Amazon fully commits to launching Kindle Color digital readers
Amazon is expanding its e-reader lineup by introducing more affordable color Kindle models, but it is not explicitly phasing out black-and-white Kindles at this time. The newer Kindle Colorsoft models, including the Signature Edition 2025 and a newly announced 16GB lower-cost model, offer rich color displays and improved features.
The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition 2025 is currently available in markets such as the UK, Japan, and parts of Europe, but not widely in the US yet. The 16GB Kindle Colorsoft model, priced at $249.99, was introduced in July 2025, aiming to make color Kindles more accessible. The Kindle Colorsoft Kids edition is also part of the current lineup, targeted at young readers with kid-friendly features.
A prototype for a smaller, cheaper color Kindle named "Kindle Petit Color" is expected to launch in November 2025, featuring enhanced color display technology and customizable color elements.
Amazon continues to offer black-and-white Kindle models alongside these color devices, with no announced plans to discontinue them soon. The color Kindles appear to be positioned as premium or specialized devices (for comics, graphic novels, and kids), complementing rather than replacing the classic e-ink black-and-white Kindles.
Amazon was an early adopter of e-paper devices, with the first Kindle coming out in 2007, well before NOOK and Kobo existed. Rakuten Kobo, like Amazon, believes that the future of e-readers lies in color, as it improves the shopping experience and makes content stand out in the user's library. Michael Kozlowski, an expert in audiobooks, e-books, and e-readers, has been writing about these topics for the past eighteen years and resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The release of color Kindles by Amazon has made comics from Conixology more viable and has attracted more subscriptions to Kindle Unlimited, where thousands of magazines are housed. However, competitors like the Remarkable Paper Pro, Onyx Boox, and Pocketbook also offer color e-notebooks, with Onyx Boox having more than half of its catalog being Kaleido 3.
The Kindle Scribe color would make the most sense as the e-notebook space is almost entirely populated by color devices. It is expected to be released either in late 2025 or mid-2026.
In summary, Amazon is expanding its color Kindle offerings with improved and more affordable models. The 2025 Colorsoft Signature Edition and 16GB Colorsoft are available now, and a new smaller color Kindle (Kindle Petit Color) is anticipated in November 2025. Black-and-white Kindle models remain available, so Amazon is not currently phasing them out.
The Kindle Petit Color, a smaller and more affordable color Kindle, is scheduled to launch in November 2025, aiming to further penetrate the color e-reader market. Despite the introduction of these new color devices, Amazon continues to offer black-and-white Kindle models, indicating that smartphones, gadgets like e-readers, and technology such as the Kindle Colorsoft lineup are not exclusive to color displays.
Amazon's competitors in the e-notebook space, such as the Remarkable Paper Pro, Onyx Boox, and Pocketbook, also offer color devices, suggesting that the trend towards color e-readers and e-notebooks is a broader shift in the technology industry.
