When Amazon released its first color e-reader, the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, last November, some people balked at its $280 price. We’ve seen it dip to $225 during Prime Day sales events, but Amazon has now released a new lower-priced $250 Colorsoft model with less storage as well as the “first-ever Kindle in color for kids.”
The two new models are, in fact, the same device but the Kindle Colorsoft Kids ($270) includes one year of Amazon Kids Plus, a two-year “worry-free” guarantee (Amazon will replace it if it’s damaged, no questions asked) and a “kid-friendly” cover. While the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition is equipped with 32GB of storage and features wireless charging and an auto-adjusting front light and wireless charging, both new models are equipped with 16GB and leave off the auto-adjusting lighting and wireless-charging features. The new models have the same adjustable warm light as the Signature Edition but you have to adjust it manually (it doesn’t auto adjust based on your environmental lighting conditions).
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Watch this: Kindle Colorsoft Review: Amazon’s New Luxury E-Reader
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However, several people posted negative reviews of the Colorsoft, making it Amazon’s worst-rated Kindle e-reader, according to its users. These are the hazards of releasing a premium product that doesn’t quite live up to people’s expectations. Some people might have been expecting a similar color experience to that of a tablet with a color LCD. The color E Ink display looks a little washed out by comparison.
Also, it’s worth noting that the resolution is cut in half for color elements on the Colorsoft. The color resolution is only 150 pixels per inch for color, while it’s 300 ppi for black and white. 150 ppi lacks some crispness, but it’s still nice to see e-book covers in color, and having color brings comic books, graphic novels and images more to life. Some people will appreciate that you can also highlight text in different colors like you would with real-world highlighter pens.
