Pros & Cons
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- Vibrant color display
- Comes with a protective case
- Two-year warranty
- One year of Kids+ included
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- Expensive
- Limited Kids+ book selection
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Kids Specs
| Book Formats | Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; PDF, DOCX, DOC, HTML, EPUB, TXT, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion; Audible audio format (AAX) |
| Dimensions | 7 by 5.2 by 0.5 inches |
| Screen Size | 7 |
| Storage Capacity | 16 |
| Weight | 11.8 |
While no one will argue that $269.99 is a lot of money to spend on an ereader for children, the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Kids is actually a pretty good value. For $20 more than the Colorsoft on its own, you get a Colorsoft, your choice of two cases, a two-year warranty, and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+. While Amazon Kids+ can be frustrating, with its clunky navigation and hit-or-miss book selection, you can still add books from your own library or disable the Kids+ features entirely to use the device like a standard Kindle. That said, if your youngster isn't particularly interested in graphic novels or comics, you can save even more with the black-and-white Kindle Paperwhite Kids ($179.99), our Editors' Choice ereader for children.
Design: It's a Colorsoft With a Case
The included case sets the Colorsoft Kids apart visually. Amazon offers two choices: Fantasy River or Starlight Reading. Both are exclusive to the bundles and cannot be purchased separately. Starlight Reading, which I received, uses both the front and back cover to depict a child sitting outside with a pile of books looking up at a star-lit sky. The color scheme is dark orange, red, and black. Fantasy River is primarily blue, depicting a river and its banks filled with foliage as petals appear to fall from the sky. Both designs are subtle and interesting.
Amazon’s fabric cases ($36.99) and plant-based leather cases ($42.99) have slightly different textures but are otherwise similar in design. The kids' cases are as protective and form-fitting as Amazon’s other first-party case offerings and have the same sleep/wake functionality.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)The Colorsoft Kids arrives with the case already on. This adds just a touch of bulk to the overall package, which measures 7.0 by 5.2 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 11.8 ounces. A caseless Colorsoft (7 by 5 by 0.3 inches, 7.6 ounces) is just a hair thinner and lighter. The black-and-white Paperwhite Kids, which also comes with a similar case, is the same size and weight as the Colorsoft Kids. The Paperwhite without the case has the same measurements as the Colorsoft but is ever-so-slightly lighter, weighing 7.4 ounces.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)The Colorsoft has one button and one port, both of which are located at the bottom. The UBC-C connection is used to charge the Kindle and transfer files directly from a computer. The power button is to the right, while a small light is to the left. The light turns orange when the device is charging and green when the battery is at 100%. The Colorsoft can be used during bath time, as it has an IPX8 rating and can handle a dunk in fresh water.
Display: Perfect for Comics
The Kindle Colorsoft is Amazon’s first color ereader, and it comes with a 7-inch display. The colors are softer and more subtle than they are on a phone or a tablet. Part of the reason behind this is that color E Ink displays aren’t capable of creating color pixels at a high enough resolution and density to make the images pop. Amazon doesn’t share the specific resolution of the display on the Colorsoft, but notes that it achieves a density of 150 pixels per inch (ppi) for color and 300ppi for black-and-white text. All color ereaders I've tested are in the same boat, with color densities that max out at 150ppi, and black-and-white densities peaking at 300ppi.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)The color might not be as saturated as kids are accustomed to, but it still looks good enough to enhance their enjoyment of comics and other picture-filled content. Thankfully, Kids+ comes with a decent amount of Marvel content, all of which takes advantage of the color screen. Iron Man’s suit appears appropriately red, while the blue hues of Thanos are readily visible.
The front lights allow you to adjust the brightness and warmth of the screen. I’ve found Colorsoft displays to be overly warm, and this continues with the Colorsoft Kids. I don’t find it particularly distracting, and it’s unlikely that your child will, either. If you want to ensure your kid sees the whitest screen possible, the Paperwhite Kids display is cooler, with more balanced overall lighting.
