Kindle Scribe Review 2025 (with pictures): Why Should You Buy it | Best Buy
The Kindle Scribe: The Amazon Kindle scribe is an incredible product that I’ve been using every day since 2020, and it’s one of the very few pieces of tech that I can say has genuinely changed my life. Thanks to my Kindle, I’ve read hundreds of books more than I would have read without a Kindle.
So when Amazon announced their new Kindle Scribe, which is a Kindle that you can take notes on, I was over the moon because this is exactly the sort of product that I thought I needed in my life.
In this post, I’m going to be doing a bit of a review of the Amazon Kindle scribe and seeing whether it lives up to the hype.
I’m going to be reviewing this device properly so you can see where this conclusion comes from and see whether you agree or disagree with my assessment and see if maybe you want to spend money on a Kindle scribe.
Table of Contents
What is The Kindle Scribe?
The Kindle Scribe is the first e-ink tablet, it is a tablet that is built for handwriting notes. It comes with a pen that doesn’t require charging so you can immediately start scribbling in your notes or in its built-in notebook app.
It has a 300 PPI resolution on its e-ink display and comes with a 35 LED front light that can be adjusted from cool to warm. Looking at the e-ink screen is much easier on the eyes because there’s no backlight. Amazon Kindle scribe display has a “light guide” that shines light primarily down at the screen rather than up in your eyes as most LCD and OLED displays do
Specifications
Brand: Amazon | Model Name: Kindle Scribe | Screen Size: 10.2 Inches | Hard Disk Size: 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB options | CPU Model: Unknown | Ram Memory Installed Size: Unknown | Operating System: Kindle OS | Special Feature: E-Ink display with stylus support for writing and note-taking | Graphics Card Description: Not applicable (E-Ink display)
PROS - Large 10.2-inch E-Ink display, perfect for reading and writing with minimal eye strain. - Stylus support allows for seamless note-taking directly on the device. - Various storage options (16GB, 32GB, 64GB) to cater to different needs. - Long-lasting battery life for reading and note-taking. - Lightweight and easy to carry around.
CONS - No backlight color adjustment, limiting night-time reading customization. - Lacks many third-party app integrations compared to traditional tablets. - Not ideal for multimedia or other intensive tasks beyond reading and note-taking.
Unboxing The Kindle Scribe
The unboxing and setup experience feels pretty nice.
In the box, you get a Kindle scribe and you also get a nice little stylus pen that does not require any batteries to operate. The stylus pen feels pretty good; it’s slightly lighter than an Apple Pencil.
You can get the premium stylus pen, which has an eraser at the top. The pen is made with a more grippy material compared to the Apple pencil 2. The sound it makes while using the pen is awesome. It sounds like a pencil on a sketchbook. You’ll get the closer experience of writing on an actual paper.
Also, you can decide to buy one of the Amazon official first-party Kindle scribe covers, which is also quite nice and adds a premium feel to the whole product. The cover has a pen loop that you can shove the pen in on the side for kind of easy keeping.
Honestly, there’s nothing more to say about the unboxing experience.
Setting up The Kindle Scribe
The setup experience is one of the best setup experiences of any device because I use a Kindle extensively. If you’ve got the Kindle app on your iPhone, You can set up the Kindle scribe using the Kindle app on your iPhone. It is super quick; it connects everything seamlessly.
It’ll automatically connect to your Kindle account and automatically connect to the Wi-Fi networks you’ve got saved on your Amazon account. The only other products that I’ve seen come close to this level of seamlessness are Apple products, where it’s very easy to switch from one iPhone to another because of all of the kind of seamless integration.
The Kindle Scribe Design and Features
In terms of design, it’s basically a big version of a Kindle. Compared to the Kindle Paperwhite, the Kindle Scribe is absolutely huge. But instead of having the bezel with the Kindle logo at the bottom, it has more of a bezel on the side. So, you can kind of hold it from the right side, or you can turn it around if you’re left-handed and hold it on the left side.
Honestly, it’ll just sort of feel like you’re holding any kind of thin e-ink or non-e-ink tablet, like an iPad or a remarkable tablet, or any of these other things that you might be familiar with.
There’s a USB charging on the side along with a power button, and really, that’s it when it comes to the design, other than the fact that the stylus pen magnetically attaches just like the iPad does.
Kindle Scribe Case
If you’ll be getting the Kindle Scribe, you should probably pick it up with the case. Honestly, these cases are quite nice, giving your Kindle a premium feel and look.
