Kindle Scribe 3rd Generation review: A faster e-reader with improved displays

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Another year, another Kind Writer. Scribe is the largest e-reader for Amazon Kindle and the only one with writing capabilities. Historically, the Kindle Scribe is fine. Despite its strong writing capabilities, it’s still a slow Kindle and has major display issues. But at the end of 2025, Kindle Script got another update, and we changed our mind about it.

The 2025 third-generation Kindle Scribe is a keeper’s dream. If you’re looking for a device with fewer distractions than your computer but more technology than pen and paper, the Kindle Scribe meets you in the middle. It is designed with readers and annotators in mind, but be aware that it is an expensive e-reader. For those ready to invest, here’s what you need to know about the Kindle Scribe 2025.

Kindle Scribe price and details

The 2025 Kindle has received updates inside and out. Compared to the last model, it is longer but smaller. Also, it now has a new front light display. Here are the full specs of the 3rd-gen Kindle Scribe:

• 11-inch diagonal display, brightness up to 100 nits, and 300 ppi black and white

• USB-C charging port up to 12 weeks of reading battery life and three weeks of writing battery life.

• 32GB or 64GB storage options are available

• Premium pen included

• Includes Google Drive and Microsoft One integration

• Comes in graphite (dark gray)

• It is waterproof

• No ads

What we still love about Kindle Scribe

Kindle Scribe’s notebook section keeps all your notes and reading organized.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Despite the pitfalls of the previous Kindle Scribe, I still enjoyed its annotation capabilities, and that remains true of the new Kindle Scribe. The matte screen, paired with the included premium pen, makes it a dream to write on. It writes well without any smoothness or sloppiness.

When you draw using a pen, Scribe guides it into a more precise line. You can add notes directly to the page or in the margins. Either way, all the notes and underlines come together in one place, so you can find all your smart thoughts and notes in one place for future reference.

A fast-moving Writer has arrived

Now let’s get into all the good stuff: where Amazon developed the latest Kindle Scribe. Previously, the Kindle Scribe was a slow machine, which is surprising given how fast the rest of the Kindle system is. Amazon seems to have fixed this in the 2025 Script, which is zippy and fast moving. It requires less loading time and easily switches between books. Even if it is annotated or written, the device does not feel lowered.

Finally, an e-reader with writing but no ghosting

I touched on this in my review of the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, but the most important improvement to the 2025 Scribe is its lack of ghosting. Ghosting occurs when deleted images or images on the previous screen persist after you move away from them. This problem is not unique to Kindles; Many good e-readers suffer from ghosting.

However, in its latest iteration, the 2025 Kindle Scribe is virtually pocket-free. It hasn’t completely disappeared (literally). There is a simple ghost that appears when you delete a note. The ghost is very simple, however, and disappears when you refresh the page.

The redesigned home screen makes you realize what you’ve been missing

The Kindle Scribe has received an updated home screen – a much needed improvement.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

I’ve never had many complaints about Kindle home screens, until they redesigned the home screen on the Kindle Scribe 2025. The home screen on this model was redesigned to place equal emphasis on the e-book library and notebooks. A candidate for Writer has already chosen, say, a White Paper for note-taking skills, so putting notes front and center is the best thing for the student.

Is it better than Kindle Scribe Colorsoft?

The Kindle Scribe 2025 doesn’t have what Colorsoft does – color.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

At the same time, the Kindle Scribe received the 2025 update, and Amazon also released the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. The devices are very similar; the main difference is that one has color and the other does not. So, is one better than the other? That’s not the case. Which one you go for is a matter of prioritizing value or color.

The standard Kindle Scribe is an affordable option, starting at $499.99. However, when you describe, you can only do it in black and white. This may be a shortcut if you are an experienced student who wants to organize your notes by color.

If color is a non-negotiable, you’ll need to choose the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. It’s the best e-reader with both color and text, but be aware that it will cost you. The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft starts at $629.99.

Is Kindle Script 2025 worth it?

The fountain pen is my favorite pen style on the Kindle Scribe.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Despite its high-end tag, the 2025 Kindle Scribe is worth buying. It lives up to Kindle’s expectations of fast devices. With its advanced processing and redesigned home screen, it’s a well-designed e-reader, especially for readers who want to use Kindle Scribe to take notes.

Our biggest gripe with the Kindle Scribe is still its price. At $499.99, it’s not as affordable as the Kobo Libra, but it offers a bigger screen, faster processing, and no ghosting.