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Amazon Launches First Kindle With Color Display [Updated]

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Amazon today refreshed its popular Kindle e-reader lineup, introducing the first Kindle that has a color display. The $279.99 Kindle Colorsoft has a 7-inch high-contrast display that Amazon says offers "paper-like color."

kindle-colorsoft.jpg

While Amazon has released tablets with traditional LCD displays that support color, the Colorsoft is E Ink like Amazon's other Kindle tablets, but with new technology that allows for color. Amazon is using LED pixels and a new oxide backplane for color without impacting resolution or increasing latency when turning pages.

There have been rumors that Apple has tested electronic paper display (EPD) technology for future devices, including color EPD, which is similar to what Amazon has just rolled out. Back in 2022, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple tested E-Ink's Electronic Paper Display for future foldable tablet applications, and he said that color EPD could perhaps become a mainstream solution for the cover screen of a foldable iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Color e-ink is still newer technology, but there are other products like the Remarkable Paper Pro that use it.

Amazon says that the Kindle Colorsoft is its brightest Kindle yet, and the display is able to adjust the front light for any lighting condition. It continues to have a 300 pixel-per-inch resolution for black and white, with a 150 pixel-per-inch resolution for color.

Amazon today also unveiled an updated $399.99 Kindle Scribe that supports note-taking with a white-bordered display and a screen that has a paper-like texture. It comes with a Premium Pen that feels like an actual pen, complete with a soft-tipped eraser for erasing. AI integration allows for summaries and bullet point lists of notes taken, and notes can be refined to have a more readable font.

Other new additions include the latest Kindle Paperwhite, which Amazon says is its fastest to date with 25 percent faster page turns, and a new matcha color for the entry-level Kindle. The Kindle Colorsoft will ship on October 30, while the Kindle Scribe will ship on December 4. Other Kindles are available now.

Update: This article was updated to provide exact pricing at Amazon's request. The prior version listed the Kindle Colorsoft's price as $280 instead of $279.99, and the Kindle Scribe's price as $400 instead of $399.99. Note that Amazon's listed pricing is before tax, so customers who live in areas where sales tax is collected will see total prices higher than $279.99 and $399.99. There may also be shipping fees for customers who do not have Amazon Prime.

Article Link: Amazon Launches First Kindle With Color Display [Updated]
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/10/16/amazon-kindle-color-display/
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rulymammoth said:
This is cool, but the pixel density really takes a step back on the color version.
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There had been speculation that Amazon was holding out for a newer e-ink variation that rolled out in the past year that features full 300ppi resolution, but I’m guessing for cost and performance reasons they went with the slightly older version, albeit with a bunch of Amazon-specific customizations. At least all grayscale elements are still rendered at full resolution, so only color accents and elements will be rendered at half-resolution.
 
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I’d be extremely curious how these compare to the ReMarkable, the newest of which has a color display AND the note-taking in a single device, which Amazon isn’t offering here.

This has been such a long time coming. It’s exciting to see color e-ink finally becoming good enough for mainstream products. As this matures further, it’ll be really interesting to see if Apple takes advantage of it. These displays would completely change the game in terms of battery life.
 
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ThisIsMike said:
I’d be extremely curious how these compare to the ReMarkable, the newest of which has a color display AND the note-taking in a single device, which Amazon isn’t offering here.

This has been such a long time coming. It’s exciting to see color e-ink finally becoming good enough for mainstream products. As this matures further, it’ll be really interesting to see if Apple takes advantage of it. These displays would completely change the game in terms of battery life.
Click to expand...

The Kindle Scribe is positioned against the ReMarkable, but lacks color. The new update today has AI transcriptions and text recognition, but reportedly it’s all offline and coming to the first Scribe as a free update.

Very hopeful Apple gets into this tech!
 
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rulymammoth said:
I've never used a color e-ink screen. Is the experience that much worse for book reading?
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I've watched reviews only over the past three years and yes it does appear to be worse for basic book reading than a standard monochromatic kindle or Kobo screen. For what I can see for now colour for book readers appears to be more of a sales gimmick than a blessing.
 
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iGeneo said:
Yes, I get the whole built for purpose screen.. great battery and minimal distractions, but the reality is that I'd rather just use my iPad Pro (11)
Click to expand...

Meh, I've tried iPads over the years and keep going back to my e-ink kindle. It's my most-used and longest lived gadget, having used the same one since April 2014.

I'm curious about this new color model, but I don't really read anything with illustrations.
 
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mectojic said:
Kindle was first launched in 2007. First Kindle with colour display - 2024. That's 17 years.
Compare to Apple's iPod, launched in 2001. First iPod with colour display - 2004. 3 years.

Apple always innovates faster. Kindle should've had R&D on this years ago.
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Amazon isn't a hardware company first. Apple is. That makes a difference, me thinks.
 
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I read a lot, a lot of books on my 2020 Kindle Paperwhite. The Amazon Kindle folks do not get enough love. For a purpose-specific device (reading) Kindle is fantastic. Of course they use the "Kindle Wall" to ******tify some things. E.g. used to be able to return books using the link in my libarary browser window. Evidently Amazon/Overdrive forced a change that disallows this, so now must return books at Amazon. Spoke with a library tech guy about this and he was "...what can we do?" Hopefully these new products are not the starting point for further ******tification of the Kindle experience. I have my doubts however. NOTE TO TIM: You really missed the boat here. NSC.

Edit: ******* Evidently Corey Doctorow's widely accepted term is no longer allowed here.
 
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mectojic said:
Kindle was first launched in 2007. First Kindle with colour display - 2024. That's 17 years.
Compare to Apple's iPod, launched in 2001. First iPod with colour display - 2004. 3 years.

Apple always innovates faster. Kindle should've had R&D on this years ago.
Click to expand...
Apple doesn't make displays, and this is e-ink tech. Unsure the point of this comparison.
 
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needsomecoffee said:
I read a lot, a lot of books on my 2020 Kindle Paperwhite. The Amazon Kindle folks do not get enough love. For a purpose-specific device (reading) Kindle is fantastic. Of course they use the "Kindle Wall" to ******tify some things. E.g. used to be able to return books using the link in my libarary browser window. Evidently Amazon/Overdrive forced a change that disallows this, so now must return books at Amazon. Spoke with a library tech guy about this and he was "...what can we do?" Hopefully these new products are not the starting point for further ******tification of the Kindle experience. I have my doubts however. NOTE TO TIM: You really missed the boat here. NSC.

Edit: ******* Evidently Corey Doctrow's widely accepted term is no longer allowed here.
Click to expand...
I'm struggling to figure out what was redacted. Hint?
 
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I plan to buy the new Scribe. I’ve been waiting for the upgrade. Specially for the software update.
 
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