Kindle Scribe Review After 1 Year: Pros, Cons, and Who It’s For

On January in 2024, I made a small but serious commitment to myself: to study consistently for my career and read more books especially in English. As part of that…

Kindle Scribe review after one year of use, highlighting Amazon’s largest e-ink reader with note-taking and writing features

On January in 2024, I made a small but serious commitment to myself:

to study consistently for my career and read more books especially in English.

As part of that decision, I bought an Amazon Kindle, specifically the Kindle Scribe, Amazon’s largest and one of the most premium e-ink readers in the Kindle lineup.

Without overthinking it, I went straight for the top-tier model with 64GB storage.

I’m the type of person who believes “bigger is better” when it comes to devices, so this choice felt natural.

Now that I’ve been using the Kindle Scribe for about one year, this post is a practical, no-nonsense review based on real daily usage.

Table of Contents

Who This Post Is For

This review will be especially helpful if you’re:

  1. Considering an e-book reader (not just Kindle) and wondering whether it’s actually worth buying one.
  2. Interested in Amazon Kindle devices, especially how they compare to tablets like the iPad.
  3. Reading English or foreign-language books frequently, whether for career growth, study, or personal development.

Why I Bought the Kindle Scribe

(Even Though I Already Own an iPhone and iPad)

This was the biggest question both from myself and from people around me.

“You already have an iPhone and an iPad. Why would you buy another device just to read books?”

I had the same concern at first. But after using all three devices for reading, the differences became very clear.

1. Reading on an iPhone: Convenient, but Physically Uncomfortable

I used to read books mostly on my iPhone during my commute.

Over time, I ran into a few serious problems:

In short, the iPhone is great for short content, but not for long-form reading.

2. Reading on an iPad: Impractical

I also own a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which seems like it should be perfect for reading.

In reality, it comes with a different set of issues:

As a result, the iPad ended up being something I owned, but rarely used for serious reading especially outside my home.

3. Why an E-Ink Reader Made Sense

This is where the Kindle Scribe came in.

What I wanted was simple:

An e-ink reader solves problems that phones and tablets simply can’t because it’s designed to do less, but do it better.

Why Kindle & Why the Kindle Scribe?

Once I decided to buy an e-book reader, the next question was:

“Why Kindle, and why the most expensive one?”

I’ll break this into two parts:

  1. Why I chose Amazon Kindle as a platform
  2. Why I chose Kindle Scribe over other Kindle models

1. Why I Chose Amazon Kindle as a Platform

Amazon originally started as an online bookstore, and that legacy is still reflected in how deeply optimized the Kindle ecosystem is for reading.

For my use case, Kindle wasn’t just an e-book store—it was the most complete reading platform.

2. Kindle Lineup Overview: Paperwhite vs Oasis vs Scribe

At the time of purchase, the main Kindle models were:

In terms of price (roughly converted):

3. Why Screen Size Was the Deciding Factor

For me, screen size was non-negotiable.

Since Oasis and Scribe were priced similarly, choosing the larger screen was an easy decision.

4. What About Waterproofing?

One important difference:

For some users, this is a deal-breaker.

In the U.S., many people read:

But for me, this wasn’t a meaningful concern.

Kindle Scribe Hardware Review

Overall Look and Feel

Front view of the Kindle Scribe showing its matte e-ink display while reading, demonstrating the glare-free screen design
Back view of the Kindle Scribe with a metallic rear panel and attached premium pen, highlighting the device’s minimal hardware design

The Kindle Scribe has a clean, minimal design—very much in line with Amazon’s Kindle philosophy.

One interesting design detail is that the left and right bezels are asymmetrical.

When you hold the device with one hand, the wider bezel gives your fingers a natural grip area, and the screen automatically rotates depending on how you hold it.

Small detail, but very thoughtfully designed.

Lock Screen Customization

The lock screen can only display:

There’s no custom image support, which might disappoint some users—but personally, it didn’t bother me much.

The Kindle Scribe Pen (Stylus)

When I ordered, the premium pen was included at no extra cost.

Key difference between pens:

⚠️ One important warning: If you lose the pen, replacing it costs over $80–$100.

I once thought I had lost mine and tried using a third-party stylus (similar to Samsung Galaxy tablet pens).

Technically, it worked, but the writing experience was dramatically worse.

Conclusion: Don’t lose the pen. Seriously.

