Pour l’écosystème Amazon
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft 16 GB
Your Kindle library in colour, with highlights in five shades.
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Reading · 7 min read
Which e-reader to buy? Kindle Colorsoft, Kobo or PocketBook
Kindle, Kobo or PocketBook: three colour e-readers compared on screen, ePub support, Belgian library lending and reading comfort.
Our pick: Kobo Libra ColourSee on Amazon
Our pick
Kobo Libra Colour
If you read in Belgium and want just one e-reader, take the white Kobo Libra Colour: it opens ePubs without conversion, works with the Lirtuel library e-lending catalogue, has real page-turn buttons and 32 GB of storage.
Live price and availability on amazon.com.be
Other situations
If your books are already on Amazon, the Kindle Colorsoft keeps your Kindle library and adds colour for covers and highlights. If you also want to listen, the PocketBook Era Color has a built-in speaker and reads text aloud.
One model per use
Pour lire et écouter
PocketBook Era Color
A colour screen, a built-in speaker and an award-winning design, in Stormy Sea blue.
The three picks, side by side
| Model | Screen | Book formats | Size | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our pickKobo — Libra Colour, 7-inch colour e-reader (white) | 7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3, 300 ppi black and white, 150 ppi colour, page-turn buttons | 15 native formats including ePub, ePub3, PDF, MOBI, CBZ and CBR; up to 40 days at 30 min of reading a day | 144.6 × 161 × 8.3 mm, 199.5 g, 32 GB, IPX8 (2 m for 60 min) | See on Amazon |
| Pour l’écosystème AmazonAmazon — Kindle Colorsoft 16 GB (black, without ads) | 7-inch colour, 300 ppi black and white, 150 ppi colour, white-to-amber light | AZW3, AZW, PDF, TXT, unprotected MOBI; ePub by conversion; up to 8 weeks at 30 min a day | 127.6 × 176.7 × 7.8 mm, 215 g, 16 GB, IPX8 (2 m for 60 min) | See on Amazon |
| Pour lire et écouterPocketBook — Era Color, 7-inch colour e-reader (Stormy Sea) | 7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3, 1264 × 1680 pixels in black and white, 632 × 840 in colour, 4,096 colours | 25 book and image formats, including ePub, PDF, MOBI, CBR and CBZ; 6 audio formats | 32 GB, IPX8 (2 m for 60 min), Bluetooth 5.4, built-in speaker | See on Amazon |
How these were chosen
- The bookshop you use
- A Kindle reads books bought from Amazon first; Kobo and PocketBook read the ePubs sold by most online bookshops. That choice matters more than the screen.
- Library lending
- Libraries lend protected ePubs. Not every e-reader accepts them: check compatibility before buying if you borrow often.
- How it feels in the hand
- Physical buttons, a weight under 200 grams or a screen that rotates make the difference when you read for an hour, in bed or on the train.
How they differ from the Kindle Paperwhite
The Kindle Paperwhite 16 GB, featured in our design tech objects guide, remains an excellent black-and-white e-reader: 16 levels of grey, up to 12 weeks of battery life according to Amazon. The three e-readers in this guide make another choice: a 7-inch colour screen for covers, comics and highlights.
The Kindle Colorsoft keeps almost the same size as the Paperwhite, but its stated battery life drops to 8 weeks. The Kobo Libra Colour and the PocketBook Era Color go further: physical page-turn buttons, ePub without conversion and support for Lirtuel library lending.
Three e-readers, three ways to read
The Kindle Colorsoft is for people who already buy from Amazon: the library follows, and highlights come in five colours. The Kobo Libra Colour suits readers who buy everywhere and borrow from the library, with an optional stylus to annotate books.
The PocketBook Era Color adds sound: a built-in speaker for audiobooks and a text-to-speech feature. Its design won a Red Dot Award, according to PocketBook, and its Stormy Sea finish breaks from the usual black.
