The Kindle Scribe is cheaper than ever, and it's very tempting compared to reMarkable 2

For the last two weeks, I’ve been testing out the reMarkable 2. Since I’ve been tasked with tracking all of Prime Day’s Kindle discounts, I wanted to get hands-on with one of Amazon’s biggest competitors to see what all the fuss was about. reMarkable is a luxurious rival to the most expensive Kindle, the Scribe, which is a digital library and a virtual notebook rolled into one. In short, the reMarkable is a more premium, less versatile option, and while I’d happily recommend it, its price is undeniably high.

In what is one of the first official early Prime Day offers, Amazon’s alternative has just dropped to a new low. Right now, it’s going for only $259.99 (down from $369.99). Considering reMarkable 2’s all-in cost is over $500 once you add up the marker and Type Folio, the Kindle Scribe at this price looks pretty appealing.

A previous low of $264 just last month could hint at the Prime Day Kindle deals to come. If the priciest option in the family is heavily discounted, we can cross our fingers for the more affordable ones. Personally, the lowest I expected this to drop to was around $300. That would have seemed fair versus the competition, especially since the Kindle Scribe doesn’t purposefully try to limit its own use cases like reMarkable does.

I can’t lie, The reMarkable is my favorite out of the two devices, but there’s no denying that if you read comics and books more than you take notes, you’ll get more use out of a Kindle Scribe.

It’s worth noting that this is a Prime exclusive deal, so if you’re not a paying member, now is a perfect time to take out a 30-day free trial. That way, you can make the most of Prime Day gaming deals as and when they arrive, but you can cancel after the event is done and not pay a penny for the access.

Should you buy the Kindle Scribe?

The Kindle Scribe side by side with the reMarkable 2

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

Against the other, more affordable Kindles, the Scribe is alluring, but do you actually need it? Well, if you’re someone who likes to annotate their reading material, the Scribe lets you leave sticky notes in their E-books. This could be massive for any student, or an enthusiast who wants to keep their physical books pristine.

If the ability to write on the Kindle seems surplus to requirements for you, then a Kindle Paperwhite, Oasis, or regular Kindle is probably the option for you. The clever front-lit display of the Scribe is also found down the price range, so the reading experience can be found elsewhere.

For anyone who doesn’t want to compromise though, the reMarkable has the best writing feel I’ve ever come across for something that isn’t an actual notepad made of paper. Its display has the degree of friction needed to pick up the nuance of my handwriting, where the Scribe narrowly misses out. There’s nest to no delay in what you jot down appearing, and that’s a tad more noticeable on the Scribe. The sound of reMarkable’s scribbles tricks your brain into thinking it’s actually paper. It is, if you can stomach this pun, remarkable.

If, like me, you were targeted by reMarkable’s Don Draper-esque marketing, but the price is depressingly out of reach, the Kindle Scribe is definitely a worthy alternative. The writing feel of the Scribe is impressive, and while it isn’t quite on par with reMarkable, it does a fine job for the price discrepancy.