Colored fluids for electrowetting, electro fluidic, or electrophoretic devices, and the devices themselves, are disclosed. The colored fluid can include a nonaqueous polar solvent having (a) a dynamic viscosity of 0.1 cP to 50 cP at 250 C, (b) a surface tension of 25 dynes/cm to 55 dynes/cm at 250 C, and (c) an electrowetting relative response of 40% to 80%. Such colored fluids further include a colorant selected from a pigment and/or a dye. In another embodiment, the colored fluid can include a non-polar solvent and an organic colorant selected from a pigment and/or a dye. Such colored fluids can be black in color and have a conductivity from 0 pS/cm to 5 pS/cm and a dielectric constant less than 3. The use of the colored fluids offers improvements in reliability, higher levels of chroma in the dispersed state, and the ability to achieve higher contrast ratios in display technologies.