Amazon Unveils New Line of Kindle Devices, Including First-Ever Color Kindle

Amazon has announced its new lineup of Kindle e-readers, featuring significant upgrades and additions, highlighted by the introduction of the first-ever color Kindle. This marks a notable development in Amazon’s e-reader offerings and reflects its continued innovation in digital reading technology.

The Kindle Colorsoft, a standout among the new devices, is praised for bringing vibrant, yet easy-on-the-eyes color to the Kindle family. Key features include high contrast, fast page turns, and an auto-adjusting front light. The device employs an oxide backplane with custom waveforms to enhance performance and contrast in both color and monochrome content. According to Amazon, it is equipped with a bright custom Colorsoft display supported by nitride LEDs, allowing for enriched colors without compromising detail.

Panos Panay, Senior Vice President of Amazon Devices and Services, described reading on Kindles as akin to finding a “sanctuary,” disengaged from multitasking, during an event at The Shed in Hudson Yards, New York. He emphasized the Kindle’s evolution as a refuge from continuous phone alerts, enhancing the immersive experience of reading.

Additionally, the Kindle Scribe has been reimagined to blend reading with a powerful note-taking function. It features a new display with white borders and a screen texture that mimics paper. The device is complemented by a Premium Pen, offering a realistic writing experience with a soft-tipped eraser to enhance user interaction.

The Kindle Paperwhite has also seen advancements, now boasting a 7-inch display, making it both the largest and thinnest version to date. It promises faster page turns, with Amazon claiming a 25% increase in speed compared to previous models. The device is waterproof and available in multiple colors, including Raspberry, Jade, and Black.

Children’s reading has not been neglected, with the introduction of Kindle Kids, available with protective covers in playful designs such as Space Whale and Unicorn Valley. These devices come with a two-year worry-free guarantee and six months of a kid-friendly subscription service, aiming to nurture a child’s reading habit with access to thousands of appropriate books and audiobooks.

Kevin Keith, Vice President of Devices and Services for Kindle, highlighted the technology underpinning the Colorsoft’s performance, particularly its custom algorithms and the hardware aspects such as nitride LEDs, which enhance color vividness and battery efficiency. He noted that the success of the Kindle brand is underscored by its high sales figures, with first-time buyers accounting for a significant portion of purchases.

Amidst the introductions, Amazon also announced the impending retirement of the Kindle Oasis. The high-end model, known for its metal finish and superior display features, will make way for advances folded into other models like the Paperwhite and the new Colorsoft.