Want a color e-reader for Christmas? Here are some alternatives to the botched Kindle Colorsoft

A color e-reader makes a great Christmas gift for the bookworm in your life. Kindle has traditionally been the gold standard of e-readers, and many people will have been ready to pick up the first-ever color version, the Kindle Colorsoft, without giving it a second thought. The problem is that the Colorsoft launch has been a bit of a car crash, so we’ve come up with a selection of alternatives for your consideration.

We had high hopes for the Kindle Colorsoft ourselves, but they took a big hit as soon as the e-reader was announced. Our resident Kindle aficionado, Dhruv Bhutani, made his feelings very clear, finding the Colorsoft to be underwhelming and overpriced. He felt that its features lack innovation, especially compared to rivals like Kobo, which offer advanced tools like note-taking. The low 150ppi resolution diminishes the reading experience for Dhruv, with graininess and slow refresh rates further detracting from usability. The omission of physical page-turn buttons, a hallmark of the discontinued Kindle Oasis, also feels like a regression. Overall, it felt like a missed opportunity for him, especially at the $279 asking price.

Then things got worse. Early buyers reported that the Kindle Colorsoft faces had a discoloration problem, with yellow-tinted screens. This forced Amazon to pause shipments while a software fix could be devised and released. If you still want to fork out for the Colorsoft that’s up to you, but we have some alternative suggestions.

Color e-reader alternatives

A color e-reader won’t be for everyone. Amazon has held off on a color Kindle for so long because if you just want to read books and take notes, you don’t need color. However, a color version is handy if you’re a fan of comics or other colorful texts, and using color widgets can also be appealing. Here are some picks for color e-readers

Kobo Clara Colour

The Kobo Clara Colour packs very respectable features into a compact e-reader. Its six-inch E-Ink Kaleido 3 color display enhances illustrations and book covers, offering a glare-free and customizable reading experience, complete with ComfortLight PRO for reduced blue light. Eco-conscious readers will appreciate its construction from recycled materials, repairable design, and recyclable packaging. The device is waterproof, and with 16GB of storage, Bluetooth for audiobooks, and OverDrive integration for library borrowing, it caters to a variety of reading preferences.

While the display’s size and slightly muted colors may not suit all comic or graphic novel enthusiasts, its affordability and openness to multiple file formats make it an excellent choice for those venturing into digital reading. It’s also on sale at the time of writing.

ONYX BOOX Tab Ultra C Pro

The ONYX BOOX Tab Ultra C Pro is a premium E-Ink tablet designed with powerful productivity features. Its 10.3-inch HD Kaleido E-Ink display offers a visually soothing, glare-free experience, perfect for reading or annotating documents in any light. Powered by an advanced octa-core processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage, which is expandable via microSD, the tablet is good for multitasking, and it offers app compatibility through Android 12 and the Play Store.

The tablet’s sleek, unibody aluminum design is both lightweight and durable, while its split-screen mode, advanced note-taking features, and customizable workflows streamline give you good productivity options. A keyboard cover is an optional enhancement, and while the 4,600mAh battery is modest, its efficient E-Ink screen ensures extended usage. It’s not cheap at its $650 retail price, but the Tab Ultra C Pro sets a high bar for color E-Ink devices.

HUAWEI MatePad 11.5-inch PaperMatte Edition

This is more of a traditional tablet than an e-reader, and while it lacks an E-ink screen, the PaperMatte display makes it easy to read with minimal reflection. You can pair it with the M-Pencil for precise handwriting that feels almost as natural as pen on paper. Powered by a snappy 4nm processor, it’s perfect for multitasking, with handy split-screen options and access to apps on Android.

The MatePad 11.5-inch PaperMatte Edition is light at just 499g and crafted from sleek aluminum. The 7,700mAh battery keeps you powered for over 10 hours, and with Wi-Fi 6 and quad speakers, your work and entertainment are well served. Features like SuperHub for easy file sharing and TUV-certified eye comfort are nice additional touches.