Kindle Scribe Review

The response to Amazon’s largest Kindle to date has been lukewarm. The reviewers of e-ink tablets online – an admittedly niche online subculture – have been scathing over the absence of certain features when the device launched and less-than-impressed by recent updates. I moved to the Kindle Scribe full time several months ago and wanted to jot down my thoughts on how the device fits in to my professional and personal life. I use the Scribe as my work notebook, to help in language learning and as a standard reader in the evening. I have used several Boox tablets in the past and have access to an old 11 inch iPad Pro.

A word on the device itself: out of the case, it is thin and remarkably light. The larger screen size makes it more unwieldy than a regular Kindle e-reader, but one can hold it easily enough in one hand while sitting on the sofa in the evening. I’ll confess that when walking from room to room, I feel a bit of a prat like I’m carrying a clipboard and that I’ve morphed into a building surveyor in my own home. I’m getting less self-conscious about it, mind. I have the premium pen, which includes a side button and an eraser. The pen is light but has a decent solidity to it. It isn’t as heavy as the Apple Pencil and has a little rattle which I assume comes from the sidebutton. The screen is a beautifully clear 300dpi and the front light is even and gives a paperlike appearance. The admittedly overpriced folio cover is nicely built and adds little bulk to the device.