The way the Kindle Scribe Case works is that the Kindle magnetically attaches to the case.
The only other funky thing that the case does is that it has a mode of being propped up.
This is the configuration most people are using the Kindle Scribe in when they’re taking notes on a desk. You can set it in diverse degrees of angles, and generally, it forms quite a nice angle to read and take notes from.
The Kindle Scribe Reading Experience
Moving on to the reading experience because, well, it’s a Kindle, and even though it’s meant to be written on primarily, people are probably going to be using this for reading.
The reading experience is just as good, if not slightly better, than the reading experience on the other Kindles like the Kindle Paperwhite or the Kindle Oasis. It’s just that you have a bigger screen. The screen is around 300 pixels per inch, so it’s sharp.
It’s an e-ink screen, so it doesn’t strain your eyes. If you haven’t used a Kindle or other e-ink readers, then you might not be familiar with how this looks, but it genuinely is nice. There are always people who say, “Oh, I prefer reading on paper. I don’t want to read on a screen,” but then you give them a Kindle and they’re like, “Oh, I get it. It doesn’t look like a screen.”
The display makes texts look incredibly crisp on it and you can fit more text per page. If you’re someone who needs big text, the Kindle Scribe is perfect for you. You can just use your finger to pinch to zoom on text to increase or decrease text size.
But one of my favorite things about this, which I actually prefer to the normal Kindle, is the ease of flipping through pages. This makes books very, very skimmable.
Note Taking Experience on Kindle Scribe
The note-taking experience on the Kindle Scribe is great, though there were a few features missing at launch, such as an overview of pages and a notebook with more pen styles. But they did add those in subsequent software updates.
Other than that, there’s really not much more to say about the reading process. You can highlight things with your finger, just like you can do on a normal Kindle.
Note:
If you’re primarily using the Kindle scribe for reading, the main thing you want to ask yourself is: do you want to read on such a big device? The amazing thing about the Kindle Paperwhite is I can hold it in one hand. I can lie in bed and read.
I can literally have it in my hand while I’m on the tube and I can read this. I can meet with my Kindle wherever I am, basically anywhere in the world.
Whereas to hold onto the Kindle Scribe with one hand, doesn’t quite work comfortably. You need two hands. If you hold it with one hand, you can’t really reach forward and turn the page with your thumb without doing a lot of contortion, so it’s not really designed to be a one-handed reading experience.
The Kindle Scribe Writing Experience
I suspect most people are not after the Kindle scribe for the fantastic reading experience because you get that from any Kindle. I suspect you’re probably interested in the Kindle scribe like I am because of the writing experience.
So there are two cool things about the writing experience. Number one, you can take notes in books, and secondly, you’ve got a notebook feature.
Notebook Feature
Let’s start with the notebooks feature. It’s the same as a normal Kindle, except there is a notebook tab at the right end. You can create a new notebook, give it a name, and choose from multiple different page layouts. I prefer a DOT grid book myself.
You get a pretty solid writing experience, and genuinely, it’s not bad at all. It’s not quite as nice as the iPad Pro with the paper-like screen protector and the Apple Pencil, but that’s about three times the price of the Kindle scribe and stylus.
I would say it’s actually nicer than the experience of writing on an iPad or an iPad Air very very slightly because the iPad and the iPad Air don’t yet have the 120hz promotion display refresh rate. So while it doesn’t quite feel like actually writing on pen and paper, it comes really close to the feeling of writing on pen and paper.
It has multiple different settings you can choose from, fine through to heavy for the pen. I personally prefer the medium setting, and it’s slightly pressure-sensitive, so if you really want, you can apply a little bit more pressure to get a thicker stroke. Beyond that, there’s not a lot to say about the writing experience. It’s pretty basic but functional, and genuinely, it’s quite nice to use.
One of the issues with a lot of these notebooks, and one of the reasons why I don’t like physical notebooks as much, is that you then have to do something with the notes to get them into a piece of software.
The Kindle Scribe does not yet have any integrations with Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, or Notion. Instead, the only way to access your notes really is by emailing them to yourself.
If you do email it to yourself, it’s pretty good. It lets you download a PDF and then you can screenshot that PDF and put it into whatever notes app that you want if that’s the kind of thing you’re into.
