Key Points
- Early buyers reported a display issue, a yellow tint on the Kindle Colorsoft screen, with varying discoloration patterns.
- Due to the display problem, the Kindle Colorsoft currently holds a low rating of 2.6 stars on Amazon’s U.S. site.
- Amazon is investigating the issue, but it’s uncertain if it is a software or hardware problem.
- Amazon has delayed shipments; depending on the region, pre-orders are expected to arrive between November 9 and November 26.
Amazon’s first color e-reader, the Kindle Colorsoft, has barely hit the market. Still, early buyers are already voicing concerns over display issues, with some users returning or exchanging their devices. Some users notice a yellow tint at the bottom of the screen, resulting in a low average rating of 2.6 stars on Amazon’s U.S. website.
However, this discoloration issue doesn’t affect all users equally. According to a Reddit thread discussing the problem, some people have reported a yellow strip along one vertical edge of the display and the bottom discoloration. While some users are not significantly bothered by the yellowing, others have chosen to return the device due to issues like “a corner speckled with dead pixels.”
Not all feedback has been negative, though. Some buyers are satisfied with their Kindle Colorsoft and have praised its features. This has led to mixed reviews on Amazon, with the device receiving positive and negative feedback.
Whether the discoloration issue is due to a software or hardware defect remains unclear. Amazon has acknowledged the problem and stated on Reddit that it is actively working on a solution. This acknowledgment raises the possibility that the problem could be related to software; however, if the issue is due to uneven screen lighting, it may be a hardware flaw that a simple firmware update may not resolve.
In light of these issues, Amazon temporarily suspended shipments of the Kindle Colorsoft, initially intended for wide release in November. Customers who pre-ordered the device in the U.S. should now expect delivery during the week of either November 9 or November 18, while orders in the UK are scheduled to ship after November 26.
For users in Australia, where the Kindle Colorsoft will not launch until 2025, waiting may be an advantage, as Amazon will likely resolve the problem before releasing the device there. Early adopters, however, are understandably disappointed with the flaw in a device that retails for around $300.
