Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition review: is this rainbow-hued device worth the price?

“Because some reading experiences deserve nature’s full palette” reads the tagline of Amazon’s latest launch, the Kindle Colorsoft.

But how on earth can one recreate the true sensory wonder of reading via an e-reader?

I’m a bit of a bookworm. I always have been; my parents bought me a Kindle for my 15th birthday. Very quickly and much to the chagrin of my poor parents, it got chucked in a drawer, never to see the light of day again. I couldn’t shake the joy of reading from physical pages – the smell, tactility and texture; the feeling of cracking a book spine for the first time, making notes in the margins and making coffee rings that seeped through to the next chapter.

Books tell a story beyond the words printed on their pages.

Simply by leafing through an old tome, I’m transported back to uni, or further back as a heartbroken teenager. I’m taken back to exploring novels for the first time, as I did as a child. Some bookworms are purists, keeping their volumes in mint condition at all times - but not me. My collection is thumbed through with folded pages, written over and splattered with the ghosts of a thousand hot drinks. It has lived.

So, am I the perfect person to put Amazon’s new, technicolour reading device to the test? Actually yes, because it has a lot of winning me round to do.

I’ll be fair. Kindles have evolved in terms of technical capabilities and – of course – the sheer size of the digital library on offer. Battery life has extended, speed and contrast improved, display screens have grown, and the worldwide e-Bookshelf currently contains over 15 million titles, more than I could ever squeeze onto my bookshelves.

Here’s the low-down on the latest 7-inch, colour display Kindle with its premium storage, enhanced display, and faster page-turning.

(Kindle)

Kindle Colorsoft Key Specifications

Other key features:

Tactility

What’s the difference between reading on a Kindle and an iPad? Given the hefty price tag, why not just buy a tablet? For one, bookworms who read until their eyes turn red will cherish the wonderful lack of backlighting on the Kindle. Even with the new colour display, the device is easy on the eyes and makes reading for extended periods more comfortable than ever.

I enjoyed how speedily the touchscreen interface reacts, but was disappointed by how quickly the screen became stained with fingerprints.

That’s because all Kindle touch-screen models require swiping or tapping to turn pages. Holding down a word offers an immediate dictionary definition, or an ability to highlight (now in multiple colours), extend the highlight, share the text or make a note. If you do make a note, a little reference number appears next to it. Those with poor eyesight will rejoice for the simple pinch zoom capability.

(Kindle)

User-friendliness

The set-up was a breeze at home. Once signed in through my Amazon account, I was prompted to let the Kindle begin a software update to ensure it was up-to-date, which took a few minutes as it also needed to restart.

The process begins by asking whether you’d like to make the Kindle child-friendly, before offering a Kindle Unlimited subscription for £9.49 a month, then offering one to Audible for £7.99 a month. Reminder: the device is almost £300, and most users likely already have Prime subscriptions.

Upon scrolling the library, I was disappointed by how lifeless the supposedly vivid colour display was. An improvement from black and white, sure – but not exactly what was promised.

I quickly clocked how to switch to ‘vivid’ colour display as opposed to ‘standard’ which helped somewhat but still left me wanting. By far the best feature is the auto-brightness, which adjusted seamlessly as the light changed in the window behind me. The ability to shift between a warm and cooler display tone was also effortless and highly effective.

My biggest qualm, however, is how unclear it is whether you’re purchasing a book simply by downloading it. Sweetpea appeared in my library immediately after having hit download, which made me feel like a kid who accidentally charged hundreds of pounds worth of Candy Crush lives to their parent’s credit card. Thankfully, it is currently one of the bestsellers included in Prime membership, so no payment was required. Phew.

Display

I also downloaded the cult-classic manga Attack on Titan (another free option for Prime members) to put the colour display to the ultimate test. I turned off auto-brightness to get the full effect and…well, nothing. I couldn’t turn a page. I was stuck on the title page - until it glitched and took me halfway through the book.

While the paper-like quality of the display is remarkable and highly effective, navigating the comic was difficult. Each page was rendered quickly and with great detail, but it took more time than I’d like to admit for me to figure out that you had to scroll the opposite way, since it’s a Japanese graphic novel. Experienced graphic novel readers may scoff, but I’d suggest Kindle come up with some kind of autocue to help newbies enjoy e-reading things like manga.

Verdict

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition (32GB)

Amazon’s latest Kindle device is the Colorsoft, promising the best reading experience yet.

Though indeed complete with a premium, high-quality display with fantastic auto-brightness and temperature adjustment features, don’t expect the Kindle Colorsoft to render book covers and comic book pages like an iPad or tablet would. Part of what keeps Kindle lovers coming back for more is the easy-on-the-eyes, non-backlit and impressively paper-like display which truly helps users feel like they’re getting a break from classic screens.

Though it doesn’t add a whole lot more to the Kindle options already on offer, if you’re in the market for a new device, it does have some lovely features. These include the colour and glare-free display, as well as an eight-week battery life, a built-in auto-adjusting front light and a waterproof finish.

Buy now £269.99, Amazon