Amazon Admits: Kindle Colorsoft Falls Short for Bookworms, Here’s Why

In the past year, Amazon introduced color to its Kindle Colorsoft series, although the color e-paper technology might not offer the optimal reading clarity.

According to updates on FAQ pages for the Kindle Colorsoft and the newly unveiled Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, these devices provide a “high-quality reading and writing experience.” Nevertheless, these updates also acknowledge that other Amazon e-readers present a “slightly sharper black and white” text output.

“The display’s texture or brightness may appear different compared to the Kindle Scribe display, due to the color filter layer designed to facilitate a comfortable color reading experience on the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft,” an excerpt from the FAQ explains.

For those prioritizing the sharpest text display, the page suggests opting for one of Amazon’s monochrome e-readers, a recommendation that comes as a candid and refreshing admission from a major corporation.

E-Reader Display Technology

Experts at Good E-Reader have noted that many current color e-readers, such as the Kobo Clara Colour, use a Kaleido 3 e-paper display. This tech reduces the resolution to 150ppi in color mode, which is noticeably less sharp when compared side-by-side with a monochrome display.

The color quality is quite suitable for enjoying comics, magazines, and colorful PDFs. In our review of the Kindle Colorsoft, Tony Polanco highlighted its effectiveness for reading comics and manga. However, he noted that the Paperwhite provides a sharper image for regular black and white texts.

While the difference might not be stark, a side-by-side comparison might reveal a slight blurriness.

Vibrant Reading Options

One benefit of e-readers is their e-paper displays, which are gentle on the eyes, particularly in dim lighting. Adding color to these displays broadens the range of content you can comfortably read, but it may not be the best for all types of colorful literature, such as graphic novels.

We’ve discovered that the iPad is an excellent choice for reading comic books. The iPad Pro OLED, one of the top tablets overall, boasts a bright OLED display and a slim design that makes it easy to hold. It excels particularly in displaying double-page spreads.

If you prefer a device similar in size to the Kindle, the iPad mini 7 is an attractive alternative that is less expensive than the Kindle Colorsoft Scribe and only slightly more costly than the 16GB Kindle Colorsoft, priced at $249.

The current iPad Mini starts at $499 for the basic 128GB model.

In our comparison of the iPad Mini and the Kindle Paperwhite, we found that Apple’s tablet is ideal for manga or comics due to its excellent contrast and size similar to Amazon’s device.

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