The days of non-color e-readers may be numbered. (Rick Broida/Yahoo)
Color always makes its way into technology eventually: TVs, computers, PDAs/phones and now e-readers. That last category took a while, but it's finally here: If you're tired of grayscale graphic novels, PDFs, book covers, text highlights and so on, you now have color electronic-ink options from the likes of Amazon, Boox and Kobo. Below, I've rounded up what I consider the best color e-readers from the (admittedly limited) selection that's currently available.
Be forewarned: The nature of this technology means you won't enjoy the vibrant, richly detailed colors you're accustomed to on your phone or tablet. Indeed, these screens may seem pretty drab in comparison.
But as with other e-readers, you still get a super-lightweight design, amazing battery life (measured in weeks, not hours), excellent outdoor readability and that blissful distraction-free reading experience. And, hey, color is certainly nice, even if it's not perfect. (If you're not into it, we also have a roundup of the best e-readers overall.) So read on to discover my top color e-reader picks, and then continue for answers to some frequently asked questions.
Update, Aug. 11, 2025: We checked all prices and availability. We added a mention of Amazon's newest color Kindle and modified our Kobo reviews to reflect a feature change. Our number one pick for best color e-reader remains unchanged.
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition: Amazon's first-ever color Kindle will undoubtedly appeal to die-hard fans, especially those with big existing libraries they want to maintain. But it's expensive. It lacks page-turn buttons. It produces the same muted colors as its above brethren. While this is undoubtedly the best color e-reader for Kindle users, the price tag suggests a more premium device than what you're getting. Read my complete Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition review to learn more. Similarly...
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft: The newest addition to the Colorsoft lineup is slightly more affordable — $30 less than the Signature Edition — but equipped with half the storage and missing a couple other amenities. In all other respects it's the same device, and with the same disappointments. Amazon should have priced this much lower. Read all about it in my full Kindle Colorsoft review.
Boox Go Color 7: I like the Boox Go Color 7 on paper, but less as paper. Stocked with a color e-ink screen, it's thin and light, with physical page-turn buttons, a speaker and Google Play Store access — meaning you can install any e-reader apps you want. But its user interface is perplexing, and I encountered several problems with the Hoopla app. Screen flashes and ghosting proved an annoyance as well, despite a lot of tweaking of the e-ink settings. I wouldn't rule out the Go Color 7 entirely, but be prepared for a few headaches.
Remarkable Paper Pro: Although it has a large, color e-ink screen, the Paper Pro isn't really an e-reader; it's a dedicated writing tablet. An excellent one, but if you want books as well, you'll be disappointed: It doesn't support Kindle or Hoopla or any other such apps. To learn more, read my Remarkable Paper Pro review.
I struggle with this question myself. If you mostly read novels, you're mostly reading text, in which case a color screen is largely superfluous. Sure, it's nice to see color covers as you're browsing your library, and color is certainly welcome if you like to highlight text passages, but there's no real practical advantage.
Rather, it's more important for things like comic books, children's books, graphic novels, PDFs and the like. But given the limitations of E Ink technology, you'll have to endure not only some pretty drab hues, but also jerky scrolling and frequent screen-refresh flashes. For that kind of media, I'd strongly recommend a tablet instead of a color e-reader.
It's both! E Ink is a company that makes, well, e-ink screens, the latter referring to "electronic ink." Unlike an LCD, the kind of screen used in phones, tablets and TVs, e-ink doesn't require constant power. Whatever it's displaying stays visible until it changes (like, say, turning to the next book page).
Maybe. Tablets weigh more, so they're not as comfortable to hold for long periods of time and not as easy to tote in your bag. They don't last for weeks on a charge, either; an iPad Mini might let you read for just 10 hours or so before needing to plug in.
A tablet screen is also a bit harder on the eyes, as they can show a lot of glare and be hard to view outdoors. What's more, their back-lights emit potentially harmful blue light, which can disrupt sleep. E-ink comes much closer to reproducing the matte, glare-free look of paper, with front-lights that are directed away from your eyes instead of toward them.
On the other hand, tablets are far more versatile — not just because they can run a panoply of apps, but also because they're not locked into a particular e-book ecosystem. On just about any tablet, you can access Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Libby, Hoopla and other sources.
So there are pros and cons. If you can, borrow different devices from friends or family members and see which one you like best for reading.