A fresh lineup of Kindles just launched last month, but issues are already surfacing. Owners of Amazon’s latest e-reader, the Kindle Colorsoft, have reported a yellowish band appearing at the bottom of the screen, causing noticeable discoloration.
According to The Verge, Reddit users were among the first to highlight this problem, pointing out that the yellow tint is particularly visible when the Kindle is meant to display an evenly lit, paper-like screen. Some users who noticed the issue have either exchanged their devices or returned them, while others have observed the band only when using the device’s edge lighting mode.
Several users reached out to Amazon’s customer support, where some representatives suggested the issue could be software-related and might be resolved with an update. Interestingly, others noted that the yellow band only appeared after they installed the latest operating system update.
It remains unclear how widespread this issue is. However, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed to The Verge that the company is aware of the reports and advised customers experiencing discoloration to contact customer support.
In our review of the Kindle Colorsoft, we awarded it an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising its crisp and vibrant color display. While we didn’t encounter the discoloration ourselves, we did knock off some points for its high price, which is $120 more than the base Paperwhite and $80 more than the Paperwhite Signature Edition.
User reviews on Amazon are mixed, with the Kindle Colorsoft averaging 2.6 out of 5 stars across 363 ratings. As the first Kindle offering color display, it has gained attention from fans of graphic novels. Yet, one of the top reviews rates it just 1 star, criticizing the muted screen colors and describing the yellow band as “distracting” and detracting from the Kindle’s usual reading experience.
Currently, the Kindle Colorsoft is only available on Amazon US, so there’s hope that these issues can be resolved before a global release. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and provide updates if the problem persists.