When it comes to making the switch from traditional paperbacks to digital reading, many readers opt for a Kindle, and for good reason. Its e-ink screen is easy on the eyes, it can hold thousands of books without filling your room, and its reading interface is highly customizable to your liking. But some users say the black-and-white Kindle looks too boring and less attractive than the vibrant screens of phones and tablets.
This is where the Kindle Colorsoft comes into play. The Colorsoft seems to be the happy medium between an e-ink e-reader and a color tablet. It retains that paper-like screen that makes reading on your Kindle better than on a smartphone. And thanks to its touch of color, your library and your colorful magazines, comics, and manga become more visually pleasing.
However, behind these advantages, the Kindle Colorsoft also has some disadvantages. These may or may not matter depending on your preferences. But before you ditch your basic Kindle or Paperwhite for a Colorsoft or buy Colorsoft as your first Kindle, you should keep these tradeoffs in mind.
Battery life is shorter.
If there’s one thing Kindles are known for, it’s their long-lasting battery life. They can easily last for weeks on a single charge (especially if you turn on airplane mode on your Kindle), so you won’t have to stay plugged into a wall outlet while you delve into your books. The Kindle Colorsoft is no exception to this expectation. Colorsoft Base and Colorsoft Signature Edition can last up to eight weeks. That’s assuming you only read 30 minutes a day in Airplane mode, with a brightness of 13. Eight weeks already seems like a long time, but if you look at the battery life of other Kindle models, you’ll realize that the Colorsoft’s is actually shorter.
For example, the Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition are both tested to last up to 12 weeks under the same conditions as the Colorsoft. That’s about a full month longer than the Colorsoft. The new Kindle Scribe (without front lighting), on the other hand, has a battery life of 16 weeks, double that of the Colorosft. The only model Colorsoft beats is the base Kindle, designed for just six weeks of battery life. On the bright side, Colorsoft’s charging time is similar to the models’. It takes about 2.5 hours to fully charge and be ready for your next reading, so you’re not exactly punished by long downtime.
The Colorsoft may seem expensive for what you get.
The Colorsoft isn’t exactly the most expensive Kindle as of this writing. This goes to the Kindle Scribe family, which costs over $430. That said, the Colorsoft still costs significantly more than the basic Paperwhite and monochrome Kindle models. You can get the base Kindle for $110, the Paperwhite for $160, and the Paperwhite Signature Edition for $200. Meanwhile, the Colorsoft starts at $250 and goes up to $280 for the more premium Colorsoft Signature Edition.
This price hike might not be worth it for everyone. After all, for the non-comic/manga reader, the only main benefit you get from Colorsoft is the colorful book covers and colorful highlights. Of course, colored book covers are more attractive and make it easier to choose a book to read. The different colored reflections also help organize things better. But outside of those use cases, the Colorsoft performs like the more affordable Paperwhite. If you frequently read color comics, graphic novels, and manga, the high price may be worth it because you can really get the most out of Colorsoft.
If you are a standard novel reader and still want to experience reading on a Colorsoft, you can always keep an eye out for discounts before purchasing one. Amazon regularly runs promotions, where you can get the Colorsoft for just $170.
The display is different from the Paperwhite.
Both the Colorsoft and Paperwhite feature the same 7-inch screen size, but the technologies behind these screens are completely different. If you’ve ever read on a Paperwhite, you’ll see subtle differences that may put the Colorsoft Kindle at a slight disadvantage. On the one hand, users say the Paperwhite offers much better clarity than the Colorsoft, which is a little softer. In fact, if you’ve never used a Paperwhite before, you might not even notice the difference.
When it comes to reading plain text, the Colorsoft and Paperwhite active page feels the same. But for colored pages, it’s a different story. There is a bit of lag when turning pages on the Colorsoft compared to the Paperwhite. But then again, you’ll eventually get used to the speed over time, so it may not be a real problem.
In terms of warmth and brightness, the Colorsoft appears a bit darker at the lowest brightness level and has a cool blue tint. Meanwhile, the Paperwhite is already bright even at brightness level 0, and it looks more neutral rather than warm or cool. That said, you may need to increase the Colorsoft’s brightness slightly when reading in a well-lit room or outdoors.
