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6 Minutes
Summary: a new compact color Kindle on the horizon?
A Brazilian Reddit user, posting under the handle Successful_Bear4855, has shared photos and hands-on impressions of what they claim is an Amazon prototype color e‑reader — possibly arriving as early as November. The device in the images reportedly uses white bezels and has been referred to by the leaker as the "Kindle Petit Color." While the concept is intriguing, several technical details and the public nature of the leak make the report worth treating with caution.
What the leak shows
The leaked photos depict a compact e‑reader roughly the size of the Amazon basic Kindle 2024. According to the source, this prototype packs a color E Ink panel and a handful of novel software features. The most notable claims include per‑color saturation controls, a so‑called "progressive colors" reading mode that changes text hues as you progress through a book, and detachable bezels offered in multiple finishes.
Images and media: All images from the original leak are retained in the source and should remain unchanged; the leak’s photos reportedly show the device with white bezels and mockups of the new UI.
Product features: what the leak alleges
Color E Ink display and saturation controls
The leaker says the device delivers better color saturation than the current Kindle Colorsoft family, and that users can tweak saturation for individual colors. If true, per‑color adjustment would be unusual for E Ink devices; many color e‑readers offer global color modes (for example, a "Vivid" mode) but not separate sliders for each hue.
Progressive colors
"Progressive colors" is a UI gimmick described as a reading progress indicator that changes the text color across four selectable hues as you move through each quarter of a book. The same color reportedly appears on the status bar, and icons could be tinted with user‑chosen colors. This is more of a cosmetic feature than a functional enhancement, but it may appeal to readers who want more personalization.
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Detachable bezels and finishes
The leak claims Amazon will offer removable bezels for the first time on a Kindle, with color options like green leaf, deep purple, chromatic gray, and a special "mermaid" finish that shifts between soft pink and teal at different angles. The feasibility of a genuinely detachable bezel on an e‑reader is unclear — it could be a snap‑on skin rather than a replaceable structural part.
Technical considerations and display tradeoffs
One red flag in the thread is the mention of a 150 ppi color resolution, which points to E Ink Kaleido 3 technology. Kaleido 3 and similar color e‑paper panels provide affordable color but impose limits on saturation and text crispness. In practice, pushing hues higher often reduces contrast and clarity for small fonts. The smaller display size of this alleged model could mitigate fuzziness to some extent, but the tradeoff between color richness and text sharpness remains a critical factor when recommending any color Kindle.
Comparisons and context
Compared with existing color e‑readers — such as the Kindle Colorsoft line and third‑party devices like the Onyx Boox Go Color series — the claimed features would be competitive on paper. Where Onyx and other brands expose multiple screen modes (e.g., boosted color profiles), they typically apply changes globally rather than per color. If Amazon truly implements per‑color controls, that would be a novel experiment for mainstream e‑readers.
Advantages and potential use cases
If the device ships as described, potential advantages include:
- More expressive reading experiences for comics, children’s books and illustrated content thanks to richer color handling.
- Personalized UI aesthetics with color‑tinted icons and status bars.
- Portability and familiarity if the chassis matches the size of the 2024 basic Kindle.
Use cases most likely to benefit are casual readers of graphic novels, educational content, and families who prefer a colorful, easy‑to‑customize reading device over larger, monochrome Kindles.
Price, market positioning and skepticism
There are conflicting signals about pricing. Some reports suggest this Kindle could be cheaper than the Colorsoft series, while the added display optimization and new accessories (detachable bezels/skins) could justify a higher MSRP. Amazon’s pricing strategy often balances hardware cost with ecosystem lock‑in, so final figures will depend on display sourcing and feature set.
From a credibility standpoint, several factors urge caution: Amazon typically staggers Kindle releases over multiple years, and the company only recently expanded Colorsoft models. The leak’s public nature — a tester divulging photos and specifics — also raises questions about why a contractor would risk exposure. Finally, technical indicators like the cited 150 ppi strongly suggest Kaleido 3, which tempers expectations for color fidelity.
Market relevance and what to watch for
A compact, color Kindle could broaden Amazon’s e‑reader appeal beyond text‑centric users to casual, visual readers and families, but execution is everything. Key indicators to watch for in future leaks or an official announcement include confirmed display technology, exact pixel density, font rendering samples, battery life with color content, and whether bezels are cosmetic skins or modular components.
Conclusion
The purported "Kindle Petit Color" concept is intriguing and aligns with market demand for more affordable, color‑capable e‑readers. Still, display tradeoffs, the uncommon idea of detachable bezels, and Amazon’s historical cadence for hardware updates make this leak far from definitive. I’m cautiously interested — but until we see official specs, display samples and pricing, treat the story as a rumor with promising but unproven claims.
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