Kindle Scribe Software Experience

What You Should (and Shouldn’t) Expect

Kindle Scribe lock screen showing a passcode entry interface on an e-ink display, illustrating the black-and-white UI and screen refresh behavior
Kindle Scribe home screen displaying books and notebooks in a static e-ink interface, highlighting the minimal UI and lack of animations

At first glance, you might think:

“Wait… this costs over $400?”

That reaction is understandable, as the screen is all black and white, with unatural screen frame changes.

E-Ink Display Reality Check

The Kindle Scribe uses an e-ink display, not LCD or LED.

What this means in practice:

If you expect:

You’ll be disappointed. and that’s the point.

A Kindle is not a multi-purpose tablet.

What the Kindle Can Do (and That’s Basically It)

The Kindle Scribe is designed for exactly three things:

  1. Buying books
  2. Reading books
  3. Writing notes

Anything beyond that? Pretty much impossible or cumbersome.

Home Screen Structure

After unlocking the device, you’ll see the home screen, which consists of four main sections:

Simple. Focused. No distractions.

Reading Experience on Kindle Scribe

Kindle Scribe library view showing a grid of books and notebooks on an e-ink display, illustrating the reading-focused interface
Reading mode on the Kindle Scribe with highlighted text and handwritten notes, demonstrating gesture-based interactions for annotations

Reading interactions on Kindle are gesture-based, mostly relying on long presses.

A small document icon appears on the page margin, indicating attached notes—subtle but useful.

This setup is especially powerful for reading English books or technical content.

Notebook & Writing Experience

Kindle Scribe notebook creation screen showing multiple writing templates on an e-ink display, designed for structured thinking and brainstorming
Handwritten notes on the Kindle Scribe using the premium pen on a lined template, demonstrating the paper-like writing experience

This is where the Kindle Scribe truly surprised me.

Notebook Templates

The device includes multiple templates for:

I use notebooks heavily for:

Writing Feel: Honestly Outstanding

The matte screen texture combined with the pen delivers a paper-like writing experience that’s hard to describe unless you’ve tried it.

Once people tried writing on it, their reaction was almost always the same:

they suddenly wanted one.

What I Loved About the Kindle Scribe

Side-by-side comparison of an iPad (left) and Kindle Scribe (right), highlighting the eye-friendly e-ink display versus a backlit LCD screen of iPad

After one year of daily use, these are the aspects I’m genuinely satisfied with.

1. Extremely Easy on the Eyes

This is, without exaggeration, the biggest advantage.

If eye strain has ever stopped you from reading more, this alone can justify the purchase.

2. Size and Weight Feel “Just Right”

Despite its large screen, the Kindle Scribe is surprisingly comfortable to hold.

3. Replaced My Paper Notebooks

I used to carry physical notebooks to organize my thoughts.

Now:

For someone who thinks visually and writes a lot, this was an unexpected but meaningful win.

4. Seamless Sync with PC

All highlights and notes sync automatically with the Kindle PC app.

This makes it incredibly easy to:

For studying and career-related reading, this workflow is extremely efficient.

5. Excellent Battery Life

Because it uses e-ink:

What Made Me Go “Wait… What?”

No product is perfect. These are the parts that made me pause.

1. Some Books Simply Don’t Work

Kindle Scribe displaying an error message indicating that a book with a non-standard layout is not compatible with the device

If a book uses a non-standard layout (extra-wide pages, unusual formatting):

This inconsistency is, frankly, frustrating.

2. PDF Reading Is a Mixed Bag

PDF document displayed on the Kindle Scribe with small text and dense layout, showing the limitations of reading complex PDFs on an e-ink screen

Yes, you can read PDFs—but:

Summarizing PDFs from the Kindle took more effort than expected.

Final Verdict: 9 / 10

Why It Scores High

Why It’s Not a 10

That said, these issues don’t happen often enough to seriously impact daily use.

Who I Recommend the Kindle Scribe For

1. People Who Read English or Foreign Books Often

2. People Who Suffer from Eye Strain on Screens

3. People Hesitating Because of Screen Size

Who I Don’t Recommend It For

1. Buying It Just to “Start Reading”

If you’re buying this to motivate yourself to read:

2. People Who Want a Multi-Purpose Device

This is a reading-first, almost reading-only device.

If you expect:

You’ll be disappointed.

3. People Who Want Multiple E-Book Platforms

Closing Thoughts

I’m extremely satisfied with the Kindle Scribe—but only because my needs were very specific.

If your priorities are:

Then the Kindle Scribe is an excellent choice.

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