Amazon Kindle Scribe

There are a lot of E Ink tablets that let you doodle on the screens, like the aforementioned ReMarkable 2. I also have tried and like the Kobo Elipsa and Boox Note Air 2 Plus, both of which let you take notes, edit PDFs, and mark up books. They're all quite pricey, so the Scribe doesn't seem too out of line. The big perk here, though, is that Kindles are super reliable and have one of the largest ebook libraries. That makes it one of the better propositions out there—if you can get past Amazon's repeated failings.

The Amazon Kindle Scribe is an excellent big-screen ebook reader and note-taking device, but don't confuse it for a drawing pad.

For most people, the Kindle Scribe probably is the easiest choice if they’re looking for a simple note-taking device or big e-reader. It works, and there’s plenty of room for improvement for the software. Amazon’s own execs have told me the company plans to roll out more updates. But right now, the Scribe does just enough to keep up with the competition, and not a single bit more.

The Amazon Kindle Scribe isn't for everyone. But if you want a single gadget for reading and writing on a lovely e-ink screen, it's about as good as it gets.

Artists, designers and serious note-takers also probably want to look elsewhere for a more sophisticated drawing and annotating solution — the iPad and Apple Pencil might be your best bet. But as a combo of an e-reader that can also serve as a basic digital notepad, the Kindle Scribe is surprisingly satisfying.

The Scribe's size and weight make it more of a burden to carry around, especially when you consider the smaller baseline Kindle can fit into a coat pocket. But in all, the Scribe strikes a very good balance between a large-format e-reader and an E Ink note-taking tablet. Folks will probably have some quibbles about the Scribe's high price and the robustness of its mark-up and note-taking capabilities, but I do expect we'll see the device improve in the coming months.

The Kindle Scribe is a return to large-screen Kindles, with a pen included. We wish the pen added more value and came with many more writing features, but the Scribe is still an excellent Kindle ereader, which means you get fantastic battery life; a sharp, bright screen; and full access to the Amazon Kindle library of books and Audible audiobooks you already own.