Amazon has officially pulled back the curtain on its latest additions to the Kindle Scribe family: the refreshed Kindle Scribe and the all-new Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. 
These devices aim to push the limits of e-ink tablets by offering a blend of thin, lightweight hardware with enhanced writing and reading capabilities, plus a surprising amount of productivity tools that go beyond just books.
The updated Kindle Scribe sticks to Amazon’s promise of a paper-like writing experience. At only 5.4mm thick and 400 grams in weight, it feels closer to holding an actual notepad than a tech gadget. The 11-inch matte e-ink screen has been re-engineered with custom miniaturized LEDs tucked neatly inside the bezel. The textured glass surface mimics the resistance of paper, while a redesigned display stack minimizes parallax, making stylus input look and feel as if you are truly writing on the surface instead of through a layer of glass. Under the hood, Amazon fitted a new quad-core processor with more memory and an Oxide display panel designed for better contrast and responsiveness.
The headline feature, however, belongs to the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. As its name suggests, it introduces color to the Scribe lineup – a first for Amazon’s e-ink family. The Colorsoft display relies on a color filter with nitrite LEDs, which soften the appearance of tones compared to traditional LCD panels. The result is a more natural, less harsh visual experience. Amazon also claims the device can run for weeks on a single charge, preserving one of the strongest advantages of e-ink technology even with added color.
On the software side, both devices arrive with a significantly improved interface. A redesigned Home screen lets users jump into recently opened books, documents, or notebooks. The new Quick Notes tool makes it easy to jot down thoughts instantly, while full integration with Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive ensures files are never stuck on a single device. An AI-powered search is built in to sift through handwritten notes, and by next year, users will even be able to send those notes to Alexa+ and have interactive conversations about them.
Amazon is also offering creative tools for digital scribblers. There are now ten pen colors and five highlighter options, a shader tool for shading techniques, and improved export options, including sending text-converted notes or embedded images directly into OneNote. Organization has also been revamped, with the ability to manage books, documents, and notebooks within shared folders – something long requested by Kindle fans.
Pricing, however, may be the biggest sticking point. The standard Kindle Scribe starts at $500, or $430 if you opt for the version without the front light. Meanwhile, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft comes in at a hefty $630. While Amazon emphasizes the high-end features and professional-grade utility, many observers have already noted that these price tags put the devices into direct competition with Apple’s iPad lineup – and not everyone is convinced e-ink can win that fight. Availability is set for later this year in the United States, with the UK and Germany to follow early next year.
Ultimately, Amazon is betting that readers, students, and professionals want a specialized device dedicated to distraction-free reading and writing – but at this cost, it’s a gamble. The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft may charm those who crave e-ink with color, yet the real question remains: are people ready to pay more than iPad money for a Kindle?
2 comments
630$ for color? nah imma just buy an ipad air 😂
love the idea of writing on e-ink but these prices make no sense