Monday, 21 October 2024

First colour Kindle launches but Aussies have to wait until next year

Keen readers have been extremely patient in waiting for a Kindle with a colour display. Now, with Amazon launching the Kindle Colorsoft, it’s closer than ever. Except for the fact that it’s arriving in Australia later than overseas.

Set to launch in North America on 30 October, the Kindle Colorsoft doesn’t arrive locally until 2025. When exactly? Amazon hasn’t specified yet, so stay tuned. It also pains me greatly to type the American spelling of “colour”, but a proper noun is a proper noun.

Taking the form of a seven-inch e-reader, the Kindle Colorsoft harnesses the brand’s paper-like display to reduce glare while reading. When set to show colour, it displays in 150 ppi compared to 300 ppi in black-and-white mode.

Amazon advertises its debut colour e-reader as lasting up to eight weeks between charges. It supports USB-C charging in addition to a separately sold custom wireless charging dock. Alongside 32GB of storage, it’s also waterproof, making it ideal for poolside reading.

Spec-wise, the Colorsoft looks similar to the Kobo Libra Colour that launched earlier in the year. Both e-readers include the same onboard storage and ppi levels across different reading modes. Note-taking support looks to be the main difference; Kobo’s colourised e-read lets you take notes but the Colorsoft doesn’t. Instead, it only lets you highlight passages.

Price could be another differentiator, with the Libra Colour costing $359.95 in Australia. Amazon hasn’t confirmed local pricing yet but we know it retails for US$279.99 overseas. A straight currency conversion puts that close to a steeper $420 in Australia.

2024 Kindles galore

A colourful Kindle wasn’t Amazon’s only e-reader move. The global retail giant launched refreshed versions of its Paperwhite, Scribe, and entry-level Kindles in a big overhaul.

Kindle 2024 range
From left to right: the Colorsoft, Scribe, Paperwhite, and entry-level Kindle. Image: Amazon.

Starting with the most affordable, the baseline six-inch Kindle costs $199. In exchange, you get 16GB of built-in storage and a battery that lasts up to six weeks. It’s a petite little thing too, weighing 158 grams. Amazon’s cheapest Kindle is also brighter and turns pages faster, which is ideal for speed readers. Its new green-tinged Matcha colour is cute too.

Next up is the Kindle Paperwhite, touted by Amazon as its best-selling model. Now, the Paperwhite has a slightly larger seven-inch screen while also benefitting from faster page turns and increased text contrast. Out now, it comes in two versions: the 16GB Paperwhite for $299, and the 32GB Signature Edition with auto-adjusting light levels for $329.

Rounding out the upgrades is the 2024 version of the Kindle Scribe. A revised version of the 2022 Scribe, the new 10.2-inch e-reader doubles as a digital journal you can use to take notes via an included stylus. Its borders are cleaner, and the upgraded stylus reportedly yields a more natural writing feel. Amazon’s 2024 Kindle Scribe lands in Australia on 5 December 2024 for $649.

Kindle Paperwhite SE Metallic Jade 2024
I really like the Metallic Jade colour. Image: Amazon.

Also worth mentioning is the gorgeous Metallic Jade finish the new Scribe and Paperwhite Signature Edition comes in. Very classy.

So, even if a colour e-reader isn’t your jam, there’s no lack of new Kindles between now and the end of the year.

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