Amazon’s Only Color Kindle Just Got a Version That’s a Little Bit Cheaper

Amazon’s newest Colorsoft e-reader is downgrading storage so it can upgrade your bank account. A new version of the Colorsoft Kindle—Amazon’s first-ever color e-reader—will come in a 16GB version that cuts the e-reader’s storage in half compared to the first generation but also debuts at a slightly cheaper $250 compared to the first-gen’s $280.

See Kindle Colorsoft at Amazon

See Kindle Colorsoft Kids at Amazon

There’s not a ton going on here other than the lower storage for a lower price tradeoff, but if you’re not someone who needs the whole 32GB of capacity on your Kindle, a $30 discount ain’t a bad thing, I guess. If you’re feeling so compelled to buy this cheaper version, it’s available now and comes with three months of Kindle Unlimited.

Probably the more interesting side of the latest Colorsoft release is the first-ever kids’ version, which has an illustrated cover and a two-year warranty. That’s definitely a good thing if you’re letting your kids cart this thing around in the car or to dinner and tacitly putting it in harm’s way. There are also some special educational apps designed for kids. Those include Vocabulary Builder and “Word Wise,” which provides “simplified definitions” for words, according to Amazon. On the safety front, Amazon’s kids edition Colorsoft Kindle also provides parental controls for things like which content can be accessed and a hub for monitoring reading activity. Additionally, parents can set a device bedtime if they don’t want their kids up all night getting smarter.

Believe it or not, the Colorsoft Kids is somehow a little bit more expensive than the new adult version and has the same 16GB storage. Amazon’s kid-centric color e-reader is available now for $269.99. I guess pacifying your kids with something that might actually be enriching is probably worth paying a premium, though.

See Kindle Colorsoft at Amazon

See Kindle Colorsoft Kids at Amazon