How these three were chosen
Three colour e-readers available on Amazon, from three different brands that publish a spec sheet, with a design you are happy to leave on the bedside table. Each answers one way of getting your books: Amazon, ePub and the library, or reading and listening.
None was tested in a lab. The characteristics quoted come from the manufacturer pages and the Amazon listings, nothing else. Each card below also says when not to choose it.
The models in detail
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Our pick
Kobo Libra Colour7-inch colour e-reader (white)
An e-reader with a 7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 colour screen, page-turn buttons, ComfortLight PRO with adjustable colour temperature, 32 GB, IPX8 waterproofing and support for the Kobo Stylus 2, sold separately.
- Screen7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3, 300 ppi black and white, 150 ppi colour, page-turn buttons
- Book formats15 native formats including ePub, ePub3, PDF, MOBI, CBZ and CBR; up to 40 days at 30 min of reading a day
- Size144.6 × 161 × 8.3 mm, 199.5 g, 32 GB, IPX8 (2 m for 60 min)
Avoid ifAll your books are bought from Amazon: they will not open on a Kobo, and the stylus for notes is sold separately.
See on AmazonLive price and availability on amazon.com.be
Pour l’écosystème Amazon
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft 16 GB
An e-reader with a 7-inch colour screen, 300 ppi in black and white and 150 ppi in colour, a front light adjustable from white to amber, highlights in five colours, USB-C charging and IPX8 waterproofing.
- Screen7-inch colour, 300 ppi black and white, 150 ppi colour, white-to-amber light
- Book formatsAZW3, AZW, PDF, TXT, unprotected MOBI; ePub by conversion; up to 8 weeks at 30 min a day
- Size127.6 × 176.7 × 7.8 mm, 215 g, 16 GB, IPX8 (2 m for 60 min)
Avoid ifYou borrow from the library or buy your ePubs elsewhere: the Kindle cannot read books borrowed through Lirtuel and converts ePubs instead of opening them.
See on AmazonLive price and availability on amazon.com.be
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Pour lire et écouter
PocketBook Era Color7-inch colour e-reader (Stormy Sea)
An e-reader with a 7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 colour screen showing 4,096 colours, side buttons, SMARTlight, a built-in speaker, Bluetooth, text-to-speech, 32 GB and IPX8 waterproofing.
- Screen7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3, 1264 × 1680 pixels in black and white, 632 × 840 in colour, 4,096 colours
- Book formats25 book and image formats, including ePub, PDF, MOBI, CBR and CBZ; 6 audio formats
- Size32 GB, IPX8 (2 m for 60 min), Bluetooth 5.4, built-in speaker
Avoid ifYou want the lightest or best-documented one: PocketBook publishes no battery figure, and the Amazon listing gives 235 g.
See on AmazonLive price and availability on amazon.com.be
Frequently asked questions
Kindle or Kobo: which e-reader should I choose?
It depends on where your books come from. If you buy from Amazon, the Kindle is simplest. If you buy from other online bookshops or borrow from the library, a Kobo opens ePubs directly and accepts books borrowed through Lirtuel, which the Kindle does not.
Can a Kindle read ePub files?
Not directly. According to Amazon’s spec sheet, the Kindle Colorsoft natively reads Kindle formats (AZW3, AZW), PDF, TXT and unprotected MOBI; ePub goes through a conversion via Amazon’s sending service. The Kobo Libra Colour reads ePub and ePub3 without conversion.
Can you borrow e-books from a library in Belgium on an e-reader?
Yes, with the right e-reader. In the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, the Lirtuel catalogue lends ePubs; its help page lists Kobo and PocketBook e-readers as compatible and states that borrowed books cannot be read on any Kindle model. In Flanders, libraries lend through cloudLibrary: ask your library for the current steps to transfer a book to your e-reader.
Is a colour e-reader worth it for novels?
For plain text, the benefit is limited: the three e-readers in this guide show black and white more sharply than colour (Amazon and Kobo state 300 ppi in black and white against 150 ppi in colour). Colour is for covers, highlights, comics and illustrated books.