Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition (32 GB) – With colour display, auto-adjusting front light, wireless charging and long battery life

Its not often I am an early adopter of new technology but a coloured e-reader or Kindle has been something that has been on my own technology wish-list for several years. Finally this year through Kobo with its Clara and Libra Color (colour from here on out). I am well entrenched in the Amazon ecosystem and due to my vast library and pretty much positive experience I am happy to stay there too.I will say that prior to a colour reader from Amazon, the Kobo did catch my eye and I was almost going to get one but decided to wait. They look a fun device but for me it is missing the certain something and it looks not as premium or well made as a Kindle (no joke intended). Also I have searched for many books I own on Kindle on the Kobo store and not found them available so that was another mark against the Kobo.Then Amazon announced the Kindle Colorsoft and my dream came true… Then it came out and was what people feared it to be a rushed product that was blighted by issues since launching. Notably a yellow band across the screen and (something common to both Kobo and Kindle) dead pixels. Due to the backlash and negative feedback the device has been limited in availability and taken off shelves up until just before Christmas (typically when all presents have been decided and bought).I decided I deserved a New Years gift and it was in stock so on the 4th January I ordered it expecting it the 7th and to my surprise it arrived on the 5th and dear reader… She is beautiful! Is she perfect? No, but we can overlook all that.It was with baited breathe I waited for the delivery and opened it, having read reviews and posts and seeing other peoples experiences I was expecting at least a hint of yellow banding but to my surprise it is perfect. No yellowing or dead pixels at all.I have been using it for a few days now and I have to say I am pretty impressed with it so far. It is not perfect but it is a wonderful step into the World of Colour and e-readers.PriceIt is an expensive piece of kit? Worth it? That is subjective and for me yes it is worth it and I will enjoy using this device and get value from it and many years of use. I expect it to be another 2 or 3 years before a second coloured Kindle. Given the amount of issues with QC I would not keep a premium product at this price point unless it was 100% perfect. I wouldn’t settle if it was just a little yellow etc.ScreenWith the new technology going into this, it is going to look a little different to the previous models of Kindle, it is a completely new technology. The screen looks papery, not as crisp and clear as a normal Kindle but not too bad either. Looks a bit like thin tracing paper laid over the screen.Colour is where this shines and compared to Kobo it looks a lot more vivid and clear and less ghosting when zooming. The implementation of the technology has been superior in Kindle. The colours pop nicely and compared to the greyscale normal of the kindle the colours do make a difference. Contrast is where it is let down as it is very dark and renders the colours not too good especially the darker it is. I do prefer my brightness up. How the screen is affected by the sun I don’t know yet and haven’t tried (UK here!).Images are not glossy like a magazine, similar to a news paper, if you want vivid images read on a tablet with Kindle App.I did expect more from it and the lock screen, it is cool to see the cover and in colour but like all Kindles the lock screen isn’t backlit so you don’t really see the colour. If there are future devices I would love to see a wake function for the lock screen where the screen can brighten and show off the cover without opening the Kindle.PerformanceExcellent performance, feels more snappy and quicker. Not had any issues with anything especially once all the indexing was completed. No stuttering or ghosting encountered.OtherI do have the Jade vegan case to go with the Kindle, my first Amazon case having only ever used third party cases and if feels good quality and well made. Certainly feels a premium product to go with the Colorsoft.A big negative is that with the generation of Kindles (possibly the last too) Amazon has done away with the “Download and Transfer” feature for the new models. Which means you can no longer download a copy of your purchased titles to transfer via USB. It still works for older models but not the new ones.OverallA great device and addition to the Kindle and e-reader family but a device that can be so much more. For the first one it is an admirable effort and hopefully can be built upon and do more with it. Imagine a Kindle Scribe Colour or a Kindle Oasis Colour? Would that be more making the Kindle a tablet and too similar to a Fire tablet? Where do you draw the line? For me some slight adjustments to this and you have a perfect reader. The same screen technology with the Scribe = perfect. Perhaps an illumination feature for the lock screen to show off the book covers. Perhaps too the long requested buttons? Could also have a toggle for Colour/B&W? So many possibilities.All in all a great product and certainly a base to build from

