Kaleido 4: The E-Ink News You Need to See Right Now

The Reader’s Edge | Charlie Samways | October 25, 2026 |

You may have missed some of the biggest e-ink news circulating over the last 10 days.

Not the new Kindle range, but something that may stop you from buying one of these devices.

Because E Ink, the company behind the displays in most popular colour e-ink devices, has just announced its next generation: Kaleido 4.

On the face of it, this might not sound as exciting as it is. We’re so used to incremental improvements in tech that this could easily get lost.

But the improvements shared by E Ink suggest this could be the sort of leap forward that is rare. And not only that, but it’s also the changes that colour e-ink devices have been calling out for.

While I get lots of comments on my channel sharing how people love their colour e-readers, there’s also a strong community who hold similar feelings to me. That the grainy or soft appearance compared to black-and-white devices holds colour e-ink back from being a go-to device for all.

E Ink is aware of this criticism, specifically citing how the new display will reduce the perception of screen graininess. By offering an improved display, it may narrow the gap between the sharpness of the screen on colour vs black-and-white.

There is also a general sense that this jump in e-ink colour technology could go beyond e-readers. While people are excited to hear more about devices featuring the Kaleido 4, this could open the door to new uses for e-ink.

Those uses could be the incorporation of colour e-ink into billboards and promotional displays, where full vibrancy of colour and information is crucial. There is also a developing market for e-ink monitors, where users still require the full range of colours, but could benefit from reduced eye strain.

The opportunities feel huge for where this new technology could push e-ink. If the features stand up to what has been announced, this could be the sort of jump forward e-ink enthusiasts have been hoping for.

Kaleido 3 vs Kaleido 4

There are some standout improvements from the Kaleido 3 to the Kaleido 4, and according to E Ink, the first big change is the colour gamut volume being 2 times greater. This means a greater range of colours on the display, so there will be more vibrancy in every book, comic or magazine you read.

Compared to the Kaleido 3, white reflectance is up 15%, and contrast is up by 50%. This will mean that pages should look more like paper and less grey, and text should look crisper and colours should stand out more. 

Even though I now have a Kindle Colorsoft, I still prefer reading magazines on my iPad, so improvements to vibrancy are a huge deal.

A feature that may not get as much of the attention, but should still get you excited, is the new Oxide TFT backplane. This is the electronics behind the screen that tell each pixel what to do. It’s faster, which means quicker page turns and scrolling, and E Ink says it can even play video at up to 18 frames per second.

Whether you actually need video performance on the devices you use is another point. But it’s definitely useful for the expansion of e-ink into billboards and monitors, mentioned earlier.

But the improvement, which is grabbing most of the headlines, and rightly so, is the colour resolution. This is reportedly set to be 300 PPI in colour, double the 150 on Kaleido 3. The result should be sharper resolution on every page.

This could genuinely make the difference for someone like me, who gets hung up on having to sacrifice a sharp display to get colour.

Combine all of these changes, and it feels too good to be true.

And maybe that’s where it’s worth addressing the slight uncertainty from this announcement. There is still limited news on when we may see Kaleido 4 on devices.

The Hanvon M10C II is the only device announced, but this is from a Chinese brand, with no news on a release to the UK or the US.

With some brands like Kindle liking to perfect how these displays work within their own devices, some may take longer to make their way to market.

But the upside is that, with such huge improvements, we may see a race to launch to gain the benefit of being first to market. Rumours are already spreading online that the first wave of devices from popular brands will be in Spring 2027 at the earliest. But this is speculation only and has not been confirmed.

Having only recently bought a 2024 Kindle Colorsoft for my YouTube channel, I will be waiting to see further news and device announcements. 

So, if you just can’t wait that long for a colour e-ink device, then keep an eye out for deals on current models.

This Week’s Question

What would Kaleido 4 need to fix for you to choose colour over black-and-white?

Reply to me at hello@charliesamways.com. I read every one.

From The Channel This Week

If you’ve enjoyed hearing about Kaleido 4, that is what I’ve been talking about on my YouTube channel this week. If you’re interested in finding out more, then it’s worth watching:

The Color E Ink News You Need to See Right Now

If you haven’t already, keep an eye on my free resources page. You’ll find the Reading Tracker that helps books stick, plus a Free Kindle Guide and notes from some of my favourite non-fiction books. Available to all website members.

Wishing you all the best this week, and getting excited about the future of e-ink technology.

Catch up next week,

Charlie