When it comes to Kindles, Amazon has not had a great week. It started with reports that new Kindle Colorsoft owners were seeing a distracting yellow band at the bottom of the display.
Soon after, it was alleged that Amazon was cancelling Colorsoft shipments. The shopping giant has acknowledged the display flaws and offered refunds and replacements for affected Colorsoft owners. "We’re making the appropriate adjustments to ensure that new devices will not experience this issue moving forward," a spokesperson told Tom's Guide. At the time, it was not revealed what might be causing the yellowing issue.
But now, we might have an idea of why the flaw appeared. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote on X that the issue has been traced to Amazon utilising a different version of a component for the Colorsoft display than the one used on the best Kindles with a monochrome screen.
Kuo wrote, "Amazon's use of a different OCA [optically clear adhesive] than that used in grayscale e-paper displays. This change was implemented to enhance the limited contrast capabilities of E Ink's Kaleido color e-paper technology. While component suppliers have developed several hardware solutions, Amazon seems to be leaning toward a software-based fix."
Assuming this is correct, whatever adhesive Amazon picked appears to degrade quickly, causing the yellowing problem.
We should note that in our review of the Kindle Colorsoft, the yellowing issue was never a problem. We've checked the device multiple times since the reports started coming and the Kindle we tested does not appear to have the yellow band.
Tom's Guide has reached out to Amazon to confirm that the adhesive is behind the yellow band and will update this article if the company responds.
Presumably, Amazon either via software or hardware fixes, will have the problem resolved soon so future models of the Colorsoft shouldn't have a yellow band.
Still, if you're looking to try the first Kindle with a color display and willing to roll the dice, it will hit the wallet for $279.99 / £269.99. As we said in our review, "this is the Kindle I've been waiting for. It really is a terrific device." Once the stripe issue is resolved, it might be the Kindle to get.
