Amazon Kindle Scribe (2nd generation) review: There’s more room

Amazon’s Kindle Scribe entered the saturated digital notebook market in 2022, competing with the likes of Kobo, ReMarkable, and Boox. But the original Scribe had more features than anyone else. It was also a Kindle. Its biggest flaw? It was not possible to annotate ebooks directly. This is a standard feature that most people expect from a digital e-paper notebook.

This has been fixed in the second-generation Kindle Scribe, which has several other additions, including generative artificial intelligence capabilities and a slightly redesigned premium pen stylus. But the rest of Scribe remains pretty much the same. It’s a great digital notebook for people who like to write things down on paper, and it also doubles as an e-reader so you don’t have to carry around a separate Kindle.

Photo: Brenda Stolyer

Unfortunately, the price has jumped to $400, an increase of $60 (technically $30 more when compared directly to the original Scribe with the premium pen). However, there are important facts you should know. The first generation Scribe has access to all the new features of the second generation model via software updates (you can download them manually or wait for over-the-air updates). It’s good that existing customers don’t have to upgrade, but it leaves little incentive to spend more money on the latest.

smooth and best

Scribe has the same chassis as its predecessor. The back is made from a combination of recycled aluminum and post-consumer recycled plastic, giving it a luxurious feel. It’s not yet waterproof like the Kindle Paperwhite or Colorsoft, which is odd for a productivity device that inevitably sits next to your coffee mug.

On the front, there’s a 10.2-inch E Ink screen with 300 pixels per inch (94 nits maximum brightness). It can automatically adjust the brightness according to the environment, and there is also adjustable warm lighting to make it easier on the eyes in dark places. I enjoy the latter while writing in my journal on Scribe before bed. There’s also a dark mode that makes the background black and the font white (useful at night).

Photo: Brenda Stolyer