Well, October was exciting. After waiting for years, Amazon announced and released its first color Kindle. I was ready to plunk down some money, expecting a superb eReader. But I also knew that at a high $280, I should wait for the initial reviews. Glad I did. Because oh boy, the Kindle Colorsoft launched with a discoloration issue and lack of a true Dark Mode. And even if I wanted one now I couldn’t buy one because Amazon paused orders until the issues are resolved. Yikes.
The folks at Good E Reader have kept me informed with their coverage. You can catch-up on things there.
It’s sad because otherwise, the Colorsoft sounds good enough if not great. I love hearing and seeing in reviews that the overall speed is much faster. And while many folks report some kind of “Screen Door” effect, rendering Colorsoft text slightly less crisp and clear than Paperwhite text, it still seems plenty good for at-length reading. The clarity issues might not even be noticeable unless you compare a Paperwhite and Colorsoft side-by-side.
BUT. Let me tell you, as much as I like and want color eInk (book covers, highlights, manga…), I’m starting to consider skipping the Colorsoft in its first generation and instead going one more with the Paperwhite. I’d get exactly what I actually need: super crisp text and a proper Dark Mode. And I’d get everything I want except color: fastest-ever performance, auto-light adjustment, and wireless charging.
Here’s the kicker: if I choose the new Paperwhite Signature edition, I’ll get all that while saving $80.
Sooooo I’m going to be waiting a while. We’ll see if Colorsoft resolves its issues. If all good, then I would wait for a great sale price; instead of $280, I think $250 max.
Until then, guess what? I’m going to enjoy some great reads on my slower last-gen yet lovely Kindle. Sure, I could stick with it, but one other reason I want to upgrade is unique. I plan to use the newest Kindle so I can share my now-previous-gen Kindle with my family. It’s just much easier to “loan” eBooks for them to read. All the Kindle books I buy on my account can be directly shared with my wife and kids while I keep reading on my other Kindle. There are no special hoops to jump through; I literally just hand the device to them like a “real” physical book.
Can you imagine putting down a Kindle while in the middle of an un-put-downable book? Me neither.
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