One week ago today, Amazon released their first notetaking Kindle with a color E Ink screen, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, along with a new black and white version of the Kindle Scribe with a larger 11″ screen.
Both are a lot more expensive than previous gen Kindle Scribes, but the weird thing is the most expensive model, the 64GB version of the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, is selling the best of all the new Scribes.
What’s more, the Colorsoft version appears to be 2-5x more popular than the new BW Kindle Scribe so far, despite the significantly higher price tag.
Here’s how the new Kindle Scribe sales numbers compare after one week, based on Amazon’s sold during the past month metric that appears at the top of each page:
Kindle Scribe BW 32GB – 500+ units sold
Kindle Scribe BW 64GB – 400+ units sold
Kindle Scribe Colorsoft 32GB – 1000+ units sold
Kindle Scribe Colorsoft 64GB – 2000+ units sold
There’s a 64GB version of the Colorsoft in fig (red) that hasn’t been released yet, and the same goes for the new Kindle Scribe without a frontlight—both of those are expected to arrive next month.
Those numbers seem pretty low for a new Kindle release, especially the BW version, and what’s interesting is the fact that Amazon doesn’t even have enough units in stock to meet that small of a demand. At this point shipping for the Colorsoft version is a month out, and it’s been that way since a day or two after it was released. Shipping for the BW version is late December or early January, so they must’ve only had a few hundred units of each model available at launch.
The previous gen Kindle Scribe has been on sale for the past month, and it can be had for as little as $279 currently. The sales numbers for it are at over 10k+ for the 32GB model and 9k+ for the 64GB version. The 16GB version is only at 500+, but it’s currently not on sale and is $90 more expensive than the 64GB version so you’d have to be crazy to buy it.
Here’s more proof that Amazon’s Kindle best sellers list doesn’t add up. The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft currently sits at #12 with its 3000+ units sold during the past month. The Kids Kindle at #11 has sold over 10k+ units during the past month, and the Kindle at #13 has sold over 7k+ units during the past month. At #14 is the new BW Kindle Scribe at only 900+ units.
So combining two unpopular products, a Colorsoft and a Scribe, equals popular product? I don’t get it. Especially at that price.
If reviews are decent, if I can jailbreak it, and if a good sale or the price of a refurbished model is tolerable, maybe I’ll get it.
A color Scribe isn’t a bad idea, in theory. The bigger screen would allow for more artwork, notes, etc, and the colors would make it nicer than on a BW screen. Someone who reads an awful lot of graphic novels would benefit from a larger screen as well. BUT, and I think that this is the sticking point for just about everyone, the price is just way too high for what you actually get. It is an iPad price, but you don’t get the color clarity of an iPad (the downside of an eInk color screen), and kindle ereaders are pretty limited in terms of function and productivity; you can only really read and draw/take notes on the Scribe.
I have a child who loves graphic novel adaptations of the classics (it’s a good bridge from picture books to reading the actual classic later) and comic books. I didn’t get them the ColorSoft because the price was just too much of increase compared to a regular BW paper white, so they may as well just read it on their paper white. If they did an AmazonKids Scribe with the price down to what the regular ColorSoft does now, then I would actually considering buying my kid (and me) one.
TLDR: A color Scribe is way, way, way too much money.
It seems that the Scribes don’t have a Kid+ mode.
I didn’t say Amazon had a Kid+ Scribe right now, just that it isn’t a terrible thing for them to consider along with drastically lowering the Scribe Price, I am ok with not having Kid+ mode so long as the price is reasonable. We went for a couple of years without using AmazonKids purely because it was clunky and glitchy, and things were just fine.
I’d rather have a more open Android ereader versus a Scribe. I have a Kindle reader and that’s good enough for me. A Boox Air is about as pricy but more useful.
I wonder how much the trade-in math affects impulse purchases. Giving up an old Kindle is a $136 discount!
It worked on me. I bought a 2024 Scribe. 20% off and $5.00 for an old Kindle. Also, 5% back for using my Prime card.
It still hurt$ a little.
Honestly, it looks to be the best color reader ever made. Pushing the bar up for all manufacturers. The real thing that keeps me away is my extensive library from Kobo, Google etc…and Amazon’s restrictive ebook management. This device looks to have an amazing screen…for color e-ink. The even bezel, Ipadish look is nice.
Kobo and Pocketbook are probably going back to the drawing board, rethinking product strategy.
As a Note device, Boox just offers so much more functionality.
You can’t compare an eInk device with an iPad. you have better colors on an LCD Screen, yes. But reading for a longer time is a pain. And writing on an iPad is alot worse as it misses the paperlike writing feel (and the less disturbing light). The issue with eInk devices is always: They serve a specific need. And that results automatically in less sell numbers as fe iPad which has a broader audience.
We can talk about the price to value in comparison to Boox air5c or Remarkable Paper Pro or similar devices. Especially: How dark is the screen really? They have a new layering system compared to regular Kaleido 3 Screens. But they should be darker then Gallery 3.
I was only comparing the look of the casing. Even bezels..unlike most e readers that are either one sided or even sided with a bottom chin.
The screens and functions are nothing like an Ipad.
I would have considered the color soft if Kindles had more functionality. Reading and note taking doesn’t require color.
My colorsoft arrived and, overall, I like it. The one thing that irritates me is that you cannot change the color of the folders. I know, it’s a first world problem, but with all the color options for writing and drawing, it doesn’t make sense that you are stuck with a very ugly green folder.. I color code most of my work so it would be very helpful to do the same on my scribe. Maybe it will change with a future update. One can hope!