Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition 32GB (2024 model) – With color display, auto-adjusting front light, wireless charging, and long battery life - Metallic Black

Let's get one thing out of the way from the beginning: if the question is "which Kindle should somebody get," the answer most of the time is probably the Kindle Paperwhite. If, however, your pre-existing Kindle is almost a decade old or you're somebody who loves the latest and greatest thing, the Kindle Colorsoft might be for you. If that's you, my experience is that you won't regret diving into a more colorful world. I've been using the Kindle Oasis since 2017. In that time, the gradual degradation of hardware becomes noticeable: the ghostly appearance of text from pages past, the leisurely page turn speed, slow navigation, etc. None of these personal details matter to you, the person reading this review, but I share them because it should help provide some context so you can take my comments about the Colorsoft with a grain of salt if you would like to do so. With that said, I am genuinely impressed with what I've experienced so far. The text is crisp, and page turns are lightning quick. The star of the show, of course, is the introduction of color. I was initially skeptical of how much the color would add to the Kindle experience, especially given the existence of smaller tablets with LCD screens. After about a week with the Colorsoft, I must say I am surprised by how impactful the inclusion of color has been. Seeing the color versions of the book covers in my library is delightful, though I'm not sure why it resonates so much with me. Of course, the colors will be more vivid on an iPad but that misses the point. I enjoy reading on Kindles because they strain my eyes so much less than tablets do. The colors on the Colorsoft may be more muted (though you may be able to goose them a bit if you fiddle in settings), but they still look good, and the trade-off is worth it if you're prioritizing your eyes or if you tend to do a lot of reading in bed. I've seen some comment in reviews that the page turn speed is a bit slower when you go from a color page to a color page, but it hasn't been terribly noticeable for me. If you've gotten this far, you might be wondering about the yellow discoloration that some have noticed at the bottom of the Colorsoft's screen. While I understand that many people had this issue with their devices, I haven't noticed it with mine. Maybe it would show up if I took a photograph of my screen, but if I can't detect the issue with my naked eye, I'm not going to worry about it. With that said, I completely understand if the discoloration would be a dealbreaker. At $279.99, the Colorsoft is priced as a premium device. A premium device should deliver premium performance. Thankfully, it appears Amazon has already taken steps to address this problem for those affected by the discoloration issue. In my experience, though, the screen has been excellent. To sum it all up: the Kindle Colorsoft is really enjoyable to use, and you might be surprised by how much color adds to the experience. However, the price point does make the Colorsoft a bit of a tough sell if you're using a more recent Kindle or don't have issues using a tablet for reading.

I purchased the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft so I could have color images and graphics on many textbooks in my collection, as well as the ability to highlight in different colors, a feature I used a lot on my Android Kindle app but couldn't with my 2021 Paperwhite. The book covers are nice in color, too, bringing a level of dimension to my library that I enjoy a lot. I am giving this five stars as it satisfies my main objectives: The color is good, color highlighting excellent, and the speed of page turns and library browsing is excellent (noticeably faster than my 2021 Paperwhite). The only thing missing is a satisfying "dark mode," as it only affects the book pages and not the whole interface as with the Paperwhite. Perhaps this will change in a future update, but it isn't a big issue for me and the white text on a black background is still excellent for night reading, especially with the amber glow turned to the max. Color highlighting in this mode is also excellent. I do have some caveats, however: The battery drains a lot quicker than the Paperwhite, and the 32GB storage fills up a lot quicker. Also, the "Vivid" color setting seems to switch back to "Standard" sporadically, even if it still says "Vivid" is selected (this might be happening after I select a Restart). These are not serious issues as I just need to charge more frequently and will refrain from downloading my whole library as space fills up, and a reset to "Vivid" handles the color issue until a software fix is available (assuming this isn't just my imagination). In addition, the price is very high for what it offers, so unless color is very important to someone (to view comics, highlighting in color, etc.), the new 2024 Paperwhite might be the better option. UPDATE: An unfortunate issue a lot of reviews have mentioned is a yellow band at the bottom of the screen. At first, I didn't think my Colorsoft had this issue, but now I see a very faint band at the bottom of the screen when reading with black text on a white background. To be fair, I might not have noticed this without the issue being pointed out, and it is a lot less noticeable than some photos I've seen (I have the warmth setting set to 10 normally, which might camouflage the band a little). It looks to me like an issue of the calibration of the LEDs as it doesn't appear when the backlight is off. It is also undetectable with images and using the white test on a black background. Still, it is there, and I am requesting a replacement for when the issue is resolved. I'm keeping my review 5-stars because Amazon has been very responsive regarding this yellow banding issue. Contacting customer service via a chat was a simple process and a replacement request was quickly queued up (replacements, alas, aren't available yet while the underlying issue is being investigated and resolved), and I can keep using my current Colorsoft in the meantime (while noticeable, the yellow band isn't distracting while I read). One of the reasons I keep coming to Amazon is their fantastic customer service, and this is a good example of them doing what they can for an unfortunate situation. UPDATE #2: I received my replacement Kindle Colorsoft and the yellow banding issue is resolved. Again, I feel the customer service response to this issue was excellent and it is a primary reason I continue to use Amazon. UPDATE #3: The firmware update adding system-wide Dark Mode is a game-changer and very welcome addition to the Colorsoft. I prefer reading in Dark Mode and prior to the system-wide version, going outside a book was blinding at night. That issue has been resolved and the Colorsoft system-wide Dark Mode looks beautiful.