Taking Notes While Reading With The Kindle Scribe
Now, the true selling point of the Kindle scribe is the ability to take notes while you’re reading. Initially, when most people buy the Kindle Scribe, they’ll expect to be able to take notes in the margin, but unfortunately, that’s not how you do it with a Kindle Scribe. Instead, you have to create a highlight or create a sticky note, and then you can write within that.
You’ll have the option of writing a handwritten or a text note. If you hit a text note, you’ll get the option of typing on a keyboard, a slightly nicer experience than typing on the keyboard of the Kindle Paperwhite.
The real pièce de résistance of the Kindle scribe is the ability to take a handwritten note.
So where did that note appear? Well, if you hit the highlight and then hit note, you can see the note that you’ve written. And if you view my notebook, which normally has just your highlights, you can also see that it’s got your handwritten notes in it, which is kind of nice.
This is kind of handy if you visit your highlights from your books because you can see your handwritten notes alongside your highlights. In a way, it gives you context on why you took a note in the first place.
An alternative way of Taking Notes With Kindle Scribe.
Another way of taking notes is by adding sticky notes. On the Kindle Scribe, you can add sticky notes by hitting the sticky notes button and just tapping on a random place on the screen, and you can start taking notes.
Extra Features Of The Kindle Scribe
There are a few extra features that we might want to talk about. It’s got a backlight with like 25 different settings between warm and cold. You can set it on an automatic schedule so that when it’s Sunset, it will automatically go to warm light, and when it’s Sunrise, it goes to Daylight.
You can adjust the brightness if you want, or you can turn it to auto-brightness. And like everything these days, it’s got dark mode as well. So if for whatever reason you want a big ass device to read with you in bed, at least it’s not going to strain your eyes too much.
But that is really everything you need to know about the Kindle scribe.
Frequently Asked Question on The Kindle Scribe
1. What is the Kindle Scribe?
- The Kindle Scribe is a digital notebook equipped with a stylus that allows users to write, sketch, and take notes directly on the device’s screen. It combines the traditional e-reading experience with the functionality of a digital notepad, offering versatility for both reading and writing tasks.
2. How does the Kindle Scribe differ from regular Kindles?
- Unlike regular Kindles focused solely on reading eBooks, the Kindle Scribe provides the additional capability of writing directly on the screen using the included stylus. This feature transforms the device into a versatile tool for both reading and note-taking, making it suitable for users who prefer handwritten notes or annotations.
3. Is the Kindle Scribe compatible with other styluses?
- While the Kindle Scribe comes with a premium pen designed specifically for the device, it may also be compatible with other styluses that utilize similar technology. However, it’s recommended to use the provided pen for optimal performance and compatibility.
4. Can I convert handwritten notes on the Kindle Scribe into digital text?
- Yes, the Kindle Scribe offers the functionality to convert handwritten notes into digital text, enhancing organization and accessibility of written content. This feature enables users to easily search, edit, and share their handwritten notes in a digital format.
5. Does the Kindle Scribe have a backlight for reading in low light conditions?
- Yes, the Kindle Scribe is equipped with a built-in backlight, allowing users to read and write comfortably in various lighting environments, including low light conditions. The adjustable backlight enhances readability without causing eye strain, ensuring a pleasant reading and writing experience.
6. What is the battery life of the Kindle Scribe?
- The battery life of the Kindle Scribe can vary depending on usage, but it typically lasts for several weeks on a single charge. This long battery life ensures that users can use the device for extended periods without worrying about frequent recharging.
7. Is the Kindle Scribe waterproof?
- While the Kindle Scribe is not explicitly advertised as waterproof, it may have some level of water resistance to protect it from minor splashes or spills. However, it’s advisable to avoid exposing the device to excessive moisture to prevent damage.
8. Can I sync my handwritten notes with other devices?
- Yes, the Kindle Scribe allows users to sync their handwritten notes with other compatible devices through cloud services or synchronization features. This enables seamless access to notes across multiple devices, ensuring that users can continue their work or studies without interruption.
9. Does the Kindle Scribe support third-party apps?
- The Kindle Scribe may support select third-party apps that are compatible with its operating system. However, the availability of third-party apps may vary, and it’s recommended to check the device’s specifications or app store for compatibility information.
10. What is the storage capacity of the Kindle Scribe?
- The Kindle Scribe typically comes with varying storage capacities, ranging from 16GB to 32GB, allowing users to store a large number of eBooks, notes, and other digital content. The ample storage capacity ensures that users have enough space for their reading and writing needs.
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