Important: I am not affiliated with any of the manufacturers, brands, services, or websites listed on this page and this is my personal experience. If you find this helpful and want to say thanks, please buy me a coffee or take a look at my book on Amazon. It keeps this page ad-free. Thank you!
KINDLE SCRIBE DEALS
The best current deal is the 16GB + Basic Pen bundle.
This is currently $339. You can save 20% if you trade your old Kindle.
In September 2022, Amazon announced the Kindle Scribe – entering the writable eInk space and competing head-on with the Remarkable 2. I own the Remarkable 2 and have pre-ordered the Kindle Scribe. I’m summarizing the details from my personal experience of both the the Remarkable and Kindle Scribe, as well as some of the specifications that Amazon publicly lists on their website. This post summarizes all the specs side by side so that you can make an informed decision. I’ve updated this with details I have discovered after getting and using my Kindle Scribe. I’m a real user, real human, not just someone who has spent an hour or so with the device. I actively So if you’re looking for a real user review of the Kindle Scribe and Remarkable 2, this is the page for you.
This page is both a buyer’s guide for the Remarkable 2 vs. Kindle Scribe and a way to compare features and see which is the better alternative for you. The Remarkable 2 vs. Kindle Scribe comparisons are grouped as follows:
- size and weight
- storage
- battery life
- writing experience / pens
- software and features
- price / cost
- conclusion
The feature comparison of the Remarkable 2 v Kindle Scribe is summarized in this table, but I encourage you to read below as I go into detail about why each difference does (or does not) matter.
All of the information is based on my experience with the Kindle Scribe vs. Remarkable 2.
Remarkable 2 vs. Kindle Scribe: Device Size, Screen Size, and Weight
- Remarkable 2: 10.3″ Display at 1872 x 1404 with 226dpi
- Kindle Scribe: 10.2″ Display at 300dpi
The Remarkable has a marginally bigger screen, but the Kindle Scribe has better dpi, so it looks sharper. The Kindle Scribe has LED backlights (35 LEDs); there is no backlight on the Remarkable 2. I don’t miss backlights on my Remarkable, but I use it only at work and not at night as an eReader. If you’re using it as an eReader at night, you would want the backlit screen of the Scribe.
It gets more interesting when you look at the total size specs.
Total Size Specs:
- Remarkable 2: 7.3″ x 9.7″ x 0.18″ / 187mm x 246mm x 4.7 mm
- Kindle Scribe: 7.7″ x 9.0″ x .22″ / 195.5mm x 228mm x 5.6mm
Weight:
- Remarkable 2: 14.2oz /403.5g (device only, no case)
- Kindle Scribe: 15.3oz / 433g (device only, no case)
The Remarkable has a smaller footprint and is lighter, which is nice. The Scribe feels like a 1st Gen device (like the Remarkable 1). Amazon, even in their description of the Scribe, notes it is “1st Generation” which is a notable call out. Using the Kindle Scribe, it has a wide left side of dead space, which means the extra size is not useful/usable/needed. It’s very much like the Kindle Oasis in that regard. It kind of helps from an eReader perspective as you have more real estate to hold when reading a book. There are no page turn buttons on either device, not that I think you need them – but worth noting that that extra space on the Scribe doesn’t mean there are extra physical buttons. The screen of the Kindle Scribe is sharper, but I have not felt that the Remarkable Screen “lacks”.
Winner: Remarkable 2 (weight and size)
Remarkable 2 vs. Kindle Scribe: Storage
- Remarkable 2: 8Gb, no internal expansion, no additional storage sizes.
- Kindle Scribe: 16Gb, 32Gb, 64Gb.
If you’re storage obsessed, then the Kindle Scribe wins. For what it’s worth, I have been using my Remarkable 2 for over a year daily and haven’t run into storage issues. The additional space on the Kindle Scribe, though, is handy because it also works as a normal Kindle – with full access to the Kindle book store, and it this includes audiobooks on the Scribe (although for audio books, you should really use your phone), so I can see the extra storage being useful. It’s always frustrating that the Remarkable doesn’t have a full bookstore, and I travel (for now) with both my Remarkable and Kindle Oasis.
Winner: Kindle Scribe.
Remarkable 2 vs. Kindle Scribe: Battery Life
- Remarkable 2: weeks/ ~1 month based on my usage patterns
- Kindle Scribe: 2 weeks
Both are vague, my personal experience is the battery life is great. I’m guessing that the Kindle Scribe will have less battery life given has LED backlighting. They both charge by USB C, so that’s something they do have in common. No real issues to date with the Kindle Scribe battery life.
Winner: Remarkable 2 (but no backlight).
