Amazon has acknowledged complaints about a display issue from early adopters of its Kindle Colorsoft e-reader.
Some buyers of Amazon’s first ever Kindle with a colour screen are reporting seeing a yellow band along the bottom of the display.
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One user on Reddit reported disappointment due to what they call “an incredibly noticeable yellow tinge to the bottom of the display” that fell beneath his expectations of an “evenly lit display, coloured like a sheet of paper.”
That’s just one of dozens of posts and replies complaining about the same issue, with many saying they’ve returned their new Colorsoft to Amazon for a refund without the offer of a replacement.
Now Amazon says the problem is affecting a small number of users and advising those experiencing the issue to contact customer service. However, the average review score of just 2.7 stars on the product page suggests a more significant problem.
“We’re aware of a small number of reports from customers who see a yellow band along the bottom of the display,” an Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch.
“We take the quality of our products seriously and are looking into it. If customers notice this on their device, they can reach out to our customer service team.”
Amazon US is still selling the Kindle Colorsoft but delivery estimates aren’t until November 15-19. That may just be due to stock issues, but there are also unconfirmed reports Amazon is pausing shipments while it addresses the issue. Goodereader reports Amazon is cancelling the shipments due to “severe issues with the e-paper display.”
It should be noted that, although there seems to be more than a “small number” of people reporting this issue, it is far from universal. In his hands-on experiences with the Colorsoft so far, our own Max Parker reported no such problems with the display on that unit.
It’s a clear quality control issue
It’s clear the Kindle Colorsoft has a quality control issue right out of the gate. This is a huge blow for this brand new product in the Kindle line up. As Amazon’s first ever e-reader with a colour display – something parts of the user base had been waiting years for – it was important the company nailed this one. However the Colorsoft has stumbled out of the gate and many perceptions will be set by these reports.
