Doodling on books will get your library card revoked. Need to scribble the place you learn? The Amazon Kindle Scribe and ReMarkable 2 are two of one of the best e-readers you possibly can write on.
Outfitted with E Ink shows which are designed to copy paper, each gadgets blur the road between e-reader and pill. Every ships with a stylus for digital scrawling. So like precise paper, you possibly can annotate and sketch by hand. Not like precise paper, your notes are editable, safely saved and straightforward to share with out firing up the photocopier.
However which of those digital notepads is superior? We’ve jotted the main points, tabulated the specs and in contrast the stats, all to find out which one is worthier of be aware: the Amazon Kindle Scribe or the Exceptional 2.
Amazon Kindle Scribe vs Exceptional 2: value & launch date
Amazon revealed the Kindle Scribe in September 2022. It’s out there to pre-order now, with the complete launch scheduled for 30 November. The value is determined by which of its three storage capacities you go for: 16GB ($340/£330), 32GB ($390/£380) or 64GB ($420/£410). You’ll be able to spec the smallest model with a Primary Pen, or stump up an additional $30/£30 for the Premium Pen, which options an eraser and shortcut button. Each the 32GB and 64GB variations embody the Premium Pen as commonplace.
Exceptional’s pricing is simpler to compute. Rolled out in Could 2022 and in the stores proper now, there’s only one model of the Exceptional 2. Shipped with 8GB of non-expandable storage, the Exceptional 2 will price you $279/£279. As commonplace, it doesn’t arrive with a stylus within the field. You’ll be able to spec it with Exceptional’s Marker ($79/£59) or stump up for the Marker Plus ($129/£109) should you’d like an eraser.
Amazon Kindle Scribe vs Exceptional 2: tech specs
| Amazon Kindle Scribe | Exceptional 2 | |
| Show | 10.2in Paperwhite, 300ppi | 10.3in monochrome, 226ppi |
| Constructed-in gentle | Sure | No |
| Storage | 16/32/64GB, non-expandable | 8GB, non-expandable |
| Dimensions | 196x229x5.8mm | 187x246x4.7mm |
| Weight | 433g | 404g |
Design: two sheets to the bind
The Amazon Kindle Scribe and Exceptional 2 observe a really comparable design components. Each are styled like tablets and fronted by greyscale E Ink screens. Notable bezels body the shows, with a bigger strip on the left to permit for simpler holding. However there are additionally visible variations which set the 2 slates aside.
The all-black Kindle Scribe options tidy, uniform bezels on three edges. In distinction, the Exceptional 2 has a white encompass with a silver-accented grip strip, and a thicker backside bezel. Which seems higher will likely be all the way down to the attention of the beholder.
Bodily, each gadgets are roughly the scale of an A4 sheet of paper. The Kindle Scribe is the taller of the 2 by 9mm, whereas the Exceptional 2 is wider by 17mm. Every slate is slender as properly: 5.8mm for the Kindle and 4.7mm for the Exceptional 2, which make every e-reader slimmer than any modern smartphone. On the scales, there’s just a little extra in it. The Kindle Scribe is weightier at 433g, undercut by the 404g Exceptional 2.
Show: on the paper path
Headlining each exhibits are these E Ink shows. The Kindle Scribe’s display measures in at 10.2in. Amazon hasn’t printed the precise decision, however it works out at an honest 300ppi. The Exceptional 2 includes a 10.3in panel. Whereas it’s a tiny bit greater, the decision is available in at a much less sharp 226ppi.
How important this issue feels in follow will likely be one thing we check in our full side-by-side review of the 2 E Ink tablets. In idea, it ought to imply that the Amazon Kindle Scribe is ready to render textual content and edges extra crisply than the Exceptional 2. That stated, the distinction is unlikely to be a deal-breaker for legibility when studying and scrawling.
Each panels are designed to imitate the appear and feel of paper. That features a glare-free coating for studying outdoor, plus a floor texture that’s meant to make stylus scribbling really feel pure. Neither e-reader can produce color visuals, however the Amazon Kindle Scribe does trump the Exceptional 2 with its adjustable entrance gentle, permitting you to proceed doodling in dim circumstances.
Interface & pens: the pens are mighty
It’s that doodling capacity which places the Kindle Scribe and Exceptional 2 in a distinct class to conventional e-readers. Whereas the touchscreens on each gadgets help finger inputs for swiping by way of pages and navigating the interface, every can be designed with pen use in thoughts – whether or not you’re tapping round or taking notes.
