Amazon has started shipping Kindle Scribe orders now with the official release date coming up tomorrow, November 30th.
The Kindle Scribe was released too late to get in on the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, and it’s highly unlikely Amazon is going to put it on sale during December so soon after release, but there are already a couple of ways to get discounts on the Kindle Scribe.
Amazon currently has an offer on their website where you can get $40 off when purchasing two Kindle Scribes. According to the terms, the promotion runs through December 2022.
An even better way to get a discount on the Kindle Scribe is to trade-in an old Kindle to get 20% off. You can get up to $83.99 off when using a trade-in toward the 64GB model with a premium pen, or $67.99 off when buying the base 16GB version with a basic pen.
That means you can get a new Kindle Scribe for as low as $271.99 with a trade-in. That’s about the same price as an 8GB Kindle Oasis without ads.
Frankly, I’m surprised Amazon is offering trade-in discounts on the Kindle Scribe considering how big the discount amounts to compared to the value of older Kindles. In fact, the Kindle you trade-in doesn’t even have to work to get the 20% discount.
You could even buy an old Kindle off of eBay or Woot for like $20 and still come out ahead in the deal. Just make sure it’s a Kindle ereader and not a Kindle Fire tablet (only Kindle ereaders can be used to trade-in for other Kindles).
You also get a credit for trading in an old Kindle that can be applied to the order to get an even lower price. The value of older Kindles depends on the model. Some are only worth $5 (same with broken ones) and other models are worth up to $50. You check the value of your Kindle on the trade-in page at Amazon.
I could not pass up on the trade in!
I did what you described a little after the Scribe was announced. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a Kindle to trade in, but I was able to go on Woot and get their cheapest Kindle for $20. I then traded that in and Amazon give me a $25 credit. So I was able to use the 20% off coupon for basically free. Not a bad deal on a large format e-rader I think.
I strongly considered the kindle scribe. Another perk is a free 4 months of Kindle Unlimited when purchasing this device. There are also bundles available containing covers and screen protectors. One thing that turned me off is the Oasis-like “handhold”. I read for long periods (all night) while in bed and often need to switch hands while holding my kindle. That wide frame on one side is a no-no. But the other thing is that there are very similar tablets available with high ratings which aren’t only tied into Amazon’s ecosystem. They can download Google Play and have an android tablet with a notepad/stylus. It’s unlikely I’d do much reading on such a large device but if i was going out for a day I would take it since I’d have all I need on one device, including my kindle, Nook, and google play books.
I bought the Meebook P10 Pro.
https://www.amazon.com/Meebook-Reader-Paperwhite-Adjustable-Android/dp/B0B5CXN4W6
If you’re going to get an Android ereader an Onyx device is going to be a lot better than a Meebook. It just has a capacitive touchscreen so writing isn’t going to be very good, and it doesn’t even come with a stylus and it only has a 200ppi screen. Onyx also has settings to optimize third-party apps. The last time I reviewed a Likebook (the previous brand before they changed to Meebook) the software just wasn’t very good and it was poorly optimized for E Ink, especially with third-party apps.
I actually purchased the Onyx Tab Ultra from Amazon(Great advice, Nathan!). Had trouble with a couple of the warm light LEDs and returned it. One thing I did like was the 10″ size. The ereading app was a pain compared to Kobo or Kindle for me. 227 dpi was still good though. Anyway it triggered my purchase of the more reader focused scribe.
I wanted the writing in order to draw. While not perfect, it helps me figure things out in sketches. I’m still figuring out out. One thing that does irritate me about the Meebook is that I can’t rearrange home screen apps – unless I’m missing something. The e-ink isn’t bad.
I can’t wait for your videos on the Scribe. Hopefully a dedicated PDF experience video, like you did with the newest Paperwhite and older models. You are the source I trust on e-ink devices.
My initial reaction to the Scribe is:
account activation, set-up and wi-fi access is super simple
off course, you get tons of purchase recommendations
slightly less evenness and contast than my Kobo Sage- probably due to writing layer…but still good
I don’t notice any improved sharpness of fonts
good looking device, but slippery! not as secure in the hand as the Sage
battery life looks to be very good in the few hours that I have used it- far better than Sage
annoyances:
page turn tap zones are not customizable-if you hold it left handed, you have to reach over to the right to change the page
page numbers and progress bars lacking…same with margins adjustment and line spacing
The Scribe’s size does make it great for print replica books!
Any idea when you’ll have a review or first impressions up?
I’ll start uploading videos and posting reviews early next week.
Starting to warm up to the Scribe
great for how to manuals, high graphics books and cookbooks-size matters
battery life is excellent even with lighting cranked up
a lot of people will compare it to devices like Onyx and Remarkable and that is not fair to this device. It is an e-reader with some note taking capability, not a note taking device with some e-reading capability
So you feel like it’s a good device to read PDF books?
Lou Sevens here- my scribe arrived yesterday after some drama with the amazon site saying it might be lost.
I was long for a larger screen- in summary after 24 hours it is much more efficient for me to read from.
Terms of traveling, it wont really affect me on a train, but perhaps bringning into a baseball park it might.
I wrote on it a little. My handwriting sucks and it looked just as bad.
I would assume that the battery life could be better than the Oasis?
– I will keep my PW for now, but took my extra PW and Oasis to trade in- I got $80 (paid $175 total for the 2 last year after trade ins).
I will know likely order a second Scribe – which seems to come to $250 (32gb premium pen) after my trade in today + 20% of.
I will then send my remaining PW back for $30.
All in all- even though it could be a little bulkier, I probably won’t want to go back and read on a smaller screen