Colour has finally come to the Kindle with the arrival of the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition. Or, as we prefer to call it (because that's a bit of a mouthful), the Kindle Colorsoft.
It costs £269.99, so it’s not one of the more affordable Kindles. Is it worth it, and how does it stack up against the rest of the best Kindles out there? I’ve been using it for several weeks to find out.
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft: At a glance
Pros
- The only Kindle with colour
- Great for multiple colour highlights
- Long battery life
- Auto-adjusting front light brightness
- Waterproof
Cons
- Highly expensive
- Lower resolution for colour content
- Slight lag when reading graphic novels
- Quite large to use one-handed
Key specifications
| Screen size | 7-inch |
|---|---|
| Screen resolution | 300ppi in black and white, 150ppi in colour |
| Waterproofing | Yes |
| Storage space | 32GB |
| Connectivity | Wifi |
| Backlight | Built-in light with adjustable warmth |
| Battery life | Up to 8 weeks based on 30 minutes of reading a day |
What I like about the Kindle Colorsoft
There’s loads to like. For many people who’ve been patiently waiting for a Kindle with colour, this is probably the model of their dreams.
It’s effectively the same highly portable size and weight (give or take a few grams) as the 2024 Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, and has many of the same benefits of that model (which I highly recommend). These include wireless charging, auto-adjusting brightness, IPX8 waterproofing, fast page turns, quick refresh rate and access to Amazon's vast Kindle library and syncing features.
I initially used it just like any other Kindle for reading regular books. The text is crisp from the high-resolution 7-inch display, and it feels as snappy to use as the Paperwhite. The auto-adjusting light is great for reading after dark.
I then moved on to reading a comic book, and that’s where the beauty of its colour screen really started to show. You get the glare-free paper-like quality of E Ink, but with the addition of vibrant colour, so it looks more like you’re flicking through the pages of a graphic novel. It’s a much better screen than the one I’d previously tried on the Kobo Clara Colour.
Choosing books from your library and browsing the Kindle store both feel easier with the addition of colour covers, and you can show the cover of the book you’re reading on the lock screen, too (or one of the great screensavers). I’ve found the screen looks best for colour content with the brightness up and the “vivid” mode turned on.
Beyond the likes of graphic novels, travel guides, history books, cookbooks and fantasy tales with maps, the Colorsoft could also be a good pick for students or anyone who likes to highlight. You get an expanded range of colour highlighters (yellow, pink, blue or orange) and it’s easy to switch between them. You can also then filter by highlight colour, which is great if you have your own reference system.
What I don’t like about the Kindle Colorsoft
The first major notable downside is that this is expensive for an e-book reader. You’re looking at spending at least £200, even when it’s on offer. If you’re not sure if you’ll read colour content, it’s not worth it.
The Kindle Paperwhite is the better buy if you’re after typical black-and-white text. It’s not only more affordable, its contrast and clarity are better, and its screen is more “paper-like” overall with the fastest page turns of any Kindle. It also performs better when it comes to battery life, delivering up to 12 weeks of use on a full charge, compared to the (still impressive) eight weeks of use from the Colorsoft. As is always the case, this is based on a limited amount of reading time per day – your battery will drain faster if you read more than this!
One thing worth noting about Colorsoft is the resolution, too. While black-and-white content shows at a high 300ppi resolution, anything in colour drops to a much lower resolution of 150ppi. It’s not always noticeable, but you might spot it.
Compared to the Kobo colour models, the Kindle Colorsoft doesn’t allow you to easily access articles on the web, which would look great on its colour screen. You’re only able to get books via Amazon’s store, or you can send certain file types to the Kindle.
The Good Housekeeping verdict on the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft
This is only worth the price if you know you'll want to read books or graphic novels in colour or use the highlight feature. If you’re unsure, we’d suggest considering the Kindle or Kindle Paperwhite over the Colorsoft. Think you might need a bigger screen and note-taking capabilities? Look at the Kindle Scribe instead.
However, if you’re certain you’re going to use the features of the Kindle Colorsoft, it’s a fantastic model. The display quality is terrific, the battery life is impressive, and it has the same great storage capacity, wireless charging support, speedy page turns and upgraded contrast of the most recent Signature Edition. I’ve enjoyed reading in colour on this model, and there’s something special about being able to view your book covers in full detail too.
If you love the sound of the display upgrades and want the most premium and cutting-edge Kindle right now, it’s the one to pick.
Check out more tech reviews and explainers: Best Kindle cases | Kindle Kids review | What is Amazon Kids Plus? | Best cheap phones | What is Kindle Unlimited? | What do you get with Amazon Prime?
Simon Cocks is Good Housekeeping UK’s Technology Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy for the title. He previously also worked across other titles including Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, e-book readers and smartphones. He's reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and money-saving advice guides and edited thousands of in-depth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.
You can follow Simon on Instagram, on Bluesky, on LinkedIn and on Threads.
