(Credit: Sarah Lord/PCMag)
It looks like Amazon needs an extra month to fix the yellow tinge issue on the Kindle Colorsoft, meaning it won’t ship until a few days before Christmas.
For US customers, the Colorsoft product page now shows that Amazon is delaying shipments by five to six weeks, with the expected arrival times between Dec. 19-20.
(Credit: Amazon)In the UK, the delay is even worse. The company shows delivery dates after Christmas, between Dec. 27 and Jan. 3.
The Colorsoft is currently the most poorly rated Kindle. In our review, we spotted the "distracting yellow tint," which appears to come from LED light leakage. "It goes away temporarily upon a restart, but eventually returns as you continue to read," we found. That, and the higher price tag, pushed its rating down to 3.5 out of 5.
Amazon hasn’t explained what is causing the yellow tint. But electronics supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo tweeted that the issue has been traced to Amazon using an "optically clear adhesive” on the Kindle Colorsoft (which it doesn't use on non-color Kindle ereaders) to bond the E Ink screen together.
“This change was implemented to enhance the limited contrast capabilities of E Ink's Kaleido color e-paper technology. While component suppliers have developed several hardware solutions, Amazon seems to be leaning toward a software-based fix,” he added.
Amazon hasn’t said when the fix will arrive. Instead, a spokesperson on Monday merely reiterated the company’s previous statement: “A small number of customers have reported a yellow band along the bottom of the display. We take the quality of our products seriously—customers who notice this can reach out to our customer service team for a replacement or refund, and we’re making the appropriate adjustments to ensure that new devices will not experience this issue moving forward.”
Still, one Kindle Colorsoft owner posted about their struggle in trying to receive a new unit without the yellow tinge.
"I received my first Colorsoft and it had a yellow tinge. They sent a replacement and it was worse,” the user posted on Reddit, later adding: “I called today and they told me to keep it until Feb 2025 and I could still get a refund/replacement once they were able to ship them out again.”
For other options, check out Which Amazon Kindle Is Right for You?