Performance: Fast Page Turns
The Colorsoft is exceptionally responsive. Touch input registers instantly, and scrolling through content is quick and simple. Page turns are also swift, occurring as soon as you swipe the display. Amazon doesn't disclose the make or model of the processor that powers the Colorsoft or the amount of memory on the device. It comes with 16GB of storage that can’t be upgraded.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)Children are unlikely to have a problem with the amount of storage on the Colorsoft. It’s more than enough room for a whole library of books. The only way they could run into trouble is if they plan on listening to many audiobooks on the device. But this seems unlikely, considering that only a few audiobooks are included with Kids+, and they are difficult to find. Your child can’t access your Audible subscription from the Kids+ interface. If your kid loves Audible, they’re better off getting a regular Colorsoft instead.
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Battery: It Lasts Long Enough for Weeks of Reading
I have never had complaints about the battery life for any Kindle. The Kids Colorsoft dropped 11% during three days of heavy use. I read for over an hour a day, scrolled through every page of available books on Kids+, and had the brightness at 18 for most of my testing. I’m a heavy reader and often read for multiple hours a night, so this is around the level of battery loss I typically encounter. Amazon claims that the Colorsoft can get up to eight weeks on a single charge, though this calculation is based on specific settings. These include reading for just half an hour per day with wireless settings off and brightness capped at level 13.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)I keep the dual-band Wi-Fi on at all times to ensure immediate access to any books that I download or send to my Kindle. I don’t have an Audible subscription, so I don't regularly turn on the Bluetooth connection. Amazon specifically states that streaming audiobooks over Bluetooth will noticeably drain your battery. Your child’s individual Colosoft usage will affect how long the battery lasts.
Software: Kids+ Needs an Overhaul
Amazon's Kids+ software is at the core of the Colorsoft Kids experience. It activates during the setup process, and when the included one-year subscription expires, Prime members can continue the service for $5.99 per month, while non-members must pay $7.99 per month. Technically, you don’t need a Kid-specific version of a Kindle to use Kids+. You can purchase a subscription and use it on any Kindle ereader or Fire tablet by accessing the Amazon Kids settings in the menu. Clicking this button will initiate the setup process, allowing you to access your subscription and its corresponding software on your device.
Kids+ isn't made exclusively for reading. Instead, it encompasses a wide range of apps, games, videos, audiobooks, and books, and was seemingly made with Fire tablets in mind. Unfortunately, Kindle devices can only access books and audiobooks. You need a separate Fire tablet to access the rest of the content, even though it’s technically included in your subscription.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)Amazon attempted to bulk up its book offerings when it released the Colorsoft Kids. Along with the device itself, it announced the addition of more Percy Jackson books and Big Nate titles, as well as every book in the Artemis Fowl, Storm Runner, and Aru Shah series. I’ve never felt that there was a wide enough selection of books in Kids+, and I was glad to see that the company has expanded its offerings.
The problem is that it’s just not enough. The Colorsoft Kids is geared toward children ages 7 to 12, which encompasses a wide range of reading levels. Not only is there not enough content for each grade level, but there’s also no way to effectively search what little content there is.
For example, the home screen consists of rows of books. Your recent reads are at the top, followed by rows of suggestions. These include: Popular Book Series, Books You Might Like, Award Winning Books and Authors, Store, Characters & Themes, Discover, and Popular Books. There is no way to find a breakdown by age, reading level, or subject matter. The Kindle search bar at the top of the home screen can only search for individual titles. If you're not looking for a picture book, your best bet is to go into the Characters and Themes section and scroll until you find collections from Mickey and Minnie, Peppa Pig, and Alphabet/ABC.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)Things get even more difficult if you’re an accomplished reader trying to find books that speak to your age and interests. For example, I’d be frustrated if I were a middle-schooler who went to the Spooky Theme section hoping to find Goosebumps books or something similar. Instead, I’d find a Sesame Street Elmo book and other titles that cover a wide range of ages. It’s not until the third page of flipping through titles that I'd get to an interesting middle-school level, choose-your-own-adventure book.
Kids+ needs more books overall and a better way to organize them. I’m sure there’s something in the collection that your kids will find interesting, but I doubt that there’s enough to keep them hooked for the long term.