The colorsoft seems to be getting a lot of hate, and although I hate writing reviews, I wanted to share my thoughts. I have read the unfortunate reports of issues from other reviewers and I hate they are dealing with issues! However, I've been super happy with mine so far. Sure, there is a faint yellowish tinge at the bottom of the screen if the warmth is on, but it wasn't noticeable until I saw reports and went to check my screen. I'd kept my expectations low when it came to how saturated the colors would be based on other e-ink color screens, but the Colorsoft exceeded my hopes. The colors are lovely, even with the light off. I know many color e-inks are compared to reading a newspaper in color, but I find the Colorsoft to be more pigmented and the graphics are smoother (not grainy). I'm a visual learner and I remember information better if it is color coded or the graphics are in color, so having color for my non-fiction books makes a massive difference for me. And I can finally enjoy cookbooks and how-to art books on my Kindle! I'm sure I'll run into some hiccups since the Colorsoft is a new device, but they will be worth it just for the color quality alone! Also, I was very frustrated with the lag in my Paperwhite Signature. I'm a speed reader and waiting for it to respond to page turns and highlighting would take me out of my relaxed reading "state". The Colorsoft is lightning fast by comparison and that alone was worth the upgrade... At least for me! E-ink devices aren't tablets or ipads. They are often a little clunky and lack the sharpness or rich hues we are accustomed to on those screens. But they serve their purpose well, allowing us to step away from the notifications of our other devices, reduce eye strain/headaches (at least for me), and we can read outside in the sun. The colorsoft may not be for everyone, and there are things Amazon will need to address as with any new device, but I certainly don't regret my purchase! It serves the purpose I hoped it would. My neurodivergent brain is so pleased with the pops of color on my screen and it's so much easier finding books in my library thanks to the ability to view the covers in color. I'm so happy Amazon listened to all the requests for color... Now if we could just get a Scribe in color! *hint hint Amazon team!* I've attached pictures, but please note that if the words in the screen are blurry it's due to my camera, not the device. They are sharper than my PW signature in person. The mouse on the stack of books and the floral/succulent screensavers are both with the device powered off (so no light).

Update 12.31.24: I heard that Amazon had started shipping out Colorsofts with the yellow banding apparently addressed. So I contacted customer service and even though I was beyond my originally allowed return date they VERY quickly shipped me a new device and a label to return the defective one. Not sure what they did or how they did it but my main (really only) issue the yellow band is gone. The color is sharp and just lovely. I’m enjoying it just as much as I’ve enjoyed every kindle I’ve had. This is at least my fifth generation of Kindle device and I’m still happy with the overall Kindle ecosystem. Highlighting and note taking are helpful when writing reviews and the multi color option of highlights let me categorize and annotate easily. While I still would have appreciated a more forward and front facing response and communication with those of us who purchased from the original run (I learned from a friend new ones were shipping, not Amazon), I’m willing to call it “new device bugginess” and just enjoy my device to its fullest. Original review: I was so excited for the arrival of a color e-ink e-reader to the Kindle ecosystem. I’ve been a kindle super user for about a dozen years now, I’ve tried out nearly every device Amazon has released in my perpetual pursuit of the perfect reading experience. This wasn’t it, it was close but for a device that costs nearly $300 retail any issues would be troublesome, but the yellow banding at the bottom of this device is kind of a big deal, and it isn’t just me. What Amazon could have done is come out and address this immediately, let customers know they are aware of the problem, they’re working on a fix, which may or may not be a firmware update. Or just do a full scale recall and head back to the drawing board for now. Instead what we’ve gotten is a patchwork of responses from regular customer service, each one a bit different. Any information we might have regarding what the plan to address the issue is from other owners who’ve tried to contact customer service, or review sites trying to help us decide the next step device owners might take. As it’s the first gen of color e-ink some issues were expected, but the lack of a clear plan for what is clearly a WIDESPREAD issue, and clear next step guidance for owners of their newest, device is lacking and until Amazon Kindle comes through with that we sit in limbo with a very expensive device with a major flaw. Removing this flaw from the review equation I would say this device is a strong 4 stars, the color itself is exactly the tone and brightness I’d been hoping for in a color ereader, the battery life is as expected and it’s a great addition to the Kindle family (but sadly the yellow screen banding overshadows all of the good about the device currently).

