When it comes to dedicated reading devices, black is by far and away the most common color. In fact, probably close to 80% of ereaders are black, and most are only available in that color.
There are a few exceptions, like the matcha green Kindle, but even the different colored Paperwhites have a black front bezel.
Amazon used to sell a Paperwhite with a white bezel, but they did away with that when they started offering flush front screens. The first three generations of Kindles were all available in white, but then Amazon switched to black and gray Kindles after that.
Now the new Kindle Scribe is the only Kindle available in white, and it’s not fully white. The back and sides are a different color (tungsten or jade) and so is the handle.
Of the five different models that Kobo currently sells, the Libra Colour is the only one available in white. All their other models are only available in black. The white Libra seems to be one of their most popular models, so why doesn’t Kobo sell white versions of their other models too?
Pocketbook currently sells over a dozen different models, and every single one of them is black.
There are several different eNotes that are available in white—that seems to be a more common color for eNotes. The new Boox Note Max and the Boox Go 10.3 are both only available in white. The same goes for Remarkable’s tablets. They’re actually a little more on the gray side than white, but that matches the color of E Ink better than true white.
Back before frontlights, black ereaders were the best option for the appearance of better contrast. There’s an optical illusion that makes text look darker when surrounded by a black border, but with frontlights that affect is somewhat lessened.
When using a frontlight, it helps makes the page background appear whiter, and ereaders with white bezels have the unique characteristic of blending in with the page background better. It kind of gives them a more paperlike appearance. It’s a nice look, and I’m surprised that white ereaders aren’t more common.
Vinyl skins. Most are for Kindle but most sellers have a wide variety of colors. Want a ruby red Oasis? Their’s a skin for that. Want a bone white Paperwhite whatever? Skin for that too.
I figure black plastic is cheaper than white so thats why a majority of e readers and electronic devices are black. And the company doesn’t have to deal with people who have a white device going slightly yellow as it ages.
Thanks for the great suggestion!
It’s not just ereaders. Our world has lost its colors. Everything now is black, white or grey.
Exactly! Just look at cars, smartphones, clothes, furniture… Even things for kids are losing colour… Strollers are usually black, clothes in muted colours and when you go to Ikea, everything for kids is in muted pastel colours… No wonder why depression is still more and more common.
Speaking for myself I like the pastel colors more. To me it adds a little more whimsy for whatever reason.
Strollers being black or dark colored is a good thing. All kids do at that stroller age is eat puke and bodily functions.
To me it’s just depressing, that’s why my kitchen cabinets are bright green, my bathroom has bright purple tiles, my car is green, my phone blue etc. And I have three kids and they do not do that in the stroller all the time at all.
I went from a white Libra 2 to a new Libra Colour in white, I really like both. I’ve had manners ereaders over the years that were all black but when the Libras came out in white I decided to try it. I absolutely love it!
Even though my iRiver Story HD is no longer my daily reader, when I do use it, I’m reminded of how much I like the white bezel. I remember when white was more common, people complained that the white bezel made the page background look darker (this was before backlights). Maybe that’s true but I was never bothered by it.
Grease stains, stains in general, shows damage and wear faster, and reflects light more. Certain colors in plastic result in a weaker plastic. And lastly, white accentuates the screendoor effect or other imperfections in the screen.
How does a white bezel accentuate imperfections on the screen more than a black bezel does? If anything, the background blends together with the bezel better with a white background.
Libra Color: Reflects light and scatters it with the semi matte surface texture.
White plastic reflects more light, while black absorbs it. In bright light or with a strong backlight setting, the beveled plastic picks up the ambient light and combined with the screendoor effect of the color screen, it looks like the fuzziness is enlarged in scale like the entire device is just one big fuzzy image.
Reading outside in daylight, what eInk is all about, makes it extremely unpleasant to read, if the case is brighter than the screen. If it would have the same brightness, which means for color eReaders it should be greyish, then I think it would become the preferred color. But a white case that burns your eyes out? No thanks!
It’s distracting while I’m reading.
I love white ereaders and I absolutely detest black ones. But unfortunately I have no choice so my only white is Kobo Libra 2. And when you look at Reddit, YouTube, TikTok etc. almost everyone has white Kobo. So I also don’t understand why they don’t use white (or any other colour) more. It sucks.
I love white e-readers, the white option is a big part of why I abandoned my Kindle for a Boox.
And Kobo finally came up with idea that they need to release a matching white Stylus 2 to match Libra Colour.
PS: Proud owner of Kobo Libra H2O in WHITE
I agree with the comment about staining. I have a feeling they don’t offer white as often as it more quickly shows dirt and stains and often yellows over time.
Back before frontlights, black ereaders were the best option for the appearance of better contrast. There’s an optical illusion that makes text look darker when surrounded by a black border, but with frontlights that affect is somewhat lessened
To save battery life, I never turn on an e-reader’s lights. Give me black.