I’ve been a massive fan of the Kindle Paperwhite since the first model launched. With each new generation, I bought into the hype of color E Ink displays as the next big upgrade in e-readers. That’s why I looked forward to the Kindle Colorsoft. Unfortunately, Amazon didn’t release it worldwide, and other options come with steep price tags.​

Amazon’s first color E-ink screen-based ebook reader sounds like an excellent middle ground between e-readers and tablets. Despite the new color E-ink display being a differentiating factor across several models, I believe the good old Kindle Paperwhite still makes more sense for real-world reading. Irrespective of what color E Ink promises, I’m sticking to my older Kindle Paperwhite primarily from an e-reader perspective and not considering large E Ink note-taking devices, like the Boox Note Air 4c.

Color E Ink still doesn’t feel prime-time ready

Fails to deliver the promises

The Paperwhite’s sole purpose is to let me read ebooks and other textual content without causing much eye strain. Of course, the battery life that spans weeks is a massive plus. My primary issue is that Colorsoft is called the color Kindle, even though its functionality is quite limited. Meanwhile, other color E Ink e-readers also offer Android, which does add a ton of features. But that makes them more than just e-readers.

Colorsoft’s color E Ink display comprises a special color filter layer on top of the black-and-white E Ink screen. That’s how it produces colors, but with several limitations. That special layer outputs washed-out, muted colors, while the background appears darker. The overall text display appears grainy, and the screen doesn’t appear vibrant. They still have a lot of ground to cover to be a decent alternative to tablets with LCDs.

The colorful highlighting feature on Colorsoft is reminiscent of the feature already available on iPads. Also, browsing just the colorful covers and then reading an ebook in black and white was jarring at times.

I briefly checked a fellow passenger’s Colorsoft at an airport next to my Kindle Paperwhite. Unfortunately, the passenger declined my request to take photos. A brief side-by-side comparison was enough to notice the display's lack of vibrancy and clarity compared to my Paperwhite.

Responsiveness still favors the monochrome E Ink

Paperwhite still wins

The slight input lag is noticeable to eagle-eyed users, while most people aren’t bothered by it. What I found amusing was the momentary flicker with the page-turning animation, which feels almost like turning a page of a book. Thankfully, you can turn it off.

While it’s something you can eventually get used to, the experience isn’t the same as its monochrome E Ink alternatives. On Paperwhite, I thoroughly enjoy quick page turns, and the effect fades into the background promptly.

I have no trouble reading on Paperwhite in direct sunlight because it doesn’t rely on its front light. However, I discovered that Colorsoft requires bumping the front light levels to make everything legible under direct sunlight. That demand for additional illumination across various environments directly impacts the unit's battery life.

Monochrome E Ink offers superior reading comfort

Clean, crisp, and sharp text​

The color E Ink panels can technically match the resolution of their monochrome counterparts, which sounds great on paper. However, that special color filter reduces the text's output, making it appear grainy and a bit soft when viewed closely. Readers who haven’t tried the Paperwhite may not mind this on the color E Ink display. But once they try Paperwhite, there’s no going back.

My Paperwhite still offers a fantastic reading experience, with text appearing crisp and razor-sharp. The overall reading experience is very close to that of real paper. Several times, I’d prefer to read books in dark mode on my Paperwhite to conserve battery life and reduce eye strain. Meanwhile, the dark mode support is either missing or less effective on color E Ink e-readers.

On top of that, I can’t stress enough how my Paperwhite remains readable under bright sunlight, dim rooms, and nearly everywhere without tinkering with the brightness slider. And without bumping the front lighting, the colors are barely visible on some color E Ink readers in bright daylight.

Besides sharpness, the contrast and the ability to function without drastic adjustments in all sorts of lighting conditions make the Paperwhite more favorable.

My old Paperwhite still makes sense

The Paperwhite does exactly what it’s supposed to — deliver crisp text, consistent lighting, fast refresh rates, and longer battery life. When color E Ink readers stop making text appear worse and offer better battery life, I’ll happily revisit my idea of upgrading.

The current crop of color E Ink readers — such as Onyx Boox Go Color 7 (Gen II), Kobo Clara Color, and PocketBook Era Color — shows tremendous promise for the future. Hopefully, the next generation brings better battery life and a more polished software experience.

That said, I’m still choosing Kindle Paperwhite for reading ebooks, PDFs, and long-form articles.