Update on 8/15/2025: As of this date, I have gone through six Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition devices and they have all had yellowing. I had kept one back in 2/2025 but the yellowing got bad enough that I contacted them and they agreed to allow me to return it to them. Now they are saying that they didn’t get the correct device and I’m not sure what the status of my refund is. The reason that they are confused is because they are expecting the original one back but I exchanged that one a long time ago. The one I returned is the last replacement. On top of that, they guaranteed me that they would put my trade in value of $28.00 back on my account and they never did. So they took my old device and did not give me the money for it. I have spent hours on chat with them and they simply do not understand what I am trying to tell them. It has been very frustrating. On top of that, there are rumors of a “new” Colorsoft Signature Edition coming out that has an upgraded motherboard and a screen without the yellow banding flaw. Theoretically these are already in other countries but the Colorsoft Signature Edition in the US is the exact same one that it has always been. I bought and returned one just a few weeks ago and it was the worst one I have seen so far. I also grabbed one from Best Buy when it was $100 off and I didn’t even bother registering it because I could see the prominent yellow banding along the bottom. Back at the end of 2024, Amazon told people who had the yellow band that they would replace them with devices that didn’t and as far as I can tell, they have not kept that promise. They took my money for my trade in and I am still waiting to see if I get a refund for the one that I sent back. Several of their customer service told me not to worry about it and it would be fine but I’ve heard that before and it has never been fine. The Amazon Colorsoft has been a disaster from the start and it doesn’t appear that they’ve done a thing to correct it. Perhaps there is another one coming or maybe it is just internet rumors. Either way, it’s a shame that I have spent almost a year trying to get a device that works correctly and I have not yet had luck with any of them. Update: When I first wrote this review, I was contacted by Amazon and given a choice - return the Colorsoft devices I have and get my money back or be “put on a replacement list”, hold on to the current one, and wait for it to be replaced with a good device. I chose to hold on to the devices and wait. For over a month, they didn’t contact me and I contacted them numerous times to ask. Each time they said that replacements were not available and then they did replace them. Amazon has replaced one Colorsoft twice and one once. Every single one of the replacements has the yellowing at the bottom of the screen and at various places on the screen. One of them had dark spots in it that look like dead pixels, even though I have been told that these don’t have dead pixels. Online, I have seen many instances of Amazon replacing defective, yellow Colorsoft devices with stock that has been inspected and many of these actually look good according to pictures people are showing of their replacement. These come with a note saying something like it has been tested and does not have the issues the original does. It also comes with a little sticker of some kind. None of the three that I have received had the note or the sticker, indicating that they were replaced with regular stock that is still defective. Yes, I was put on a list, but I had to do all the legwork and pester Amazon to replace them at all. It should not have been that way. All of the reps that I dealt with have been friendly, as they always are. But I got all sorts of different answers in the emails. Some said that I needed to call Amazon, some said that I needed to chat with them on the website, and some said that I just needed to continue to wait, with no additional information about when I could expect a replacement. This is not being handled well at all. I now have FIVE defective devices that I need to pack up and return. I have no faith at all that there are replacements coming that won’t be defective and after almost three months of this saga, I just need it to be over. Original Review: For the record, I have ordered many Kindle devices, both Fire and regular Kindle, and this is the first time that I have been disappointed in a Kindle device. I have been waiting for a color capable Kindle since they stared allowing highlighting on Kindle devices. I am a highlighter and make many highlights in books I read and I like to use color, so I was excited that I could have a Paperwhite that would allow me to do this. I bought two of them, one for my wife and one for myself and I have noticed the same issues on both. First the pros. In my opinion, the color is pretty well done. I wasn't expecting color like I see on an LCD/LED device like the Kindle Fire and I didn't get it. Compared to that type of device, the color is a bit muted. That's not a bad thing, it's just how the technology works. The page turning responds quickly and the highlighting works as expected. It's also a light device and after using the Kindle Fire Max 11 to read books I want to highlight in color, it was a delight to hold such a light device. I did buy the Kindle Leather cover for it and that adds a bit of weight. The cover is actually disappointing as well, but that's an issue for another review. The disappointing. When you look at the book list, there is a Home/Library selector at the bottom that has a yellow tint, presumably to separate it out from the rest of the page. The problem is that the yellow carries over to