review with features, price and specifications

For the first time in its history, a Kindle offers color e-ink display. The new Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition boasts precisely a panel in which it will be possible to enjoy this option both in conventional books – cover, highlighting of paragraphs – and in reading comics.

The color proposal is certainly striking. The question is whether that feature alone is worth it or whether an e-book reader with a monochrome screen is enough. This is precisely what we have tried to find out in this analysis.

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft technical sheet (2024)

A compact design that also slims

The new Kindle Colorsoft stand out first of all for their slightly larger diagonal than the previous ones. Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2021).

We pass from 6.8 to 7 inchessomething that also makes the device slightly heavier and bulkier than that immediate predecessor. That will probably make it impossible to put it in your shirt or pants pocket, but it is still a very manageable size and that small increase in diagonal is appreciated during reading sessions.

The differences in size and weight are hardly noticeable, although it is true that this new model is slightly slimmer (from 8.1 mm thick we went to 7.8 mm). The construction is absolutely made of matte black plastic, although it is curious that the screen boasts color but the design does not: curiously, it is the new Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite that are offered with cases in other colors other than black.

Another decision of this design is also surprising: the device's on and off button is at the bottom, next to the USB-C connector. It is also slightly prominent, which in my tests caused the occurrence of involuntary pulsations.

It would seem more appropriate to place it on the side or on the top, and given that there is no automatic screen rotation – there is only one on my Kobo Libra H2O – and also the lower and upper frames do not They are symmetrical, which can be a nuisance for users.

Of course in my case, accustomed to a reader with a camouflaged power button on the back and with automatic screen rotation, I have noticed the difference… and it was one in which the Kindle lost out. On the other hand, the IPX8 rating is appreciated, which provides peace of mind: we can take it to the beach and the pool without fear.

The Kindle was already good. Now it's better

This new Kindle offers a pixel density of 300 dpi (dots per inch) in black and white text and images, but that density drops to 150 dpi when displaying color content. Even with this clear reduction in pixel density, the quality of the text and images, at least in terms of definition, is notable.

It is a screen, with Kaleido 3 technology, also with maximum remarkable brightness and contrast, superior, for example, to what I enjoy in the Kobo reader. That can be useful in some scenarios, although I would say that this maximum lighting is even excessive when, for example, you use it when reading in the room before going to sleep. Even applying warm tones it is very high.

In this model we have an interesting option: the one with automatic brightness which, depending on the light conditions detected by the device, allows you to adjust the screen brightness automatically. The feature is convenient and very welcome, and in my tests I have found that it works really well.

The Amazon Kindle ecosystem works exceptionally here, and getting the reader up and running by synchronizing it with the Kindle app on my Android phone was a matter of a few minutes. Amazon continues to be the absolute reference when it comes to buying books in electronic format, and being able to see the covers in color in the store certainly makes a difference.

Here the focus is more closed than we would like. I use virtual library services like eBiblio, and the books I borrow there cannot be read on this Kindle because they use Adobe DRM, which is not compatible with Amazon readers.

Once we start reading, the Kindle Colorsoft hardware proves to be a capable ally. Page turning is fast —but not instantaneous—although it is true that it suffers slightly when reading comics, where that page turn presents a small additional delay.

One thing is certain: the sensitivity of the screen is fantastic – perhaps excessive, sometimes I accidentally turned pages by touching the screen lightly and involuntarily – and the detection of our touches and gestures is outstanding. It would be great to be able to customize actions associated with touches in a certain area.

The web browser experience is especially amazing. First of all, for the good: with aesthetic information, reading content is a great experience.

But secondly, for the bad: the color support and the slow screen refresh make this type of function mostly anecdotal. It's good to have that option, but Its usability is very limited although that color support adds spectacularity to the result.

The user experience continues to maintain all the virtues of the Kindle veteran. The home page displays both selections from our library and recommendations from Amazon.

We will also have access to a search bar, and if we want we can access all the books we have in our library and then filter it if we need it. The settings and configuration menus are accessible with very natural and easy-to-learn touch gestures, and the options are clear and simple. Here it is above all about enjoying reading, and it is appreciated that the focus is precisely that.

The possibility of underline fragments of text It takes on a new dimension here thanks to the possibility of making it in four different colors: yellow, pink, blue or orange. The appearance of this underline is somewhat “gray” if we do not apply some brightness on the screen, but it certainly provides an interesting option to differentiate highlights thanks to those colors.

In our tests we did not even manage to exhaust the battery life (1,700 mAh), which according to Amazon can last about eight weeks. After about a week of using it an hour a day on average with the brightness off most of the time, the battery dropped to 86%: it's reasonable to think that we can actually go without charging it for many weeks.

The possibility of charging it wirelessly is another good news, although it seems almost accessory considering the exceptional battery life that this device has.

The big question: How about reading comics?

Color support made it inevitable to try the Kindle Colorsoft with graphic novels or comics (with manga, in which the use of color is less frequent, it doesn't matter as much). Electronic ink technology has always offered a promising alternative when it comes to enjoying this type of content, although in this case a good tablet always offered a much more striking experience. Can the Kindle Coloroft change things?

The truth is that in this product we find practically the same limitations as other competitors. First of all, the screen size. The seven inches do not help if we are dealing with comics in which the page size is not reduced. I have presbyopia and although it is not noticeable at the moment it is increasing, so to read content comfortably on the Kindle Colorsoft I especially appreciated the 1x glasses.

For the comic with which I did the tests, a copy of 'Spider-man and Venom', not even those glasses were enough, and I needed to make the pinch gesture with my fingers continuously to be able to read the texts. In a conventional tablet this gesture is instantaneous, but in electronic ink readers the delay condemns the experience and makes it very unpleasant.

Thus, reading the comic becomes a small torture, and although it is feasible to do so, the experience is not good. At least not if you don't have a privileged view. If this is the case, it must be recognized that the definition of the images is more than decent, but here the second limitation appears: what is harmed is the colorwhich like other e-ink screens is turned off. It doesn't matter if you activate the “Vأvido” mode of the Amazon reader: the tones still have a pastel finish that takes away from the spectacular nature of content that tends to stand out precisely for that characteristic.

If what we want to load are color PDFs, things can improve thanks to the contrast control that we can access in the settings (in the source selection). Lowering the contrast makes colors lighter and brighter, and certainly improves the experience and vibrancy of those colors. It is a pity that this option and contrast control is not available globally in all types of content.

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft, Xataka's opinion

The Kindle Colorsoft is a really attractive product: color support gives a new dimension to these legendary e-book readers, and there will surely be those who appreciate that option. In my case, however, said support is not sufficiently differential: The screen diagonal and those dull colors still don't convince me if I want to read comics.

That makes the black and white version of the Paperwhite Signature Edition more attractive to me. The difference in price (199.99 euros for the Paperwhite versus 299.99 euros for the Colorsoft in the 32 GB version) is too important to think twice about.

And yet, the fact that the Kindle Colorsoft is part of the family is great news. For those looking for an electronic book reader with a color screen, it is undoubtedly an interesting alternative.

Mأ،s informaciأ³n | Amazon

This device has been provided for testing by Amazon. You can consult how we do reviews on Xataka y our relations policy with companies.