Remarkable 2 vs. Kindle Scribe: Writing Experience / Pens
- Remarkable 2: EMR Pen, 4096 Pressure Points
- Kindle Scribe: EMR Pen, pressure details unknown
Both Remarkable and Kindle Scribe sell basic and premium pens, on pricing the Kindle Scribe pens are much better value, comparing prices:
- Remarkable 2 Basic Marker/Pen: US$79
- Kindle Scribe Basic Pen: US$29.99
- Remarkable 2 Marker Plus (Eraser): US$129
- Kindle Scribe Premium Pen (Eraser): US$59
There’s no debate on this, Remarkable pen prices are outrageous and a joke, it’s why I wrote this post on Remarkable Pen alternatives. Both devices/pens use EMR technology, so don’t need charging, and there’s no need to use Bluetooth. They also attach magnetically to the device. You need to upgrade to premium pens for the inbuilt eraser. The premium Kindle Scribe pen is significantly superior to that of the Remarkable 2 premium pen; while both have erasers, the Scribe also has a button that you can use to hot-switch between different markers. That’s a big plus.
It’s worth knowing both pens require you to replace the tips; the replacement frequency will depend on how heavy you write. Replacement tips cost the same US$14.99 for both, but the Kindle Scribe replacements have 10 tips vs. Remarkables 9 replacement tips so on a per unit basis, Kindle Scribe tips are marginally cheaper.
In terms of writing experience, they feel very much the same, but there’s a slightly better feel on the Scribe. I’ve tried to work out why this is, and even tried fresh tips on both devices in case that was the issue, tried the same pen on both, etc., and the Scribe feels a little more paper-like to me. It’s either the Scribe has a newer next-generation screen, or maybe it’s just an illusion, with the increased pixel density making it feel better. Not really sure.
I’ve had a few people reach out and ask if you can use the Kindle Scribe Pen with the Remarkable 2. The short answer is, yes, as it’s an EMR pen. The magnets in the Kindle Scribe pen do let you attach it magnetically to the Remarkable but it’s not a strong magnetic connection and the magnets cause the pen to align in a way that makes the tip/nib feel a little exposed. In short, it works but I would not recommend it.
Winner: Kindle Scribe
Remarkable 2 vs. Kindle Scribe: Software/Features
Initial thoughts, the software is very similar. So hard to make a call – the Remarkable 2 is very clean, distraction-free, and it’s unlocked software that you can hack with a great modding community. I hacked my Remarkable 2 to work with the LAMY pen. Mind you, that’s because Remarkable pens are so expensive *ugh*.
Remarkable’s software is a custom Linux build called Codex. Amazon doesn’t detail its software, but it’s likely to be some variant of KindleOS. Amazon’s KindleOS is locked down, so if you want to hack, mod, etc. your device the Remarkable is the better choice – but for most people, this isn’t really an issue.
The UI of the Remarkable 2 is super clean, light, and distraction-free. The Kindle Scribe appears to mimic this style. So Amazon has been smart and resisted the urge to add complexity to the UI. Amazon has brought back an older Kindle feature to put post-it style annotations on documents. This looks and seems useful, but Amazon confirms it doesn’t yet export off the device – disappointing, but, still cool (see picture).
Remarkable’s UI can accommodate left and right-hand users, including letting you shift the location of menus. It also supports portrait and landscape modes.
There are reports that Amazon has partnered with Microsoft, so there will be an export to Kindle button in Microsoft Word. That’s pretty cool. Remarkable’s sharing from one device/platform to another is a little clunky, either you save to a cloud drive and connect / open a copy on your Remarkable, or you can use a browser plugin for webpages to download a page to your Remarkable. The latter is kind of clunky, requiring various codes to prove and connect your device.
Writing latency on the Remarkable 2 is great; Kindle Scribe latency is also good.
The Remarkable has a subscription tier that was recently lowered to US$2.99, this unlocks unlimited cloud storage. I am guessing Amazon will bundle benefits into your existing Prime subscription. You don’t need a subscription to get the most out of your Remarkable 2, but it’s useful for cross-device purposes. The Remarkable connects to every cloud drive service you could need. The Kindle Scribe does not integrate with other cloud services, I’ll say yet, but wow this is a big miss and disappointing. This is not great or ideal for the privacy and security conscious, or just general usability. It feels kind of janky that Amazon requires you to email documents to get them onto and off your Scribe, like seriously… huh?
Another big miss on the Scribe (for me) is there’s no handwriting recognition. This may seem like a weird thing for me to be surprised by, but given Amazon’s cloud computing prowess, I really expected this. The Remarkable does have handwriting recognition, which is great when you need to export things. I have to think Amazon will fix this oversight in a future software update.
