Amazon Kindle Scribe Review

When it comes to e-readers, one of the top choices has been Amazon’s Kindle series. But since Kindle’s introduction back in 2007, the lineup has seen several updates and its biggest change is with the company’s newest device, the Kindle Scribe.

Design & Hardware

The Kindle Scribe features a 10.2-inch e-ink and a backlit display that offers a 300 PPI. The reader is just 5.8mm thin and weighs just 433g.

The device is fairly easy to hold in one hand and doesn’t feel too heavy on one side.

The device is made using 100% recycled aluminum and 48% post-consumer recycled plastics. On the left side of the device, you’ll find the USB-C port and power button. Having the USB-C port on the left side is a bit odd rather than the bottom of the device.

The right side of the device is where the included pen magnetically attaches.

With the Kindle Scribe, there are two pen options to choose from, the Basic pen lets you write on the device and never needs to be charged. The Premium Pen adds a dedicated shortcut button and eraser.

Battery life on the Kindle Scribe is great since it lasts months if you’re just using it for reading and weeks for using it for writing.

Reading on the Kindle Scribe is great, the screen can get fairly bright and fairly dim and there are also options to change the warmth of the display either manually or on a schedule (i.e certain time of day).

For storage, the Kindle Scribe comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models. The 16GB model is only available with the Basic Pen while the higher storage options have the Premium Pen bundled.

There’s also Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for syncing your ebooks (either bought from the Kindle Store or borrowed from your local library). Unlike other e-readers like Kobo, you can’t just drag and drop ebook files by plugging in your Kindle Scribe to your computer.

I found the easiest way to load ebooks onto the Kindle Scribe was using the Send to Kindle web UI: https://www.amazon.com/gp/sendtokindle

The Send to Kindle supports the following file types: PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, RTF, HTM, HTML, PNG, GIF, JPG, JPEG, BMP, and EPUB.

Once you upload it, it’ll then appear in your library on your Kindle.

The Kindle Scribe is available now from Amazon, pricing is as follows:

Kindle Scribe 16GB with Basic Pen – $429 CAD
Kindle Scribe 32GB with Premium Pen – $479 CAD
Kindle Scribe 64GB with Premium Pen – $509 CAD

Software

The Kindle interface is fairly straightforward, on the main homescreen you have your most recent items in your library. Below that, you’ll have some book suggestions from the Kindle Store.

At the bottom of the screen, you have the menu shortcuts for Home, Library, your most recent book/notebook, Notebooks and More.

Library is self-explanatory with all the books you’ve loaded/bought on your device. Notebooks is new because the Kindle Scribe comes with a pen to take notes on.

When you’re in a notebook, you can immediately start writing or drawings. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see quick shortcuts to tools like pen, highlight, erase, touch and undo and redo.

Amazon Kindle Scribe – Notebooks

Amazon Kindle Scribe – New Notebook

Amazon Kindle Scribe – Notebook Interface

To start a new page in your notebook, just swipe from right to left and you should see the screen change and a new page added in the bottom left corner.

The Kindle Scribe’s Premium Pen is very smooth to write with, the only gripe I have is I wish there was some handwriting recognition to change your writing into proper text. It’s possible this could be added down the line but Amazon hasn’t announced anything at the moment.

Once you’re done with a notebook, you can share your notebook to your email for easy access. In early 2023, Amazon is adding support to send Word Documents (DOCX, DOC files) to the Kindle Scribe.

When you’re reading on the Kindle Scribe, you can also take digital sticky notes, in case you want to jot down something about a certain part of your book.