After launching the Kindle Colorsoft last year — its first Kindle with a color screen — Amazon is adding two new iterations of the e-reader to its lineup today: a cheaper Colorsoft with 16GB of storage for $249.99 and a kids-focused bundle for $269.99. The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition will still be available for $279.99.
“Our customers have loved reading Kindle in color — on average, they spend more time on Kindle Colorsoft and read hundreds more pages than on our other Kindle devices,” the company says in a blog post. “That’s why we’re excited to introduce two new additions to the Kindle Colorsoft family.”
The cheaper Colorsoft costs $30 less than the Signature Edition, but the more costly model has a few extra perks, including 32GB of storage, an auto-adjusting front light, and wireless charging. The kids-focused bundle, which Amazon is calling Kindle Colorsoft Kids, comes with a Colorsoft (the 16GB model, according to spokesperson Connor Rice), a special cover (you can pick one of two options), and one year of its Amazon Kids Plus subscription.
Shortly after its release, Amazon briefly paused shipments of the Signature Edition following customer complaints about a yellow bar on the screen. Amazon now has a message on the Signature Edition’s store listing acknowledging that “a small number of customers have reported a yellow band,” and an Amazon spokesperson told The Verge that the company made “a combination of software and display adjustments” to address the issue.