whatever book you are reading. So select a book and there's a faint yellow bar at the bottom of the screen that does not disappear with page turns. The result is that the bottom of the screen looks dimmer than the rest of the screen. If it weren't for that yellow bar, the screen would be pretty even. But it is very distracting to constantly have it at the bottom of the screen like that. There is no dark mode. I do not normally use dark mode on Paperwhite type devices because they are easy on the eyes but I thought I'd give it a try to see if it eliminated the yellow bar. Instead they have a Page Color feature that makes the background very dark grey. It is not dark mode because it is not black. Amazon does have a little blurb at the top of the product page stating that dark mode is "not currently available". Perhaps that indicates that it will be enabled in the future. Lastly, the text is... well, it's just different. I know it is 300 ppi but the text is a little bit grainy. I suspect that it is because of the color layer and it might just be how it is for these types of devices. I know other manufacturers have had color e-readers for a while but I haven't looked at any of them. Also, the screen shows some grain. It's not bad, but it is noticeable. Again, perhaps it is just the technology. The interesting The one interesting thing to me is that there is no page refresh switch on this device, or at least I couldn't find one. I thought that if there was, it might work to eliminate the yellow bar. That's not an option. The decision This is a tough decision for me. The yellow bar seems like something that could be fixed with a software update. If that's the case, I'm not sure how it was missed in product testing. It was the first thing I noticed when I started reading with it. There is a segment of the population that just uses products without looking at them but there are also many that actually look over the product to make sure that it works and looks right first. There are also people who don't even notice things like weird color tints and shifts, but I am not one of those people. So my decision comes down to whether I have faith in Amazon providing a patch for this issue and if it can even be fixed. My wife is happy with hers because she is reading the books with dark page color. I am also wondering if I will lose the 20% off if I return mine and keep my wife's. I suppose that is something I would fight Amazon for if they did it. More than likely, I will hang on to it until 11/30 and if there is no fix, I will return it. Perhaps I will wait until December and get a new one with the extended return period or I will just pick up a new Paperwhite and wait until the next generation of Colorsoft. Either way, I am not keeping a $279 device with a yellow bar on the bottom of the books I read.

I like getting new technology, so I could not resist getting this new Colorsoft. It is slightly larger and the screen is brighter as compared to my Paperwhite 2021. So the big difference of course is the color which is available for book covers, highlighting, children’s books, magazines, and comics. The color is subtle, and not like color on an iPad or Computer. It is fun however. The screen is very responsive to touch. I also have a Scribe. It has many more LED lights so the screen is much brighter, it is much bigger and heavier and of course you can write on it. However it is not cozy to curl up and read with it. The Paperwhite is certainly cozy. The Colorsoft with the little larger screen and color is a very cozy and readable. So when it is my reading time, the Colorsoft is the one I reach for. Update: I have now seen a number of tech columns mentioning a problem with the Colorsoft Screen. They have mentioned a yellowish tint at the bottom of the screen. They said that Amazon is accepting requests for return or replacement because of this issue. I took a closer look at my Colorsoft and I did see a yellowish tint at the bottom of the screen and running partway up the right side. It wasn’t near the text. It wasn’t visible when you put it on the dark screen setting. So if Amazon is offering replacements I decided to try calling and see what the say about a replacement. I do not want to return it because I am very pleased with the Colorsoft otherwise. I contacted Amazon 2 different ways. One should have been the Kindle support number. Both did not seem to be aware of the issue. They both left the phone for a period of time and then seemed to be saying that yes there was an issue. After many repeats of the conversations they appeared to be saying it was a software issue and they were working on it. The first one said there would be a replacement when they get new ones. However there was no case number given to me, even though I asked for it. She had taken the device’s serial number and had my account information at the beginning of the call. At the end of the call I had no confidence anything would happen. So I called a Kindle Support number I had. This person was better at pretending she new about the issue. Again after much prodding and me repeating back what she was telling me nothing was clear. She too said it was software that they were working on it, that replacements were on back order. Again no case number. I would have liked to see that they staff have been informed of the issue and the next steps, and actually making a case file to be put on record that if the software issue if any was not resolved that I was on a list for a brand new corrected replacement. Those things were not clearly done. The Colorsoft is a really nice model and I could certainly live with this if I knew that this yellowish band would not spread upwards on the screen.

