Read our full review of the Kindle Scribe (2024).
If, looking through your bookshelf, your books have dog-eared pages, highlighted lines, and scribbles in the margins, your instinct might be that an e-reader isn’t for you, but I’d like to introduce you to the Kindle Scribe. It’s the only Kindle with writing capabilities and comes with an included stylus pen that magnetically attaches to the side of the e-reader; it’s ready for all your handwritten thoughts.
The pen moves nicely across the screen, mimicking the texture of writing on paper. In addition to a library of books, the Kindle Scribe also comes with a journal section where you can take notes. The notes feature is especially great for students who want to handwrite notes and convert their handwriting into text.
If you jump to a Kindle Scribe from the standard Kindle or even Paperwhite, you’ll be shocked by its 10.2-inch size. That screen size does make it a little more awkward to hold, but for writing or annotating, it’s optimal. Unlike other tablets (I’m looking at you, iPads) that require you to buy a pen separately, the Kindle Scribe comes with a pen that conveniently attaches to the side so it doesn’t get lost. However, it’s not the most secure magnetic hold, so be careful not to bump the pen off accidentally.
Writing on the Kindle Scribe is a joy. Before testing this e-reader, I used my iPad and Apple Pencil to annotate readings, but I never loved it because the screen felt too slick for the Apple Pencil. The Kindle Scribe does not suffer this problem, as the matte screen lends some friction to the pen, making it feel like you’re writing on paper. I enjoyed writing with the pen, and I swear my handwriting looked better on the Kindle Scribe than on my iPad.
Like the Kindle Paperwhite, the Scribe’s battery life lasts 12 weeks. Where it starts to differ is the user interface. The Kindle Scribe runs far slower than Amazon’s other e-readers. The 2024 Scribe did give its speed a slight upgrade, but it still suffers the same problem as previous models. The Scribe often lagged when starting to wake up or switching between journals or books. This is especially disappointing considering the price, which is more than double that of the Paperwhite.
The 2024 Scribe does have great palm rejection and the screen got a brighter revamp, now available with adjustable warmth and brightness. However, it suffers from ghosting on the screen with erased text and book covers still appearing in the background. It also has upgraded storage options of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB.
That being said, if you want to annotate PDFs and docs, the Kindle Scribe is your best and only Kindle option. We don’t recommend buying the Kindle Scribe at full price since it’s not quite worth its $399.99 price tag, so if you are going to buy one, it’s best to wait until a sale.