Wield Amazon’s Primary Pen and also you’ll discover a pen-like stylus in your hand, which sticks magnetically to the facet of the Kindle Scribe. And since it’s a passive software, there’s no battery to cost. Shelling out for the Premium Pen provides an eraser on the top, in addition to a shortcut button, which lets you change between pen settings with one click on. So you possibly can go from jotting to highlighting in a jiffy.
It’s an identical setup for the Exceptional 2. The usual Marker seems like a pen and attaches magnetically to the facet of the E Ink pill, which is safer than tucking it behind your ear. Like Amazon’s quills, it’s additionally battery-free. And like Amazon’s quills, you’ll want to decide on the Marker Plus if you would like an eraser on the top. Its tip is replaceable, too.
How the styli evaluate in follow will likely be one other issue to evaluate in our full side-by-side check. Our five-star review of the Exceptional 2 discovered that tilt help and 4096 ranges of strain sensitivity contributed to a pure and fulfilling note-taking expertise, with minimal lag and a helpful vary of stroke settings. We’d count on a equally intuitive expertise from the Kindle Scribe, however we’ll solely know the efficiency of options akin to palm rejection after we’ve had the prospect to scribble on it.
Software program & options: two takes
Bespoke software program inhabits each the Kindle Scribe and the Exceptional 2. Every adopts a pared-back strategy, with clear visuals, tidy menus and neat icons for switching instruments. Exceptional’s E Ink pill provides 51 templates to information your note-taking, spanning all the pieces from lined paper to inventive storyboards. Amazon hasn’t put a quantity on the Scribe’s template catalogue, however it’s acknowledged that the machine contains a variety of notebooks, checklists and layouts.
The place the Kindle Scribe seems to trump the Exceptional 2 is file format help. Exceptional’s slate enables you to open ePUB and PDF paperwork, with a workaround for Phrase paperwork. Information are transformed to PDF for annotating. The Kindle Scribe can deal with all the above, as properly Kindle e-books. So you possibly can jot ideas on any of the numerous books in Amazon’s library. You may also add sticky notes on to Phrase docs, and from subsequent yr you’ll have the ability to ship paperwork to the Scribe from inside Microsoft Phrase.
The Scribe additionally wins on storage, providing twice the capability of the Exceptional 2 even in its smallest guise. Amazon’s E Ink pill provides limitless cloud storage for paperwork as properly. That is an possibility for the Exceptional 2, however solely with a Join subscription. A one-year trial is included, after which you’ll must pay $2.99/£2.99 per 30 days.
Latest firmware updates have outfitted the Exceptional 2 with handwriting to textual content conversion, plus Google Drive, Dropbox and One Drive help. Neither of these options seem to supplied by the Kindle Scribe at launch, giving the Exceptional 2 an edge – even when our our review discovered third-party cloud companies had been just a little clunky to combine.
Battery & efficiency: straightforward does it
Amazon’s tight-lipped concerning the {hardware} contained in the Kindle Scribe. There’s no phrase on what processor runs the present, neither is there a acknowledged capability for the cell. As an alternative, it’s promised a battery good for a number of weeks on a single cost, relying on how a lot you utilize it. Scribble for half an hour per day and Amazon reckons you possibly can eke longevity out to 12 weeks. As for efficiency, if it’s something like current non-writeable Kindle gadgets, we’d count on snappy load occasions, if not fairly the zippiness of a full-fat pill.
Exceptional’s extra open about its E Ink pill specs. It runs a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM, whereas the battery is a 3000mAh quantity. Regardless of the shortage of backlight, the Exceptional 2 is rated at three weeks from a full tank. In testing, we discovered that it lasted for a day of fixed note-taking, however not rather more.
Amazon Kindle Scribe vs Exceptional 2: preliminary verdict
On paper, the Exceptional 2 and Amazon Kindle Fireplace appear to be two editions of the identical machine. They share comparable slate-like designs and have E Ink screens which imitate paper. And so they help battery-free styli for scrawling and scribbling. However additionally they take distinctly totally different approaches relating to fulfilling the temporary.
The Exceptional 2 is a digital notepad initially, with the choice to make use of it as an e-reader. The Amazon Kindle Scribe follows the other highway: it’s an e-reader with added jotting abilities. That’s mirrored of their respective specs and ability units. The previous goes gentle on smarts, offering efficient note-taking instruments for clutter-free productiveness. The latter takes the feature-packed basis of earlier Kindle gadgets, together with weeks-long battery life and broader format help, and provides the helpful choice to jot on paperwork.
Which fits you higher will rely on the place and why you need to use an E Ink pill. A closing verdict should wait till we’ve examined the 2 gadgets collectively. However this early evaluation means that the Kindle will likely be a winner for readers in want of a notepad, whereas the Exceptional 2 stays a best choice getting issues achieved with out distraction.