I absolutely love my Kindle so much. You’re actually able to highlight in five different colors with this Kindle not only can you see the covers of your books in color which I do love to do but I also enjoy having different colors to be able to highlight it also, this is the only Kindle that allows you to change from scrolling to a tapping option. It automatically comes with no ads, but you are able to turn on the feature where it will show you the book you’re currently reading when it’s locked which I really enjoy. It’s slightly dark so you can’t always see the color very well, but that’s because it’s not on when you have the book open. It’s great. I always adjust my size to being pretty big. You have different options. I enjoy how it’s kind of more warm tone, but you can always make it cooler or warmer. ! If it’s perfectly in the front of my lounge fly bag and I love that that pocket doesn’t work for like anything so I figured it would be perfect for my Kindle and it is!! the back of this Kindle, where it has the Kindle logo actually kind of has a rainbow, which is adorable. It doesn’t really matter that much but I think it’s just because it is the Kindle color soft. Some people have mentioned complaints about the screen feeling weird. I don’t find it to feel weird, but that might be because it’s my first Kindle I’ve never really experienced how it used to feel or for other models! I really enjoy the features that this Kindle offers. It’s really fun to read comic books and other things on it as well that have pictures and it’s definitely really great. Have never struggled to use it. I usually stick to the pink highlighting color. it’s just my preference. It’s super lightweight screen is easy to clean. The Kindle itself is easy to clean. You have different options that you’re able to pick for your color style and your page color. You can also turn on auto brightness and things like that! I really like this Kindle and I’m really glad I got the version I did model wise. It really just fits me and my lifestyle really well. The color looks beautiful. I really enjoy it personally.

A perfect upgrade/2nd device to my 2018 (32gb) Kindle PW, especially considering it’s the 1st Gen of its kind. I was initially scared it’d feel a lot bigger than my current 6” reader (which I love size-wise because it fits in even the smallest of bags/pockets), but it honestly isn’t too noticeable & still light/easy to carry with me on-the-go. One of the first things I noticed was its speed & how much faster it was than my PW model. The 32gb of storage space was also something I didn’t want to compromise on because, imo, it’s such great value for the money and I really hate how they limit the other models to only 16gb (the Oasis and Scribe models just aren’t for me/too large & expensive). Regarding issues others have pointed out in reviews (and hence why I am updating my own review, after now having my CS for about a week)— I have yet to experience any *major* problems with the screen color or brightness/warmness (my device does have a very faint yellow tint at the bottom, but it’s barely noticeable so I really just…. don’t care lol, it doesn’t impact my reading at all). My favorite part is how you can switch the Color mode from “Standard” (for a more subtle, muted look) to “Vivid” (higher contrast than the latter setting, but still easy on the eyes & not too jarring). Lastly, I also love that Dark Mode + other misc things (like adding custom fonts) are still available. It IS worth noting that Dark Mode only works for [most] books & does NOT currently extend out to the Main Menu headers/Homepage— I say “most” because I have some downloaded files on my Kindles and, even though they’re the right file format (.epub), they don’t always allow for certain features to work for whatever reason. I genuinely didn’t realize that Dark Mode didn’t work across the board, so that was a little disappointing to discover later, but hopefully it’s something that can be fixed via software updates or in later Generations! For some added context: I have really bad eyes & need to wear glasses daily but, even so, I still do *not* view this as a dealbreaker on whether or not the CS device is worth it, because I still believe it is. Rather, I just use my PW at night & at home (so that I can utilize Dark Mode to the fullest), and keep/bring my CS now when I’m out or at work. Overall, my recommendation is just to do your own research on each model before buying! If some of the features (or lack thereof/limitations) are a dealbreaker for you, I’d consider holding off or buying a different model. However, if you’re just looking for a simple & new or supplemental e-reader that has plenty of space AND also just happens to be in color, I’d say this one fits the bill just fine!