I absolutely love my Colorosft!
I have been using the Kindle since the Kindle Keyboard in 2010, and since then, I have read on a Kindle Voyage, Kindle Paperwhite, and Kindle Scribe. I have always dreamed of a Kindle with a color e-Ink display to read graphic novels and other picture books, so when the Kindle Colorsoft was announced I have been hesitant about getting the Kindle Colorsoft based on a number of reviews that I have seen. It is the first iteration of a color screen on a Kindle, and I am very happy with my Kindle Paperwhite, so I figured I could wait until future generations. However, the Colorsoft was on sale and at a price point that I was comfortable with, so I decided to take the plunge, and I could not be happier that I did. First, I will note that my Colorsoft does not have any of the yellow band issues that other users have experienced. I think Amazon must have fixed that issue, or else I got lucky, but there isn't even a hint of discoloring on the screen, so that's a big win. Second, I was prepared, based on a lot of reviews, for the text to be a lot duller and harder to read than on the Paperwhite. Side-by-side, yes, the Paperwhite is sharper and the contrast is higher, but unless you are looking at them next to each other, the contrast on the Colorsoft is not bad at all. It is easy to use as my primary reader without feeling like I need to go back to the Paperwhite for a better reading experience. As you can see from the zoomed in photos of the text, the ink on the Paperwhite is more on the surface (even the texture looks more like paper) and the ink on the Colorsoft is behind a layer of diagonal stripes with RGB dots that fill the color. It's a very clever design and is very effective for color, but it does take away from the crispness of the text that you can get from the Paperwhite. The black is truer black on the Paperwhite and the white (really more of a off-white or gray) is truer white than on the Colorosoft, but again, unless you are looking at them side-by-side, it isn't super easy to notice the difference. The front light is brighter on the Paperwhite than it is on the Colorosft, but the reality is that I never read at full-brightness anyway. I tend to keep the brightness at a level 10 on the Paperwhite and around a level 16 on the Colorsoft, so I would say there is roughly a 5-point difference between the two. For someone who keeps their Paperwhite at full brightness, this might be noticeable, but for most who keep it at a mid-range, then it really doesn't have an effect. One thing that the photos here don't show well is that the Paperwhite has a bit more of an orangish tone (even when the warm light is turned all the way down) and the Colorsoft has more of a bluish hue, which feels a bit more natural to me. Both are perfectly fine to read on, and I would have never noticed if they hadn't been side-by-side. Where the Colorsoft really shines is the color, of course. I've seen a number of people say they don't read comics or picture books, so the reason for having the Colorsoft is to see color covers. That to me is not a good enough reason to justify the price difference. However, for me, having the Colorsoft for reading comics, graphic novels, and full-color pages is an absolute game-changer. I've tried reading graphic novels on my phone or an iPad, and I find the experience to be very distracting and somewhat uncomfortable. This is a real dream to read on. The colors are, of course, a bit muted compared with a LED screen. As you can see from the zoomed in photos, the colors are not the same definition as the black bubbles, but this ends up giving it a feel similar to old newsprint, which I think actually enhances the experience. There is sort of a sweet spot with the light adjustment to make the page bright enough and the whites white enough without washing out the black. For me, it's about a level 16 with the warmth turned up to around 5. This is actually an argument for the basic model of the Colorsoft rather than the Signature Edition, because I don't actually think a self-adjusting light would be beneficial in this case. Once again, there is a sharpness lost on the Colorosft that you get, even in comics, from the Paperwhite. But, honestly, it's not even close to enough of a difference to make an issue for me. The color experience is so enjoyable that the slight loss in definition does not impact my enjoyment of it at all. I know that some have commented that the screen is too small for comics or graphic novels, but depending on the book, the panel view is excellent and, in my opinion, even a bit preferred. For example, I'm reading Watchmen for the first time on the Colorsoft. I sort of like the panel-by-panel view because, even on a single page, I can mostly avoid micro spoilers for what is about to happen. You still get to see a preview of the whole page whenever you turn to a new page, but zooming in to each panel is a very good way to read comics in my opinion. For some, this might take away from the experience. For me, it's even better. Overall, I am so happy with the Colorsoft. I'm sure that there will be improvements to the screen in future versions, and if yuou are the kind of person who prefers to see the whole page of a comic at once, then the Colorsoft Scribe might be the best option for you. But, if you are choosing between the Paperwhite and the Colorsoft, and the price difference is a factor, or you know that you will only read books and not read comics, graphic novels, or picture books, then the Paperwhite is a truly exceptional e-reader. But, if the price difference isn't a huge factor for you, or if you know that you will be reading comics, then I would say without any hesitation, the Colorsoft is an exceptional option. Read more
