First customer reviews give Kindle Scribe only 3.4 stars

A day after Kindle Scribe started shipping, the average rating of a device in the Amazon online store is only 3.4/5, after collecting 34 ratings.

A common remark is that Kindle Scribe is fantastic for reading, and not so good for writing.

Here are the biggest disadvantages Kindle Scribe owners have spotted so far.

You can only write handwritten notes on pdf files sent to Scribe through the Kindle system:

💬 Although the promotions and ads are correct that you can write on pdfs on the Scribe, **you can only write on pdfs that you send to your device through the Amazon portal in a web browser on another device.** If you simply drag and drop a pdf onto the device over USB, then that pdf is going to be read-only. – A review by A Robot Bit Me

There is an issue with the Premium Pen design:

💬 I like the feel of the pen but the one issue is that I always accidentally click on the button because of the button is placed where you can easily click it while writing. The workaround – I set it up as pen so even when I click it, it wouldn’t disrupt my writing. – A review by Anthony Mutuc

You can’t create nested notebook folders:

💬 Serious note takers need a file management system that that can handle serious organization. For whatever reason, you can only have one layer of folders. It’s not possible to have a folder within a folder. – A review by Frank

Pen style options are very basic:

💬 Notebook is very very basic, no zoom, pan, etc. (This is crazy to me as PDF annotation mode supports it.) It would be nice to have more pen style options, like pencil, calligraphy, etc. – A review by Joey E

You can’t write directly over the text:

💬 The Scribe does not allow marking up books. You can write a note that “attaches” to a particular page but you cannot write on the page. I use my reMarkable to read and mark up documents. I can add notes or highlight like I would on real paper. – A review by Elliot

It’s too bulky:

💬 Overall, the device feels bulkier than something like the Remarkable and the writing experience is not as good as the Remarkable. It is not bad but not good either. As an e-reader (compared to say the Kindle Oasis) it again feels too big and heavy for long duration reading. – A review by kamalh

Opposite to customers, tech reviewers are either positive or excited about the new device. Here are Google web search results for Kindle Scribe review.