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

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Another year, another Kindle Scribe. The Scribe is the Amazon Kindle's largest e-reader and the only one with writing capabilities. Historically, the Kindle Scribe is just OK. Despite its strong writing capabilities, it's still the slowest Kindle and has some major display problems. But at the end of 2025, the Kindle Scribe got another update, and we've changed our mind about it.

The 2025 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe is a notetaker's dream. If you want a device with fewer distractions than your computer but higher tech than pen and paper, the Kindle Scribe meets you in the middle. It's designed with students and annotators in mind, but note that it's a pricey e-reader. For those ready to make the investment, here's what you need to know about the Kindle Scribe 2025.

Kindle Scribe price and specs

The 2025 Kindle got updates inside and out. Compared to the last model, it's taller but narrower. Plus, it now has a new front light display. These are the full specs for the 3rd-gen Kindle Scribe:

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

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

• 32GB or 64GB storage options available

• Premium pen included

• Includes Google Drive and Microsoft One integrations

• Comes in graphite (dark gray)

• Not waterproof

• Ad-free

What we still love about the Kindle Scribe

Despite the pitfalls of the previous Kindle Scribe, I still enjoyed its annotating abilities, and that remains true of the new Kindle Scribe. The matte screen, paired with the included premium pen, makes it a dream to write with. It writes smoothly without being too slick and slippery.

When you underline using the pen, the Scribe straightens it into a more precise line. You can add notes directly on the page or in the margins. Either way, all notes and underlines gather in the same spot, so you can find all of your brilliant thoughts and notes in one place for future reference.

A speedier Scribe has arrived

Now let's get into all the good stuff: where Amazon improved the latest Kindle Scribe. Previously, the Kindle Scribe was a slow-moving machine, surprising given how speedy the rest of the Kindle lineup is. Amazon seems to have corrected this in the 2025 Scribe, which is zippy and quick-moving. It requires minimal load time and easily swaps between books and notebooks. Even when annotating or writing, the device doesn't feel slowed down.

Finally, an e-reader with writing but no ghosting

I touched on this in my review of the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, but the most significant improvement in the 2025 Scribe is its lack of ghosting. Ghosting occurs when erased images or images from a previous screen persist after you've navigated away from them. This issue isn't unique to Kindles; many e-readers with writing capabilities suffer from ghosting.

Yet, in its latest iteration, the 2025 Kindle Scribe has virtually no ghosting. It hasn't totally disappeared (literally). There is some light ghosting that appears when you erase writing. The ghosting is very light, however, and disappears once you refresh the page.

A redesigned home screen makes you realize all you were missing

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 reorganized to put equal emphasis on the e-book library and the notebooks. The person going for the Scribe is choosing it over, say, the Paperwhite for the Scribe's note-taking abilities, so putting the notebooks front and center is a better experience for the reader.

Is it better than the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft?

At the same time, the Kindle Scribe received a 2025 update, and Amazon also released the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. The devices are very similar; the primary difference is that one has color and the other doesn't. So, is one better than the other? Not necessarily. Which one you go for is a matter of prioritizing price or color.

The standard Kindle Scribe is the more affordable option, starting at $499.99. However, when you annotate, you can only do so in black and white. This might be a deal-breaker if you're a prolific notetaker who wants to organize your notes by color.

If color is a non-negotiable, then you'll need to pick the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. It's the best e-reader with both color and writing capabilities, but be wary that it will cost you. The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft starts at $629.99.

Is the 2025 Kindle Scribe worth it?

Despite its still-high price tag, the 2025 Kindle Scribe is worth buying. It lives up to the Kindle expectations of speedy devices. With its improved processing and reorganized home screen, it's a well-designed e-reader, especially for students looking to use the Kindle Scribe to take notes.

Our biggest hang-up on the Kindle Scribe is still its price. At $499.99, it's not as affordable as the Kobo Libra, but it offers a larger screen, faster processing, and virtually no ghosting.