Amazon Kindle Scribe Colorsoft The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is the most refined version of Amazon’s big-screen Kindle yet, and for reading-first use, it's fantastic. Color adds real value without compromising what makes Kindles great, and the improved software elevates the device to a more modern feel. The price puts it in much more competitive territory, but it definitely holds its own.
I’ve been reviewing E-ink devices long enough to know that color is rarely the slam dunk it sounds like on a spec sheet. Each generation promises fewer compromises, then quickly reminds us that E-Ink color comes with caveats. When Amazon finally brought color to its largest Kindle, the Kindle Scribe, I went in cautiously optimistic. After spending time reading, annotating, and unartistically sketching on the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, my takeaway is simple: it’s the most polished version of Amazon’s big-screen Kindle yet, and my new favorite e-reader.
A familiar favorite, slightly refined
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
Physically, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft looks very similar to the original Scribe, which I already loved. The new model is still large, thin, and utilitarian, with clean lines and minimal branding. Amazon dropped the asymmetry of the first model to bring in uniform bezels and bumped the display up to 11 inches. In hand, this means plenty of room for long reading sessions, plus PDFs, and note-taking without feeling unwieldy, and while it doesn’t tuck away as easily as smaller Kindles, it earns the extra space in my bag.
“The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is large and utilitarian, with enough space to make reading, PDFs, and note-taking genuinely comfortable.
While the hardware may be familiar, the addition of color changes the experience. The Scribe Colorsoft uses a new panel that keeps black-and-white text sharp while layering color on top. It isn’t chasing tablet-style saturation, and colors appear much softer than on an LCD or OLED screen, but that’s by design. It’s used selectively for things like covers and diagrams, adding context and visual interest without dominating the page or overstimulating my eyeballs. The subdued hues keep the soft in Colorsoft. This isn’t a device optimized for comics (though in my opinion, they look fantastic) or art-focused workflows, and users shopping specifically for those use cases may find better options elsewhere.
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
Meanwhile, one of the biggest improvements over the original Scribe isn’t the display at all, but the software. Nothing has been dramatically redesigned, but it does feel noticeably better to use. Menus are easier to scan, spacing feels more intentional, and the whole interface looks less like it was scaled up from a smaller Kindle and more like it actually belongs on an 11-inch screen. The original Scribe worked well, but it always felt outdated compared to other tech. The Colorsoft finally closes the gap.
The original Scribe worked well, but felt dated where the Colorsoft finally closes the gap.
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