We had a feeling that Amazon would announce a new Kindle Scribe today during its 2025 hardware event. Now that things have wrapped up, we see that there are actually three new Kindle Scribes to choose from, and pre-orders open today.
Three is the magic number
Everyone who expected a color Kindle Scribe to be announced today was correct, but there are also two more models in the mix. Interestingly, there is a Scribe with a black and white screen that comes with no lighting, which appears to aim to go toe to toe with reMarkable and Supernote, as both offer their own unlit note-taking devices. There is also a new Scribe with a lit black and white screen, utilizing smaller LEDs that help to keep the device thin. Of course, the star of the show is the Scribe Colorsoft, and it offers an exclusive Fig color that is quite striking.
What’s actually new
Source: Amazon
The biggest difference from the last two generations of Kindle Scribe is the removal of the wide handle. Each new Scribe offers even bezels, and Amazon says it was able to make them smaller thanks to using smaller LEDs that offer lighting that’s more even. That’s a plus for sure. The lopsided bezel was never a great look for a note-taking device, and better lighting is always a worthwhile improvement.
It’s also pretty interesting to see that Amazon has transitioned from its 10.3-inch design to an 11-inch screen, suggesting that these E Ink screens are custom-made. While Amazon rarely announces the type of screens it uses, they are undoubtedly E Ink, likely Carta for the B&W models, and Kaleido for the color, though any specifics beyond that are anyone’s guess for now.
All three new Scribes are also thinner, at 5.4mm, thanks to using screens that come with touch input integrated. This is preferable to placing a touch layer on top of the screen, as seen in older models, as the more layers in the screen, the worse the contrast.
Source: Amazon
It’s also been reported that the magnets for the pen and case are improved (via Engadget), an improvement that should have been seen in the previous generation, but better late than never.
The software will also undergo a few improvements, including a new home page to better surface your content (coming later in the year), which likely ties into the new notepad app for jotting down notes.
Lastly, AI is in the mix, because of course. Amazon has added a new chip and more memory, which will likely help run the AI, used for tasks such as searching your notes or deciphering a book’s events with non-spoilery summaries.
Pricing could be much better
Source: Amazon
Before you get too excited, we need to talk pricing, and Amazon appears not to have read the room. The B&W Kindle Scribe, without a front light, retails for $430 and is only available in a 16GB model. This is slightly cheaper than the Supernote Manta at $505 (packing 32GB storage), but more expensive than the reMarkable 2 at $400 (which offers only 8GB storage). This is the most competitively priced Kindle Scribe of the lot, and it still feels overpriced, especially when the last Scribe retailed for $400, which was itself a raised price over the first gen that retailed for $340. The price continues to rise, while the features remain incredibly stagnant.
Then there is a B&W Kindle Scribe that comes with a font light, and that starts at $500 for the 16GB model, topping out at $550 for the 64GB model. Meanwhile, a similar device, such as the Boox Go 10.3, is available for $410 and runs Android, which is so much more versatile than Amazon’s firmware; it’s not even funny.
So if you’re already not liking the price on the B&W models, you’re going to hate that the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft starts at $630 for the 16GB model, and $680 for the 32GB model. While the new Fig color is a welcome surprise, you can easily find cheaper color E Ink devices from Boox, reMarkable, and Bigme that are already available.
Pre-orders are open today, but there’s still no launch date
Source: Amazon
If you don’t mind the incredibly high prices for the three new Kindle Scribes Amazon announced today, pre-orders are open. However, Amazon has yet to divulge an actual delivery date despite today’s event, so it’s anyone’s guess when the new Scribes will ship.
Still, if you’re eager to put your money down on devices that don’t have their hardware specs listed anywhere, Amazon is more than willing to take it. Here’s hoping last year’s issues with banding across the new Kindle Colorosoft and Kindle Paperwhite screens have been solved, as it’s unlikely anyone will put up with discolored screens when they cost this much.
Pre-order from Amazon
