The original Kindle Colorsoft was a slam-dunk despite its $280 price tag. Now, Amazon is introducing a cheaper 16GB model for $250—it’salmostidentical to the standard 32GB Colorsoft, just with half the storage space and fewer quality-of-life features. Plus, the first-ever Kindle Colorsoft Kids bundle is now available for $270.
Priced at $30 less than its big brother, the16GB Kindle Colorsoftboasts a full-color touchscreen display, a front light with adjustable color temperature, a waterproof design, and a battery that lasts several weeks. The only difference between this andthe 32GB model—aside from the storage, of course—is the omission of automatic frontlight adjustment and wireless charging. But I’d argue that these are non-essential features.
Kindle Colorsoft (16GB)
Amazon’s 16GB Kindle Colorsoft eReader offers a 300 PPI full-color display with an adjustable frontlight and a waterproof design. It’s excellent for readers who love comics, manga, or any other books that contain colorful images.
There’s also the newKindle Colorsoft Kids bundle, which includes a 16GB Colorsoft eReader, a protective case, 12 months of Amazon Kids+, and a two-year no-questions-asked warranty. If your kid smashes the screen, Amazon will replace it. Priced at $270, it seems like a nice way to get kids interested in reading, since it can show illustrated books, comics, and book covers in full color. It could also be a good option for adults who are willing to pay $20 extra for a generous warranty.
I should take a moment to clarify that full-color E Ink has a duller, dimmer appearance than standard E Ink. It’s hard to read a color E Ink screen in a dim room, so you’ll find yourself leaving the Kindle Colorsoft’s frontlight powered on when reading indoors (unless you keep your home super-duper bright, I suppose). Black and white E Ink is more comparable to real paper—it’s legible in a dim room without any additional lighting. So, unless you plan on reading comics or other books that contain a lot of color, you should probablyget a regular Kindleinstead of a full-color model.
