The missing link in Amazon’s ereader lineup

In the end, how a lot heat or cool gentle you favor whereas studying is as much as private style. My preferences would lead me to regulate the heat on the Kindle to be a bit increased than zero, mimicking that of the Kobo. In an unscientific ballot of the Engadget employees, each in particular person and with gadget photographs, everyone most popular the display screen on the Kobo. I believe the slight added heat in Kobo’s display screen makes colours seem a bit extra saturated and extra inviting total. It additionally will get near mimicking the look of precise bodily pages (as a lot as considered one of these gadgets might, no less than), and that’s the expertise I’m going for after I learn just about something. However I might perceive why some hardcore comedian followers would wish to begin off with probably the most color-accurate baseline as doable, after which modify from there to suit their preferences.

Along with adjusting the nice and cozy gentle, the Kindle Colorsoft has vivid mode, which “enhances shade in much less saturated pictures.” For the sake of efficacy, most of my time was spent in commonplace mode when testing the Colorsoft. However in attempting out vivid mode, I seen that its enhanced saturation was most noticeable in warm-toned pictures: reds appeared ever-so-slightly extra putting, whereas oranges and yellows had a extra bronze impact and the like. However I needed to flip vivid mode on and off just a few occasions to clock the impact as a result of it’s fairly delicate.

Then there’s the query of really studying phrases on the Colorsoft. Even the Kindle group consultant I spoke with acknowledged that, because of the additional bodily layer within the display screen that permits shade, one would possibly discover a bit much less sharpness and distinction in black-and-white textual content on the Colorsoft’s display screen. That’s not distinctive to this specific Kindle — each shade ereader can have this challenge to some extent.

When evaluating the text-only expertise of the Kindle Colorsoft to that of the Kobo Libra Color, I discovered each to be fairly good and comparable to 1 one other. The place there’s a much bigger chance for discrepancies is in a comparability of the Colorsoft to, say, the brand new Kindle Paperwhite. I didn’t have the latter gadget to match to, however I did have my private, previous-generation Paperwhite, and the distinction was ever so slight, with the usual Paperwhite having the (small) higher hand within the distinction and sharpness departments.

Studying expertise

The colour display screen is probably the most consequential factor concerning the Kindle Colorsoft, and chances are high should you’ve had a Kindle prior to now, the studying expertise on this new gadget will really feel fairly acquainted. The Kindle UI hasn’t modified a lot, nonetheless dividing the primary display screen into Dwelling and Library choices. The previous is principally an area for Amazon to serve you personalised ebook suggestions and promote new Kindle releases, whereas the latter exhibits your complete digital library together with books, paperwork, Audible audiobooks and library loans. The Library web page is putting in shade and there’s something undeniably satisfying about seeing all your title covers in full-color glory.

Whereas studying a ebook, you possibly can nonetheless customise and save completely different themes with fonts, font sizes and web page layouts that finest fit your preferences. You continue to have the choice to rapidly navigate inside a title by web page, location, chapter and even common highlights. Web page turns are speedy and can possible be an enchancment for anybody coming from an older Kindle or different ereader.

Annotations and your individual highlights are collected in the identical place for simple reference, and with the latter, you possibly can filter by spotlight shade as effectively. You will have 4 colours to select from on the Colorsoft — orange, yellow, blue and pink — so should you use the yellow highlighter to mark favourite quotes, you possibly can then filter by simply that shade. Observe that each one highlighting and note-taking have to be executed together with your fingers as a result of, in contrast to the Kindle Scribe, the Colorsoft has no stylus help.

The pinch-to-zoom function on the Colorsoft is nice for many who learn loads of graphic novels and comics. Amazon developed a customized algorithm to make this movement as clean as doable, and it’s a reasonably good expertise, albeit not a novel one. It’s also possible to pinch to zoom on the Kobo Libra Color, which principally helps get in nearer to comedian panels to learn small textual content or higher see minute particulars.

On each gadgets, there are full-screen refreshes while you pinch to zoom on shade pictures and the velocity of completion is roughly the identical. I additionally discovered picture high quality to be fairly comparable as effectively, and it’s price noting that artwork model can skew your impression of a picture’s high quality. A comic book that employs clear, distinct strains in comparison with one which’s extra grungy and watercolor-like will all the time come off extra crisp.

The Colorsoft, just like the common Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version, additionally has an auto-adjusting entrance gentle that guarantees to light up the show excellent relying on should you’re studying exterior on a sunny day, at the hours of darkness cabin of an airplane or anyplace else. It’s a pleasant {hardware} perk to have and, with the function turned on, removes a lot of handbook fiddling that some would possibly discover annoying to do once they take their Kindle into completely different environments.

The competitors

Whereas we already went by means of the display screen comparisons for the $280 Kindle Colorsoft and the $220 Kobo Libra Color, there are many different variations between the 2 that you need to take into account when choosing your subsequent ereader. I’ve added a spec listing under to interrupt down the fundamentals, and probably the most consequential to me are the truth that the Kobo has page-turn buttons and stylus help.

The previous is mostly a matter of choice — you both love bodily buttons otherwise you discover no use for them — however the latter is pure added worth even should you do should buy the $70 Kobo stylus individually. It basically permits you to flip the Libra Color right into a makeshift Kobo Sage or Kindle Scribe, which may very well be helpful for anybody in academia (college students and educators alike) or anybody who simply loves the sensation of placing pen to “paper.” In the meantime, the Kindle has the higher hand in its wi-fi charging capabilities and its barely cleaner flush-front design.

