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Reader, it is that time of year again. I am once again asking you to consider an e-reader over a tablet. And this one is an e-reader with a difference!
The iPad Pro is the best tablet in the world — no question. With its ProMotion screen, top-of-the-line M4 Apple silicon chip and tandem OLED display, excellent iPadOS apps, and versatile Apple Pencil Pro support, it’s a do-everything device. It’s a genuine laptop replacement these days, and even my last-gen model never leaves my side.
But I can't help but love Amazon's Kindle Scribe.
In many ways, it’s Amazon’s answer to the iPad Pro. With a 10.2-inch screen, its core experience also revolves around stylus support. But, as anyone familiar with the Kindle range might have spotted by the name, there’s one key difference — an e-ink, rather than LCD display.
It instantly makes the Kindle Scribe a less versatile device. Its grayscale, low-refresh rate display isn’t cut out for video, gaming or photo editing. And that’s before you talk about the other commissions, such as a camera or App Store.
But that’s kind of the appeal. Kindle Scribe is attractive because of its limitations, and its specialization. It’s all about reading and note taking, and not much else. That screen is very easy on the eye, just like a large-scale dedicated e-reader — it avoids being reflective, and is back-lit, letting you read for hours without fatigue. And that screen/pen combo is, in my opinion, more natural feeling than with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil — there’s more drag and friction, just like with a lead pencil, than you get with an iPad’s glass screen (unless you put an artist-friendly screen protector on it).
It’s a limited device then, focusing on reading and writing, but that distraction-free purposefulness actually appeals to me. When I’m reading, it’s so easy to lose focus on the words in front of me while using an iPad, with notifications and the entire internet at my fingertips. [Note the Scribe can access a browser, but it’s a ropey experience that you’ll likely want to avoid]. Likewise, when I’m jotting down notes and sketches, I want as few distractions as possible too, and want to feel as ‘close’ to the page as possible. Like other Kindles, the Scribe feels closer to an actual book or notepad, and that’s still something I miss as we continue the march toward an all-digital future.
With a $105 dollar discount currently on the Kindle Scribe, that trade-off between focus and capabilities feels a bit more stomachable. Usually priced at $339.99, it’s currently down to $234.99. Just a few months ago I was recommending this slate at a $264.99 price — saving another $30 makes it a no-brainer now if you're in the market.
There is the Premium Pen version as well, which adds a few features to the pencil-like stylus that comes in the box — although, unfortunately, that model is still full price at $369. Shame.
