Thanks to new panel developments from E Ink, the maker behind today's Kindle displays, we may soon see an Amazon e-reader with a color ink display.
An E Ink color display is exactly what it sounds like, a color version of the displays that Amazon's Kindles use to create book-like images on their screens. This would bring major improvements to the e-reader lineup, chief among them being that Amazon's Kindle could become one of the best ways to read digital comics.
Amazon has yet to officially announce a Kindle Color, but we hope to see one in the not too distant future. That's all we know about a color Kindle right now and what we'd like to see.
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- What is it? A color version of the Kindle e-reader
- When did it come out? Probably 2023 at the beginning
- How much will it cost? Hopefully somewhere between the Kindle Paperwhite and the Oasis.
Amazon Kindle Color: release date
Following E Ink's announcement of new color panels, which use cyan, magenta, yellow, and white ink as a printer to create a non-monochrome image, many have asked when the Kindle will receive a level upgrade.
It's not its first display to use color, but E Ink explained that it's much more responsive to touch controls, offers higher resolution, and updates faster than previous versions.
Another reason people think a color-screen Kindle is headed our way is because of the Amazon purchase and integration with ComiXology. While you can read comics on current monochrome Kindles and Amazon Fire HD tablets (like the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021)), neither experience is optimal.
Monochrome ink doesn't do the amazing artwork justice, and tablet screens might not be as satisfying to read, especially if you're outdoors or trying to wind down for bed.
This improved quality and ease of use mean it's almost certainly time for a colored-ink Kindle, but when?
Some have speculated that the Amazon Kindle Oasis (2022) could be the first to get a color screen, though we expect Amazon to release a more traditional version of its Kindles with one in due course. However, a 2022 launch may be a bit optimistic for this tablet, especially since the new E Ink panels were only announced this year.
For that reason, we're hoping to see a Kindle Color launch in 2023 at the earliest, but we'll be keeping an eye out for any leaks or rumors that might tell us otherwise.
Amazon Kindle Color: Price
It's hard to say how much a Kindle Color would cost, especially since it hasn't been announced yet, but it's expected to be more than one of Amazon's typical e-readers.
Ceux que recherchent un Kindle Oasis (2019) avec 32 Go de mémoire et la 4G gratuite pour télécharger des livres en déplacement (sur certain marchés) ont perdu €349,99 / €319,99 / €559 au lancement pour mettre la main over a. We wouldn't be surprised if a Kindle Color costs at least that much, with Amazon justifying its high cost with the impressive new color screen.
Preferably, though, a Kindle Color would sit somewhere between this and the Kindle Paperwhite; at launch, the 8GB model was €129.99 / €119.99 / AU$199. Around $200 would be more than ideal, and very possible if Amazon launches a more premium color Amazon Oasis before a more traditional-style Kindle with color.
However, we will have to wait and see what he announces, and we will be keeping an eye on any rumors, leaks and news to keep this information as up to date as possible.
Amazon Kindle Color: What we want to see
1. Wireless charging as standard
Wireless charging has become much more common in recent years. It's no longer a premium feature reserved for just the best of the best smartphones, and that should be true of the Kindle too.
When you're reading right before bed, wouldn't it be so much easier to put your Kindle on its charger instead of having to work with a complicated charging cable? We know what we would prefer.
2. A model without a signature
The first Kindle with an E-color ink panel would be Amazon's most impressive yet, but Amazon may just release a feature-packed version normally reserved for its Signature Edition devices. It would make your new Kindle that much more impressive, but without a standard model next to it, we could face a pretty steep price hike.
The color screen would be enough of a game changer that we'd be happy to buy a non-Signature (read: less feature-packed) model of the Kindle Color at a lower price point.
3. Faster page changes
That said, one update we're desperate to see is a faster page turn. Even the Kindle Paperwhite (2021) Signature Edition feels a bit slow every time you need to turn the page.
This has been true since the launch of the original Kindle, and while things have improved recently, the Kindle doesn't look like the sleek, modern device it could be.
4. Good internet connectivity
Currently, Amazon Kindle e-readers can only connect to the slower 2,4 GHz internet bandwidth, not the faster 5 GHz bandwidth. As the new way becomes more widespread, that may mean that people can't connect their Kindles to the web.
A new Kindle Color should include support for 5GHz Wi-Fi for us to resume downloading and reading e-books seamlessly.
5. Better Library Design
A color Kindle would encourage us to have an even bigger library than we had before. We would not only have our favorite books, but also comics and graphic novels to read, all in their colorful glory.
With so much more to read on our eReader, Amazon needs to improve the design of the Kindle library. Currently, it's a messy collection of everything we download from the Kindle store or add to the device ourselves.
There are options to filter the results, but they are not intuitive to say the least. For example, you can filter your books by Read or Unread, but there is no option to find partially read books, and they are sent to the Unread section when these filters are used.
A Kindle Color should change that and make it easier to find the books we want to read.