Update 4: January 9, no update from Amazon so I am still waiting for a replacement Kindle. Recent reviews of Kindles received suggest the banding problem remains, at least in a high proportion of devices shipped. I’m patient in the hope that Amazon are producing new Kindles with manufacturing changes as the software’s update merely hides the problem. I would still advise potential buyers not to purchase the Colorsoft at present. It’s ironic that customers who, presumably, are interested in a colour experience from a Kindle are receiving a device with a yellow band at the bottom of the screen!I note that the warning notice on the product page advising on the banding has now been removed by Amazon. That’s disappointing as the problem persists.Update 3: In mid-December I received a replacement Kindle Colorsoft. It’s clear that Amazon have played with the software’s screen settings. By default, with the same screen brightness and hue figure set the replacement has a warmer yellow look. Unfortunately this seems to be an attempt to disguise the fact that the yellow banding is still there. Setting both screens to look the same - which means that a direct comparison between the brightness and hue settings screen show different values - the yellow banding remains. Since, during daylight, I prefer a whiter screen, this is not a solution at all!Clearly a software update to make the screen appear yellower is not a solution. At first Amazon wanted me to agree for the replacement Kindle to be sent away for ‘repair’. This is not acceptable for a brand-new, straight out of the box, product. They have now asked me to wait for a third replacement.Amazon really need to own this problem and be straight with customers. If they persist with merely trying to disguise the screen problem, for a very expensive Kindle, I’ll return all of them and will also request a refund for the charging base I purchased and the premium leather cover - which is now scratched. Kindle Colorsoft’s are now shipping again in the UK. I have yet to receive one but fear that they are sending these out with just the software update and no expensive hardware changes.Update 2: I posted an updated review a couple of days ago concerning the unacceptable yellow hue on the Kindle screen. That revision did not result in my review being updated which is strange to say the least. So I’m trying again.I would not buy this Kindle until the issues are resolved. I was initially offered a replacement which was not acted on even though the website indicated a replacement would be sent. Having spoken to CS this evening they could then only offer a refund and not a replacement. This is complex as I also purchased the premium case and the wireless charging unit. They now promise to get back to me in 72 hours. We’ll see if that happens and whether this review is updated on the second attempt.And the second attempt at a revised review has been posted. That’s good. What’s not so good is that Amazon Customer Service sent me an email, within 72 hours, as promised. I was offered a refund or a replacement in their email and was required to contact Customer Service. On doing this I was told that a software update was already ready to go and in one or two weeks the screen issues would be resolved. However, the Amazon contact was rather more eager to just refund me, and when I said that this screen issue must have been software driven I did not get a clear response. So I’ll see what happens in a couple of weeks and try and update the review again. Frankly I’m skeptical that this is a software problem and note that new colour Kindles are still not available for around eight weeks. I was told they would be in stock by the end of November. A software update should be relatively easy so availability doesn’t quite stick to the narrative.There’s no doubt a strong element of incompetence here from Amazon!I should also note that the 150dpi colour display results in pixelated fonts which in DK guidebooks I’ve used with the Kindle is very noticeable.Original review:This must be my fifth or sixth Kindle including the three generations of the Oasis and the last generation of the Scribe. I like the Scribe due to its size but it’s not as portable as I’d like.This Colour Kindle is compact, but still with a 7” screen which was a big upgrade on the early Oasis 6" screen. The colour quality is the best I’ve seen on a e-Paper device. It lacks the IPad Pro colour but that hurts my eyes to read and it uses different OLED technology. As such the Kindle is good but since the min drive to buy this Kindle is because it supports colour the low 150dpi is poor.Downsides are the price of the top of the range case and wireless charger but I think the Kindle itsself is good value - even through I also purchased the two accessories. Certainly a third-party case would reduce the cost the and charging station is not really necessary.In performance terms the 300dpi grey/amber ‘mono’ screen is better than the Oasis. The colour is at a lower 150dpi which shows a bit but it is still a joy to read illustrated books - especially guide books which I found barely satisfactory in mono. It’s also fast and has a vast memory of 32Gb - a lot of books even comic books. Page turns are instant and the page refresh is massively fast.So, on balance this is my most flexible Kindle and it’s about time Amazon produced a colour version!Overall a strong four star ratings for me. Plus early tech magazines and reviews give it high scores.Recommended.As I noted above, due to the screen issues I wouldn’t buy this Kindle at present and the dpi for books in colour is poor.

I’m really very impressed with the Colorsoft for build, speed, surprisingly vibrant colours and quality.Unlike a few other reviews I’ve read, the Lock Screen does display the book cover in colour but you have to have it set to ‘vibrant’.Addressing the yellow banding issue - yes I do think it’s still there but most of the time I think that it’s visible because I know about it and have read so much about it. As to whether I can live with it, that remains to be seen. For the price of the product, which is premium, it shouldn’t be there and I’m hoping that Amazon can fix it with future updates. It’s currently not affecting my reading.I can’t comment on what Amazon have done so far to sort the yellow banding but I believe they have tweaked the lighting colours (that’s only reading comments so just hearsay and conjecture) I have a Kindle Scribe and the screen on that seems far better and the white ‘pops’ whereas the new Colorsoft doesn’t seem to hit the same wow.To sum up, there are a couple of negatives in my review there so why 5 stars? Well I’m coming from a 2018 Paperwhite which felt painfully slow in comparison; the yellow hue really isn’t that bad for me (at the moment) and despite what people may say about the colour, it really does add depth to my experience with the device.I’ll likely add to this review over the next month whilst I decide if this is something I can live with for the next 6 - 7 years or if I decide to return and wait for Amazon to truly fix / replace or update the device.For now though, I really can’t put it down.