What is unique and a big plus on the Remarkable is that they have a desktop and mobile app so you can access your notes without the device, and it doesn’t seem (yet) that Amazon’s Kindle Scribe lets you do that. For everywhere portability, the Remarkable 2 is great because I have pulled up notes on weekends on my phone when an urgent call comes in – not something everyone needs, but useful for me. I have also been able to sketch on my Remarkable and have it appear in real-time on my computer while sharing the screen on Zoom for a real whiteboard session. It’s a great feature that doesn’t appear to be an option on the Kindle Scribe.
Reading the specs. the Kindle Scribe has Amazon’s voice reader technology and connects to Bluetooth headphones, so you could also use it for audiobooks. That’s not something available on the Remarkable. The Remarkable has no audio at all. The Kindle Scribe supports the full Amazon Kindle store. That’s a huge plus and makes the Scribe very compelling. The biggest drawback of the Remarkable 2 is that it is only good for reading PDFs and DRM-free (i.e., not protected/not store versions) of books. It was the Amazon Kindle store support that made me pre-order the Scribe, as now I can ditch my Kindle Oasis. If Remarkable added an eBook Store (Kobo), that would be a win, but then Remarkable’s limited memory vs. the Scribe would be an issue.
Both devices connect to WiFi and don’t need/use cellular data – so they do work anywhere in the world. It seems both will not work (at least my Remarkable 2 absolutely doesn’t) with WiFi connections that require a browser login – which means I can’t use either at work. A little disappointing on both fronts.
Overall, the total software experience on the Remarkable is much better than the scribe, from cloud integration, extra features (handwriting recognition), the Remarkable desktop and mobile app. Amazon has a lot of catching up to do.
Winner: Remarkable.
Remarkable 2 vs. Kindle Scribe: Price Comparison
Tablet
- Remarkable 2: US$299 + extras (case, pen, optional subscription) and US$547 with leather case and premium pen with eraser.
- Kindle Scribe: US$339 includes basic pen + extras (case, optional pen upgrade) and US$429 bundle (includes leather case and premium pen). The basic Scribe bundle is only US$380.
Unbundled, the Remarkable 2 looks cheaper, but all in (pen and case) is where you see the real cost. There’s almost a $120 premium for the full Remarkable bundle vs. the Kindle Scribe bundle. So the Kindle Scribe is much better value. And this is before you start adding on the optional cost of a Remarkable Connect Subscription, which is about another US$36 a year. You can get an equivalent total purchase price on the Remarkable if you buy an after-market pen (review here) or case (review here) for the Remarkable 2. This is not as bad as it seems; it’s how I (happily) use my Remarkable 2. The basic Scribe bundle is very cheap, at US$380 – which includes a case and pen. Which is about the same price as you would pay if you bought a Remarkable and after-market pen and case, which is pretty compelling.
If you’re after a Kindle Scribe Amazon Prime Day deal, it’s unlikely we’ll see one for a while. The next Amazon Prime Day in 2023, maybe we will see Amazon discount the Scribe.
Winner: Kindle Scribe
Conclusion
I really like my Remarkable 2 and am a fan of eInk displays. It’s great to see Amazon offering something that brings the Kindle bookstore to the space, and I’m hoping there’s room for both in the market. If you already own a Remarkable 2, there’s probably no reason to upgrade (yet), but if you’re new to the category or interested in getting an eInk tablet, it’s hard to argue that the Kindle Scribe is (remarkable value) great value and is worth buying. Particularly for the full Amazon Kindle store support, if nothing else – because you can consolidate to one eInk tablet/eReader. If you’re wondering what version I bought and why, I have a write-up over here, including details on how to save money on Kindle Scribe.
It’s really line ball and hard to pick a favorite, I have some bias for the Remarkable 2. There’s something about the simplicity I love and the Remarkable desktop app unlocks a lot of powerful features. So for now, the Remarkable 2 is the winner for me. I’m not sure if I will keep my Kindle Scribe, as I don’t really need both. If you want an eInk tablet for writing and want a better Kindle, then the Scribe is good value (just keep in mind it doesn’t work with Dropbox or Google Drive). If you do decide to buy a Scribe, this is the bundle I purchased and is the best value as far as I am concerned.
As a reminder, a 1-page feature comparison of the Remarkable 2 v Kindle Scribe is summarized in this table.
Hope this helps!
PS. If you are already a Remarkable 2 owner, I’ve written up various Remarkable 2 tips and tricks, you can find them all here.
Important: I am not affiliated with any of the manufacturers, brands, services, or websites listed on this page and this is my personal experience. If you find this helpful and want to say thanks, please buy me a coffee or take a look at my book on Amazon. It keeps this page ad-free. Thank you!