Amazon has officially introduced two new additions to its Kindle lineup today: a more affordable 16GB version of the Kindle Colorsoft and a special Kids Edition designed to encourage young readers.
The standard 16GB Colorsoft comes in at $249.99 and features the same 7-inch color display as the higher-end Signature Edition, with warm front lighting, waterproof design, and an impressive battery life of up to eight weeks. The main difference lies in its reduced storage, offering 16GB instead of the Signature’s larger capacity.
Alongside the base model, Amazon also announced the Kindle Colorsoft Kids. This edition includes the same 16GB device, bundled with a colorful, child-safe cover and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+. Priced at $269.99, it’s geared toward younger readers and focuses on comics, illustrated books, and early-reader content — all without games, ads, or distracting apps.
Amazon says readers using Colorsoft models are turning more pages than ever, which played a key role in their decision to launch a lower-cost version.
Notably, earlier this year, the company faced some quality control concerns with the original Colorsoft Signature Edition, where users reported a faint yellow band near the bottom of the screen. Shipments were temporarily paused, but Amazon addressed the issue with both hardware revisions and a software update, offering replacements to affected users.
With these new releases, Amazon is clearly betting on broader adoption of its color e-reader platform. The 16GB Colorsoft is ideal for readers who want a premium experience without paying top dollar, while the Kids Edition offers families a more focused and child-friendly reading solution.