Relating to precise content material obtainable on Kindle and Kobo gadgets, the libraries you should purchase from on each are huge: each have ebooks and audiobooks obtainable, and each the Colorsoft and Libra Color help Bluetooth, so you possibly can hearken to audiobooks immediately from the gadget together with your wi-fi headphones. On the time of scripting this overview, the entire prime 5 New York Instances bestseller titles had been obtainable on each platforms on the similar costs, with the one discrepancies being one which was on sale as a Kindle e-book and one which was obtainable to learn without spending a dime for Kindle Limitless and Kobo Plus subscribers. Each of these month-to-month subscriptions offer you limitless studying entry to hundreds of titles, however I might give the benefit to Amazon on this one since Kindle Limitless has been round for for much longer. Amazon additionally has Prime Studying and Youngsters+ subscriptions that work with Kindle gadgets and supply much more content material to paying subscribers.

So far as borrowing ebooks out of your native library goes, it could be a draw. Kobo integrates elegantly with Overdrive, making it practically seamless to get borrowed books in your ereader. Merely join your Overdrive account and library card within the settings menu and you’ll then both browse your library’s choices immediately on gadget, or use the Libby cell app to borrow titles and people will seem mechanically in your Kobo. My solely gripe with this technique is that it really works finest when you’ve got only one library card, since you possibly can solely join separately. I’m a novel case the place I’ve no less than three library playing cards and I change amongst them in Libby relying on which has the title I’m searching for.

These like me would possibly want the “ship to Kindle” possibility in Libby, which simply takes a pair extra clicks to get any ebook from any library community to your Kindle gadget. The most important draw back right here is that my Colorsoft overview unit didn’t present all of my library ebook covers in full-color glory on the lock display screen. After troubleshooting with a consultant from Amazon, it was decided to be a title-specific challenge. Based on Amazon: “For library books, the lock display screen is taken from the designated advertising and marketing cowl for the ebook utilized by the library, which is probably not the identical because the precise ebook cowl.” So simply know that should you get most of your studying materials out of your native library, there’s an opportunity a number of the covers might not show correctly on the Colorsoft.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the $250 Boox Go Coloration 7, which earned a spot in our greatest ereaders information after my colleague Amy Skorheim examined it. First, it’s crucial to know that Boox gadgets require a bit extra tech-savvy than a Kindle or a Kobo, in addition to a willingness to experiment. They’re full-blown Android tablets in spite of everything, and that could be precisely what you’re searching for should you get your studying materials from many various sources, because it affords entry to the Google Play Retailer and all of its apps. As for specs, the Go Coloration 7 has a seven-inch Kaleido 3 show with 300 ppi in black and white and 150 ppi in shade (much like the Colorsoft), together with a heat gentle, page-turn buttons, a splash-resistant design and 64GB of storage (and a microSD card slot for more room!). It’s much more much like the Kobo Libra Color in function set and worth, so it’s another choice for anybody prepared to assume a bit exterior the usual ereader field.

The choice between Kindle, Kobo and Boox is infinitely extra sophisticated than selecting between the Colorsoft or the usual Kindle Paperwhite — and that’s exactly due to the stark worth distinction. The Colorsoft is $120 greater than the common Kindle Paperwhite ($100 extra should you pay to take away the lock display screen adverts from the Paperwhite, and $80 greater than the Signature Version) and other than the colour panel, it solely provides wi-fi charging, the auto-adjusting entrance gentle sensor and doubles the storage. Take away shade from the equation, and arguably probably the most helpful of all of these is the additional storage however, make no mistake, 16GB of house on the Kindle Paperwhite is nothing to scoff at and shall be simply tremendous for most individuals. Except you’re 100-percent sure that shade will make an enormous distinction in your day-to-day studying expertise, the usual Paperwhite is the higher worth.

Wrap-up

Whereas it’s very late to the colour E Ink social gathering, the Kindle Colorsoft is a stable premium ereader that gives a wonderful expertise each in shade and black and white. I targeted loads on comparisons on this overview as a result of most individuals won’t have the chance to have the Colorsoft and any of its contemporaries facet by facet (except you’re my dad, who buys virtually each ereader and small pill underneath the solar). However to be clear, the Colorsoft is an efficient Kindle, and in some ways, Amazon did pull an Apple right here. Should you’re already closely entrenched within the Kindle ecosystem and have been holding out for a shade ereader, that is the gadget to get — simply be ready to pay a premium for it.

Additionally, like Apple and its varied working programs, there’s one thing to be mentioned concerning the comfort and ubiquity of the Kindle ecosystem. The library is seemingly limitless (with reductions galore), supplemented by Prime Studying and Kindle Limitless, so it’s straightforward to get sucked in while you’re already purchasing on Amazon for family items and vacation items. However in terms of worth to your cash (and a pure spec breakdown), you may get extra from Kobo and Boox gadgets. Kindle isn’t the one identify on the town anymore for ereaders, and it hasn’t been for a very long time, and that appears to be a extra pronounced reality now with the introduction of the Colorsoft. If nothing else, Amazon has lastly stuffed a evident gap in its ereader lineup with this gadget.

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft vs. the competitors