustrated books, and magazine covers come alive for $329 CAD.
10 mentions · 3 threadslast mention Apr 2026
Real comments from Reddit, linked to the original thread. Nothing paraphrased.
It's too expensive to overlook the shortcomings. Not really because it is a bad device. When Kindle Paperwhite 3(2016) released it had some seriously uneven backlight along the bottom but it was never this upsetting. Most likely because it was easy to forgive when the device started at $120 without any discounts and went for less than $90 on sale.
I would agree, and that's fair, but IMO, I also think Kindle users expect more out of near $300 Kindle, K3 screen or not... it amazes me how much Amazon really fumbled this release and had such a blunder to their new flagship device. I just hope Amazon takes note, but they probably won't.
This is brutal for a Kindle device... Man I just looked at the chart and the Kindle prices have really gone up. 160 for the paper white and you have to figure in 20 more to remove the ads since they don't do it by request any more. I really don't like the ads because it feels like I'm renting it and it's mine. After CA tax that's 200. Oof
I'd rather wait for a real, hardware fix.
I agree. I've never ever researched other e-readers until I had to return my Colorsoft.
I do wonder if they will lower its price when they re-release it in the coming months, to be more competitive at least. I am just happy this has happened, even if I loved the Colorsoft (only had it for a day before returning it). Amazon needs to step up and they've been sleeping on their laurels.
I have the ColorSoft (not signature) and I would compare the color to newspaper comics as opposed to an iPad experience which is like a glossy magazine. I love both my oasis and CS for reading!!
Correct. Like kindle going to kindle PW with only upgrades. I thought this just meant a kindle PW w Color. alas. However, if it was cheap (and by 50%) I might have gotten it for comic books.
I believe the mixed reviews are before they fixed the issues with the colorsoft yellowing. Also the text does look slightly more grainy than the papersoft signature that my wife has so take that into consideration. I have the colorsoft signature edition and love it so much. They comics do have kinda of a watercolor feel to it but I actually really enjoy it. Maybe check one out at a store in person to see if you like the style.
I just ordered the Kobo Libra as a result of all this. Decided last weekeend to buy a Colorsoft, but with the continued delays they've led me to try the competition, which I'd previously been unaware of.
Owner reports on the Colorsoft are mixed to negative on price and hardware polish: 6 of 10 mentions are negative, with "buyer regret" and price/value the two most frequent themes (3 mentions each). Multiple owners describe returning the device or switching to a competitor (one to a Kobo Libra) after the launch's well-documented delays and reported hardware issues, and pricing draws repeated pushback — one owner calls the current lineup pricing "brutal for a Kindle device" once ad-removal fees and tax are added. Color display quality is a secondary complaint tied to an early yellowing issue, which several owners note Amazon has since addressed, alongside comparisons describing the E Ink color rendering as grainier than the black-and-white Paperwhite/Signature line. Owners who do keep it are positive about the reading experience, comparing the color rendering favorably to newsprint for comics. This fits buyers specifically wanting color E Ink for comics/graphic content who buy after the early fixes; price-sensitive readers or anyone burned by the launch issues are better served waiting for a price drop or sticking with the standard Paperwhite.