With the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, Amazon launched its first color-capable e-book reader on the market. The anticipation was great, as the new device promised a vivid display of book covers, comics and graphic content. However, the first buyers were disappointed: a yellowish hue and other flaws in the display apparently impaired the user experience and led to criticism.
The most important facts in brief
- Main problem: Yellow tint on the display disturbs the reading experience.
- Uneven backlighting: Intensifies the color problem in different lighting conditions.
- Short battery life causes frustration
- Value for money: Many buyers consider the product to be under-engineered for the price.
+++ Update 07.11.24 +++
In the meantime, Amazon has contacted us with a statement on the problem:
“We have received a small amount of feedback from customers who see a yellow stripe at the bottom of the display. We take the quality of our products very seriously. Affected customers can contact our service department to receive a replacement device or initiate a refund. We are making appropriate adjustments to ensure that this problem does not occur on new devices in the future.”
Amazon
We have also been informed that Amazon is responding to affected customers with the greatest possible goodwill. For example, buyers of the Kindle Colorsoft can continue reading on the e-reader until the replacement device arrives. According to Amazon, it is currently working on fixing the problem so that it no longer occurs in future devices.
Kindle Colorsoft: Reasons for disappointment
There was great excitement when Amazon launched the Kindle Colorsoft (€ 289.99), its first in-house color e-book reader, alongside its latest version of the Kindle Paperwhite (€ 179.99) and Kindle Scribe (€ 369.99). However, a look at the customer reviews of the color e-reader shows that the community is not overly enthusiastic about the Colorsoft. But why is it that the reader, which is predestined for comics and other color content, has been punished with a current overall rating of three stars?
The biggest criticism of the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition concerns the display, which is said to often have a yellowish tint instead of strong and natural colors. Users find this particularly annoying when reading comics or other colorful content where accurate color reproduction is crucial. The yellow tint not only affects the aesthetics, but also the legibility of the content, especially with high-contrast illustrations.
Some buyers suspect that the color problems are due to technical limitations in the display, such as the LED backlight. This does not appear to work evenly, which means that the yellowish tint is perceived differently depending on the lighting conditions. As a result, the display may appear even more yellowish depending on the ambient lighting, impairing the reading experience.
Kindle Colorsoft: Battery apparently too weak
Another point of criticism is the general color reproduction. Colors often appear pale or slightly distorted, which is particularly noticeable with detailed illustrations. For buyers who often read illustrated e-books, comics or illustrated books, this is a major drawback. The colors do not appear as vivid and realistic as users of color e-readers or tablets expect.
Customers also complain about a surprisingly weak battery. Amazon actually promises a battery life of up to eight weeks for its color e-reader with a daily reading time of around 30 minutes. However, one review of the e-reader states that the battery is said to have dwindled from 100% to 36% after just three hours of reading.
Conclusion
The launch of the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition was bumpy for Amazon, as the main sales feature – the color display – fell short of expectations. For readers who attach great importance to precise color reproduction, the yellowish display tone is a major drawback. However, Amazon intends to make adjustments in this respect with a software update. On the other hand, it is questionable whether the apparently very short battery life can be extended simply by means of a software update.
