Review: Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) — a reading and writing behemoth

It wasn’t all that long ago that I reviewed the 2024 Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition.  Hot on its heels comes the Kindle Scribe, the big daddy of all the Kindles.

I’ve used e-readers with pens before and found them very useful, especially for working or studying, but never one this big. The Kindle Scribe 2024 has a massive 10.2-inch display, making it less of a read-in-bed e-reader and more of a workhorse.

So who is the Kindle Scribe for, and is it worth the extra outlay over a normal Kindle?  Read to find out.

Display & design

The new Kindle Scribe (2024) arrives sporting an upgraded display: a 10.2-inch e-ink display that is glare-free and has an impressive 300 ppi, which is actually higher than that on the iPad Pro 11-inch version.

At its price though, starting at $649, it needs to offer a lot more than a decent PPI.  And it does.  This year, the Scribe arrives with the Premium Pen as part of the package, which includes an activation button that can be customised to the function of your choice and a soft ‘eraser’ on the top.

The design is also very notebook-like with the white borders making the display seem even larger.  Although the brightness od the display is listed as ‘only’ 94 nits at a maximum, it is brighter than any other writing tablet on the market.

In all light conditions, it is incredibly easy to see and read (and write), with it possible to easily switch from light to dark mode the same way as with your standard Kindle.  Using the pen is easy and simple to learn.  Tap here and there, make your notes etc.  The Kindle will remember where you put them should you change font size etc.

With the e-ink display I found that no matter how long I used the display for my eyes did not tire much at all, which is one of the big advantages of an e-ink display

The Scribe is now available in Tungsten and Metallic Jade, with 16GB, 32GB (Tungsten only), or 64GB of memory (Tungsten and Metallic Jade). Add 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 5.1, and you have a handy upgrade to the previous Kindle Scribe.  

The Scribe is incredibly thin, at just 5.7mm, but most will use a case with this tablet, so the thickness is not a major advantage over the other writing tablets on the market.  The build quality is a premium build though with it being a solid, sturdy device that feels like it could easily handle the rigours of being lugged about in your backpack, briefcase or handbag.

I suggest buying a case for it, though. The official Scribe case from Amazon is a foldable version that allows it to be tilted at different angles for easier reading and writing. Although the official cases are expensive, there are many cheaper options on Amazon.

Scribe software

Navigating the Scribe is effectively the same as with the Kindle Paperwhite (2024), so if you want to know about that, I encourage you to read that review quickly and then return to read about the Scribe-specific features.

Other e-readers let you write in them with a pen, but they don’t show the exact location of the note if you change the font size, etc. You have to return the font size to normal to see exactly where the note is.

The Scribe on the other hand, uses a new tool Amazon called Active Canvas where writing in the book creates a box on the page your writing is inside this – always.  Change font size etc and the book just moves around this box with the writing itself so that it is always in the spot that you created it.  The Active Canvas becomes part of the page with the text of the book dynamically flowing around it.

Writing itself is super easy, with the ability to change the size of the pen and highlight passages. I have the button set to highlighter, so a simple press of the button changes the pen to highlight mode.

Given that it is 2025, it should come as no surprise that Amazon has included AI in the Kindle Scribe. It doesn’t do fancy generative AI that is all relatively useless smoke and mirrors; instead, it has a couple of useful tricks.

1. Improved handwriting recognition.   Amazon has improved the handwriting recognition on the Scribe (2024) and it works amazingly well, even with me trying to scrawl something relatively unintelligible.  The more you use it, the better it gets at recognising your writing.

2. The other cool trick the AI does is create basic note summaries. We have seen this from Apple, Google, and others, so it is no surprise that Amazon has included it in the Scribe. It worked really well, as it does on other devices, making taking notes and exporting them during a meeting, class, etc., super easy and effective.

Performance

I expected the Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) to perform a bit slower than that of the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 2024, but I was wrong. Reading, turning pages, selecting books, writing, etc., was just as snappy and impressive. Amazon has done a great job optimising the software on the Scribe (2024).

Battery life

The battery on the Scribe is incredibly impressive.  I did not have to charge it at all during the review – but I did not use it for writing all that much.  The battery is stated by Amazon to last for 12 weeks when reading and three weeks writing 30 minutes per day at 50% brightness.  

The battery life should be enough for everyone. Charging is super simple, though, through the single USB-C port on the side of the e-reader.

Who is the Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) for?

The Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) is not for me, not anymore. Now that I no longer read many journal articles or mark assignments etc, I simply do not have a need for such a large e-reader — because that’s all I would be using it for.

As an e-reader it is great but far too big for my liking. Now, if I was to need to write notes, highlight passages and more then this would be perfect. For a student, it is ideal — simply drop the book you are reading onto the Scribe, and you can easily read and mark up the book as you go. For my son in Year 10, it is going to be extremely useful.

If you are someone who needs to mark up articles, books and more, then the Scribe (2024) is for you. It is massive in size so that you can not just read the article/book easily, but also write, take notes and highlight passages easily and accurately. Amazon has done a great job with the new Active Canvas tool, allowing you to see the notes, etc, exactly where you put them, no matter what you change the font size etc to.

My only issue with the Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) is the price. Starting at $649 it is not cheap but for that figure you get a lot of tech. If you need an e-reader and writer then this is for you. Get it now at Amazon and wherever Kindles are sold.