The Kindle Scribe just hit an all-time-low price ahead of Prime Day - here's why I recommend it

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Amazon Kindle Scribe is connected merchantability for $259 for the 16GB version, the lowest terms we've seen yet.
• It combines the acquainted features of the Kindle e-reader with a agleam show and a suite of premium note-taking features.
• The aforementioned features person a spot of a learning curve to afloat instrumentality vantage of.

Amazon is presently offering the 16GB Kindle Scribe astatine 35% off, a $140 discount that brings the last terms down to $259 -- the lowest terms we've seen yet. The 32GB version is besides 33% off, connected merchantability for $280. You tin besides prevention different 20% by trading successful your aged Kindle.

Amazon's latest Kindle Scribe tin beryllium considered a 2-in-1, arsenic it's some a note-taking tablet and a dedicated e-reader. It does some well, and it stands retired from the assemblage due to the fact that of however it combines these 2 features. Right now, each 3 configurations are 19% off, bringing the basal 16GB mentation down to $325, 1 of the lowest prices we've seen. 

The Scribe's carnal signifier origin is sleek and light, with a heavy grip that allows it to beryllium easy held by either your close oregon near hand, arsenic turning it upside down realigns the perspective. Along with its satisfying signifier origin is the Scribe's entree to Kindle's already-massive room of e-books. 

Also: The champion e-readers of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

The Kindle Scribe's standout feature, however, is its "Active Canvas," which allows you to instrumentality notes and scribble your thoughts straight onto the pages of your publication -- thing that resonates with maine personally arsenic an avid note-taker. 

The newest Scribe comes with a pen that allows you to alteration your brushwood size and signifier from a pen for borderline scribbling to a highlighter if you'd alternatively stress definite parts of the text. The chill plan constituent present is that the notes you gully with the cookware beryllium connected different "layer" than the publication text, allowing you to edit what you constitute without messing with the substance successful the book. 

Also: The champion Kindles you tin bargain successful 2025

In practice, the progressive canvas appears arsenic a blank abstraction successful betwixt the substance wherever you tin jot down your thoughts. I tin spot this functionality being utile for definite texts, but it mightiness beryllium a spot distracting for others. I really recovered that I preferred utilizing the sticky notes function, which drops a tiny icon connected the substance that, erstwhile tapped, opens up a floating model with your notes that tin past beryllium closed. 

The pen is 1 of the Scribe's champion features, however. It delivers a creaseless and lag-free penning acquisition connected par with high-end tablet/stylus devices similar the ReMarkable Paper Pro, which is 1 of my favourite all-time devices. 

The extremity of the pen is brushed and textured, resulting successful a silky, soundless penning acquisition that feels precisely similar a "real" pencil. It's weighty, feels premium, and attaches to the broadside of the instrumentality with a magnetic snap, though you bash person to align it conscionable close to get it to stick. 

Also: I tested the Kindle astir radical should buy. Here's wherefore it's the champion e-reader retired of the lineup

Note-takers who don't person the astir elegant penmanship tin easy construe their handwriting into substance and past edit the font and size further. This is simply a large mode to cleanable up and signifier hastily taken notes that you tin prevention for further reference, peculiarly if your penning leaves thing to beryllium desired.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

The on-board AI is precise bully astatine parsing adjacent the astir illegible chickenhearted scratch, though it does get a small dodgy if your handwriting approaches implicit illegibility. 

The show connected the Kindle Scribe is rather nice, if alternatively akin to different Kindle models. It has 300 pixels per inch, which results successful good and crisp text, adjacent with the tiniest fonts. The surface tin besides get rather bright, making it casual to spot outdoors. You tin besides set the warmth of the display, going each the mode to a much sepia-toned representation connected 1 extremity oregon a chill achromatic connected the other.

Also: Why the Kindle Paperwhite is my favourite E Ink scholar close present - beating Boox and Kobo

Regarding artillery life, Amazon advertises up to 12 weeks connected a azygous complaint if you work for astir 30 minutes a day, but that fig starts to spell down if you usage Scribe for tons of penning and note-taking. In my investigating implicit the people of a fewer weeks, I lone bothered charging the instrumentality a fewer times, and with intermittent, mean use, you'll astir apt get aggregate weeks retired of a azygous charge. 

The instrumentality itself comes with either 16GB, 32GB, oregon 64GB of on-device storage, which is rather a batch of abstraction for e-books. In practice, this is capable abstraction to clasp thousands of books, capable for a veritable integer library.

The instrumentality is geared to store much than conscionable e-books, however. If you're utilizing the Scribe, you're astir apt going to beryllium taking tons of notes. You signifier them by keeping them successful notebooks, which, similar carnal ones, are books with aggregate pages.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Notebooks are past further organized by folders, which you tin sanction and categorize, allowing you to support your contented streamlined. Even amended is the myriad of "paper" selections you tin take to constitute your notes on, including checklists, regular and play planners, trackers, and adjacent storyboard templates. 

This opens the instrumentality up to beryllium a susceptible note-taking tablet successful its ain right, with conscionable capable instauration tools to let for a robust diagnostic acceptable without each the bells and whistles of different high-end tablets. In different words, determination whitethorn beryllium a constricted fig of brushes and marker functions, but the ones person worked smoothly, with zero lag oregon mendacious inputs.

The Kindle Scribe besides features immoderate AI functions, of course. The on-device AI tin summarize up to 15 pages successful a notebook, extracting cardinal takeaways from the substance successful a neat summary that, successful my testing, is astir connected par with commonly utilized AI services recovered connected different platforms. In different words, it's mostly accurate, though analyzable accusation tin nutrient generic-sounding results.

Also: The 5 champion iPads of 2025: We've tested each iPad connected the market. These are the champion ones

Aside from your collections of notes, the Kindle keeps everything you've highlighted crossed aggregate texts successful a "Clippings" folder, which tin beryllium ace adjuvant for automatically looking astatine cardinal accusation astatine a glance. 

Of course, the Kindle Scribe is acceptable up to marque buying e-books arsenic seamless arsenic possible, with Amazon's Kindle Store easy accessible connected the instrumentality and tons of ways to hunt for what you privation to read. Depending connected however overmuch you program connected utilizing the device, you tin acquisition e-books individually oregon outpouring for the Kindle Unlimited membership, which gives you unlimited entree to (most) titles with a subscription of $11.99 per month.

Right now, Amazon is offering a escaped 30-day proceedings of Kindle Unlimited, truthful it's worthy checking it retired to spot if you'll get the astir retired of it. If you're a slower reader, you mightiness privation to opt for idiosyncratic purchases. 

ZDNET's buying advice

All successful all, the Kindle Scribe is an e-reader designed for readers who similar to prosecute with their texts, doodlers, note-takers, and list-makers who similar to "just constitute it down." At the merchantability terms of $324 for the 16GB version, the Scribe is competitively priced arsenic a functional tablet, and unless you truly request a larger device, I'd accidental it's surely 1 of the champion options retired there, taking into relationship its afloat suite of features. 

However, support successful caput that the 32GB mentation is regularly priced astatine $420, and if you privation 64GB, you'll wage $450. This brings the terms successful enactment with the ReMarkable Paper Pro, an ultra-premium instrumentality with galore much features for note-taking (color display, myriad of brushwood selections, etc.) but little successful the mode of easy-to-access e-books. 

If you're not idiosyncratic who needs to scribble connected the leafage oregon instrumentality a highlighter to what you're reading, the Scribe is inactive a top-tier e-reader with a grippable, flippable signifier origin and a agleam show and large battery. 

Looking for the adjacent champion product? Get adept reviews and exertion favorites with ZDNET Recommends.