My most productive work device is this new Kindle with a colored display – why it's so good

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Amazon’s new Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is its first color Scribe device, boasting a sleek form factor, fantastic writing experience with an improved pen, and an exceptionally vibrant color display — one of the brightest digital paper tablets I’ve used.

In an increasingly competitive digital paper tablet market, Amazon’s Kindle lineup offers a polished user experience, access to its extensive digital library, and now, some new integrations that position it as a capable productivity tablet in either a 32GB or 64GB configuration. 

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Last year’s Kindle Scribe was a nice device, but the 2025 Scribe Colorsoft has a more ambitious perspective, featuring Google Drive and OneDrive integrations, the ability to search and summarize your own notes with AI, and notebooks to organize your own documents.

On top of all this, the ultrathin, 400-gram (0.88 pounds) form factor is sleek and modernized, with nitride LEDs, narrow bezels, and texture-molded glass for a matte display that’s very satisfying to write on. 

The entire display stack was redesigned, and it shows. It stands out from other color paper tablets, utilizing nitride LEDs for high contrast while opting for a cohesive color palette. The pen glides absolutely across the textured glass surface, and the kit of brushes offers a different writing experience without overwhelming with options. 

I’m going to say it, though: the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft takes some aesthetic and functional inspiration from the ReMarkable Paper Pro, the most premium paper tablet on the market right now. From the UI to the Scribe’s new poised business focus, Amazon probably saw an opportunity here to merge the existing utility of the Kindle with a premium product that consumers associate with creativity and efficiency. 

It also takes inspiration from the ReMarkable’s price point — $200 more expensive than last year’s Kindle Scribe at a rather pricey $629. Some will certainly see this as too expensive for a Kindle, but Amazon has its eye on the premium consumer, especially with its more office-ready features.   

Integrations with Google Drive and OneDrive offer one-tap file sharing of your notes or drawings, either as a PDF or converted into text. Converting handwritten notes into text couldn’t be easier.   

Also, while the ReMarkable Paper Pro exists with pure minimalism in mind, Amazon’s tablet is still a Kindle: connected to the vast library of digital books many consumers have spent years curating. It’s less concerned with deep thought and out-of-the-box creative workflows, and more about providing an enjoyable experience within Amazon’s ecosystem. 

Also: Kindle Scribe vs. Scribe Colorsoft: Here’s who should spend $600 on an Amazon tablet

Practical features, such as navigating your own notes, are easy as well. The AI-powered search works reliably in my testing, even with very sloppy handwriting. The “Ask Notebooks” feature takes things a step further, enabling users to ask the AI questions and chat in natural language about their notes. 

I got some interesting results with this feature in particular. It works well at pulling out specific words, numbers, or, if you’re referencing drawings, descriptions. But note that the AI cannot yet detect handwritten text in foreign languages. I wrote some notes in Russian, and it confidently asserted that it was, quote, “an unidentified or possibly made-up language.” 

In practice, all of these features create a polished experience without the exhaustive set of customizations and apps found on Android tablets, such as the Boox Note Max. Instead, it’s perfect for e-book readers who want access to efficient note-taking and annotating features, but don’t need to delve into more complex, freeform creative tasks.

The physical form feels more modern than last year’s device, as well. It has thinner, uniform bezels around the edges and resembles an iPad more than a digital paper tablet. In fact, you might mistake it for one if not for the “Kindle” logo on the back. 

Also: I tested the Kindle Scribe 2 for months, and it beat my ReMarkable in several ways

The display’s brightness pushes it into tablet mode, as well — with a max brightness of 100 nits, it’s one of the brightest digital paper tablets on the market, enabling use outside in broad daylight. The display is crisp and clean, thanks to the digital ink’s oxide technology, which enables a fast refresh rate with minimal ghosting and high contrast. 

The colors look great, as well. Amazon created a cohesive palette that doesn’t try to maximize saturation but has a soothing visual theme. The pen features 10 colors and five different highlighter colors, all of which are distinct and don’t bleed into one another. Obviously, the colors pop a little more when the brightness is turned up, but even with the front lighting at 0, they’re different.

Speaking of the pen, there are some major improvements here. First, there is the stronger magnet on the right side of the tablet that locks the pen into place, which I was glad to see after last year’s device’s rather weak magnet strip. 

Second is the “eraser” on the back of the pen that is the closest thing to the rubber on a real pencil I’ve used yet. You can adjust the size of the eraser in the toolbar, opting for a finer line or a chunky eraser for wide coverage.

Lastly, there’s a button on the top end of the pen, right where your index finger is positioned, that can be customized with a handful of different actions. It comes default as a highlighter, allowing you to quickly highlight text or fill in color without having to change brush sizes in the toolbar. 

There’s a slight learning curve with being aware of the button’s presence, as I frequently fat-fingered it when I didn’t mean to, highlighting all over the page, but you quickly get the hang of it. 

Also: How to transform your old, obsolete Kindle into the ultimate open-source reader

Lastly, let’s mention the battery. Amazon advertises weeks of battery life on a single charge, and although I’ve had the Kindle Scribe for less than a week at the time of writing this review, I have yet to charge it, and it’s currently at 55%. Obvious factors (turning the brightness up, mainly) will drain the battery faster, but it’s certainly a battery-efficient device that slows to a trickle when not in use. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

Amazon’s Kindle Scribe Colorsoft — its first color Scribe tablet — is available now, starting at $629. If you’re a Kindle user and want to incorporate notetaking and annotations, the 11-inch display is an easy sell as one of the most premium Kindles yet. The colors are distinct, the pen-to-paper experience is lovely, and its feature set is focused. 

If you’re looking for a pro-grade digital paper tablet more geared towards artists, you’ll have much better luck with something like the Boox Note Max. If you’re looking for a premium tablet with enhanced customizability for the writing experience, consider the ReMarkable Paper Pro.