Key Takeaways
- Amazon is delaying shipments of its new Kindle Colorsoft e-reader.
- The delay is in response to complaints about quality control issues relating to the display.
- Colorsoft units are now expected to ship in the mid-to-late November timeframe.
Just a few short weeks ago, Amazon officially unveiled its next-generation lineup of Kindle e-reader products. Early impressions of the new hardware were positive, with the $280 Kindle Colorsoft being the clear star of the show. The Colorsoft is notable for being the first-ever Kindle with a color E ink display, which is an emerging technology with the potential to improve the overall reading experience.
Unfortunately for Amazon, it appears that early Colorsoft units are suffering from quality control issues relating to the screen itself — users are complaining of a film-like graininess, as well as a distracting yellow tint being displayed over their content.
Related
Amazon brings color and AI to its refreshed Kindle series
Amazon has revealed a comprehensive refresh to its Kindle lineup, including a color Kindle for the first time.
Why is my Kindle Colorsoft shipment being delayed?
Amazon is temporarily halting sales of its new flagship e-reader
Amazon
As reported on by Good e-Reader, Amazon is temporarily canceling shipments of its Kindle Colorsoft e-reader. The product was initially slated to ship on October 30, but the company now intends on delivering units to customers in the mid-to-late November timeframe.
“Anyone who ordered or pre-ordered the device will not receive it until November 9th to 18th in the US and November 26th in the United Kingdom,” says Good e-Reader’s Michael Kozlowski.
While Amazon has yet to make an official press statement on the matter, the company’s customer service department has confirmed on X that a software update is in the works. It’s unclear whether an over-the-air update will be able to entirely solve these display issues, or whether a bigger hardware defect is at play.
Amazon’s Kindle Colorsoft listing currently sits at a user review score of 2.6 on Amazon, with hundreds of disgruntled users complaining of a noticeable yellow bar at the bottom of the product’s screen, as well as overall image fuzziness. Many users have stated that they’ve developed headaches after their reading sessions, as well. Amazon appears to be taking these complaints seriously, as it’s taking the drastic measure of pulling the emergency break on all shipments of the product.
Related
What Amazon’s next Kindle needs to beat the Kobo Libra Colour
Amazon is due for a new Kindle, but unless the company makes some changes, devices from Kobo and Boox are only going to look better and better.
Is color E ink the future, or is it simply a passing fad?
E-readers with E ink technology are beginning to hit the mainstream market
Amazon
The Kindle Colorsoft represents Amazon’s first consumer foray into the world of color E ink, but other e-reader manufacturers are utilizing the tech in their own products as well. The Kobo Libra Colour and the Boox Go Color 7, for example, are both available on the market, and are both equipped with color E ink displays of their own.
In fact, Kobo has a growing color-clad e-reader portfolio, currently consisting of the well-received Libra Colour and Clara Colour products. The Clara is a $150 model with a 6-inch screen and a lightweight form factor, while the Libra is a higher-end $220 product with stylus support for annotations and note-taking.
When it comes to reading comics, graphic novels, and cookbooks, the benefits of color-infused E ink go without saying. E ink remains a remarkable technology, able to simulate physical paper while remaining highly visible even in bright and sunny outdoor conditions.
…it’s unclear whether the company will need to perform a more drastic hardware re-work.
While Amazon may have stumbled out of the gate with its first color E ink product, it’s hardly an indictment of color E ink as a whole. We’re seeing more and more e-readers incorporate full-color displays into the mix, and I expect this trend to continue in the years to come.
As for the Kindle Colorsoft itself, we’ll have to wait as Amazon investigates the root cause of the display problems plaguing early units. Both the strange grainy image and the yellow tint effect are serious issues, and it’s unclear whether the company will need to perform a more drastic hardware re-work.
