By Julie Clover
Amazon today updated its popular Kindle line of e-readers, introducing the first Kindle with a color display. The $279.99 Kindle Colorsoft has a 7-inch high-contrast display that Amazon says delivers “paper-like colors.”
While Amazon has released tablets with traditional LCD displays that support color, the Colorsoft is an E Ink tablet like Amazon’s other Kindle tablets, but with new technology that allows it to display color. Amazon uses LED pixels and a new oxide backing for color without affecting resolution or adding lag when turning pages.
Apple is rumored to be testing electronic paper display (EPD) technology for future devices, including a color EPD that is similar to what Amazon just rolled out. Back in 2022, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple was testing an E-Ink electronic paper display for future foldable tablet applications, and he said that a color EPD could possibly be a mainstream solution for the external screen of a foldable iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Color e-ink is still a newer technology, but there are other products like the Remarkable Paper Pro that use it.
Amazon says the Kindle Colorsoft is its brightest Kindle to date, and the display can adjust the front light to suit any lighting conditions. The resolution is still 300 pixels per inch for black and white printing and 150 pixels per inch for color printing.
Today, Amazon also unveiled an updated Kindle Scribe for $399.99, which supports note-taking with a white-bordered display and a paper-like textured screen. It comes with a Premium Pen that feels like a real pen, complete with a soft eraser for erasing. AI integration lets you make summaries and lists of notes you’ve taken, and notes can be enhanced to have a more readable font.
Other new additions include the latest Kindle Paperwhite, which Amazon says is the fastest to date with 25 percent faster page turns, and a new Color Match for the entry-level Kindle. The Kindle Colorsoft goes on sale October 30, while the Kindle Scribe goes on sale December 4. More Kindles are available now.
Update: This article has been updated to provide the exact price as requested by Amazon. A previous version listed the Kindle Colorsoft price as $280 instead of $279.99, and the Kindle Scribe price as $400 instead of $399.99. Note that Amazon's listed price is before taxes, so customers who live in areas that charge sales tax will see a total price higher than $279.99 and $399.99. Shipping fees may also apply for customers who don't have Amazon Prime.
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