Earlier this week, I attended the Amazon fall hardware event, where the company introduced the newest members of its Kindle lineup — the new Kindle Scribe and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. Alongside these e-readers, the company also introduced new Echo devices, new Fire TV products, and new Blink and Ring security cameras.
As a big reader (I literally collect books, and currently own the Kindle Paperwhite), I was excited to get a little bit of hands-on demo time with the new Kindles, which are the sequel to the original Kindle Scribe. The Scribe was the first Kindle with a stylus, enabling readers to take notes, doodle in the margins of books, and highlight passages, among other features.
The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft also adds color to the product, though it comes at a steep cost of $629.99. So far, there's no release date (the Amazon product listing just says "Coming Soon!"), but I'd be shocked if this product doesn't arrive in time to make its way onto Christmas gift guides.
So, what's the new e-reader like up close? Check it out for yourself:
New Kindle Scribe and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft: My first impressions
I'll be honest: The original Kindle Scribe was a tough sell, and it squeaked into our guide to the best Kindles. I expect that will still be the case with the new editions, which are even pricier. But this isn't a full review.
In the launch event, Amazon leaders promised the new Kindle Scribe would be 40 percent faster thanks to a new custom chip. (In our review of last year's Kindle Scribe, we criticized its slow performance, and we weren't the only ones.) They said it would instantly react to the stylus, which proved true in my limited time with the device. The stylus and touchscreen provided a smooth, lag-free drawing experience, and it was similar to writing in a notebook, which is the whole point.
I was also very impressed with the updated design. The new Kindle Scribes are very thin and lightweight, and they look pretty damn slick in the hand.
Amazon redesigned the Kindle Scribe with a precision-machined aluminum body, and it's just 5.4mm thick. The color e-reader looks great, and the stylus feels great in the hand.
Amazon company reps also showed off some cool new features, including a redesigned home screen for your library, notes, and files. Crucially, you can now import and export files to your Kindle from Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive. There's also a Quick Notes tool for jotting down notes on the fly, which is something I do all the time as a writer.
There's one more new cool feature I want to call out. On Prime Video, you can get AI-generated summaries of series and movies you're watching. So, if you stop a series halfway through and come back months later, the "Story so far" tool will create a custom summary of the key plot points and characters. That feature is now coming to Kindle, and I think readers will love it. It's a smart use of AI.
Until our reviewers can take the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft home with us and see how it performs outside of a demo environment, I'm going to reserve judgment.
But there's no denying the updated e-reader has a much-improved design. It almost looks like the kind of e-reader Apple might design.
Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage and assignments for the Tech and Shopping verticals. Tim has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, and he has particular experience covering and testing consumer technology, smart home gadgets, and men’s grooming and style products. Previously, he was the Managing Editor and then Site Director of SPY.com, a men's product review and lifestyle website. As a writer for GQ, he covered everything from bull-riding competitions to the best Legos for adults, and he’s also contributed to publications such as The Daily Beast, Gear Patrol, and The Awl.
Tim studied print journalism at the University of Southern California. He currently splits his time between Brooklyn, NY and Charleston, SC. He's currently working on his second novel, a science-fiction book.
