The best E Ink color reader I've tested isn't from Boox or Kobo

Key findings from ZDNET

• The Kindle Colorsoft is available now for $279.
• It has a bright display (even in direct sunlight), customizable color settings, and snappy performance when browsing titles and turning pages.
• It could be slightly larger to get the full effect of the color representation

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For avid readers, the Kindle has been a mainstay since its launch in 2007. Each new Kindle model offers readers expanded features and faster performance. But now, with the new one Kindle Colorsoftreaders get a vibrant color display to enjoy their books in a new way.

Also: The best Kindles you can buy

The Kindle Colorsoft is the latest version of the Kindle series. It features the same 300ppi display that's standard on e-readers, except it also has a 150ppi display for color images, as well as 120 nits of brightness to really make your pages stand out. Depending on your color preferences, you can adjust the color settings to standard or vibrant.

Amazon calls the device “color without compromise,” and as someone who has tested many e-readers this year alone, I was impressed with the Kindle Colorsoft as a welcome addition to the world of color e-readers.

Fresh out of the box, the Colorsoft proudly shows off its color capabilities because even when turned off, the display dims to one of the Kindle's built-in backgrounds. Alternatively, you can display your book's cover in standby mode so you can see the artwork as it was meant to be seen.

After turning on the device and setting it up (super easy, especially if you've owned a Kindle before), the first thing I noticed was the performance: it's fast. Compared to my base model Kindle (2022 version), when selecting a book, it browses through the Kindle library and the pages in your book turn quickly without any annoying lag effects.

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Like the Kindle Paperwhite, the Colorsoft is super bright and can be read in direct sunlight without drowning out the color on the screen. To test how the Colorsoft's 120-nit brightness compares to competitors in direct sunlight, I placed it outside at highest brightness next to two other color e-readers at highest brightness: a Kobo Libra Color and a Boox Note Air C 3. The Colorsoft's color reproduction and brightness exceeded that of the Kobo Libra Color in direct sunlight, and there was less lag when switching between titles.

Compared to the Colorsoft, the Boox Note Air C 3 had the same high brightness and was just as fast as the Kindle when flipping through pages, especially when reading a color magazine. However, when you see the Boox and Kindle side by side, you can clearly see the pixelation on the Boox's color display, in contrast to the soft colors offered by the Kindle.

Colorsoft's color features don't stop there: you can also highlight passages in your books in different colors and organize them into categories (e.g. quotes in yellow, facts in blue, characters to remember in purple, etc.).

Although I'm not a fan of reading comics, Keeley Boehmer, principal product manager for Kindle, told me that Colorsoft allows for panel-by-panel reading of comics, making it easy to see the elements the author intended for each panel. Additionally, a pinch and zoom function allows you to view the color images in real detail.

Another impressive feature of the Colorsoft is that it is water-resistant (IPX8 rating), so you can read it on the beach, by the pool or in the bathtub. It also has wireless charging, a feature previously only available on the Kindle Paperwhite.

Also: The best e-readers you can buy

I have virtually no complaints about this Kindle, except perhaps its small size. The size itself is light and comfortable to hold, but when reading books or magazines in color, a larger size like the Boox Note Air C 3's 10.3-inch display makes a bigger impact and you can really see the color images better and enjoy when viewing the entire page.

ZDNET's buying guide

In the world of color e-readers the Kindle Colorsoft is a top contender thanks to its customizable color display, fast book downloading and page turning performance, and wireless charging. The color display isn't pixelated like some other color e-readers, and the highlighting feature allows for new ways to read books.

If you're someone who reads a lot of books or comics with color, Colorsoft is definitely worth it. However, if you read primarily in black and white, you can save $120 and go for the new one Kindle Paperwhitewhich offers equally fast performance.