Although it might feel like ages ago, Amazon unveiled its new Kindle Scribe lineup last fall. The lineup includes the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, the first-ever color Scribe, along with the standard Kindle Scribe and the Kindle Scribe without Front Light.
However, while Amazon launched the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft for $630 and the Kindle Scribe for $500 last December, its cheapest model, the $430 Kindle Scribe without Front Light, had not yet been released.
At the time, it was widely expected to launch early this year, but that never happened. Now, nearly eight months after Amazon first revealed it, the device finally has an official release date.
Amazon has announced that the Kindle Scribe without Front Light will launch on June 10 at 10:00 a.m. ET / 7:00 a.m. PT.
The release date now appears on the store page for the model, though Amazon still hasn’t explained why its cheapest new Kindle Scribe took so long to arrive while the other new Kindle Scribe models have already been available for so long.
Though if I had to make an educated guess, it probably had something to do with trying to sell as many of the other, more expensive Kindle Scribe models as possible before launching its cheapest model.
- Storage
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16GB
- Brand
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Kindle
- Screen Size
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11-inch E Ink display
- Battery
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Up to 16 weeks of reading. Up to 3 weeks of writing
Is the Kindle Scribe without Front Light worth it?
A front light does have its advantages
Now that the Kindle Scribe without Front Light finally has a release date, the big question is whether it’s actually worth buying. And I think that really depends entirely on how you plan to use it.
Amazon’s Kindle Scribe without Front Light is $70 cheaper than the regular Kindle Scribe and roughly $200 cheaper than the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, making it by far the most affordable option in the new lineup.
The only real difference between the $500 Kindle Scribe and the $430 Kindle Scribe without Front Light is, as the name suggests, the lack of a built-in auto-adjusting front light on the cheaper model.
If you’re unfamiliar with how a front light works, it brightens the display by shining light evenly across the surface of the screen using a series of specialized LEDs. Unlike a traditional backlit LCD display, like the one you’d find on an iPad, the light isn’t projected directly through the screen, which helps the display feel much more paper-like and comfortable to read for long periods.
…if you mostly read or take notes during the day or in well-lit spaces, you may not miss the front light all that much.
From my experience using both a Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition with a front light and a base Kindle without one, the front light is definitely useful, especially for reading at night or in darker rooms. It also makes the display noticeably brighter overall. But if you mostly read or take notes during the day or in well-lit spaces, you may not miss the front light all that much.
And if your main goal is saving as much money as possible, the $70 difference alone could make the cheaper model worth considering. You still get all the same core software features as well, including Google Drive and OneDrive integration, along with Alexa+ support.
Aside from the missing front light, the new Kindle Scribe without Front Light is otherwise identical in appearance to the Kindle Scribe and the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. All three models feature Amazon’s redesigned Kindle Scribe chassis with a thinner and lighter build, slimmer screen bezels, and an 11-inch E Ink display.
Ultimately, if you want the newly redesigned Kindle Scribe without forking out over $500, the cheaper model without a front light is worth considering if you’re comfortable with the screen being less adaptable to different lighting conditions.
The Kindle Scribe without Front Light goes on sale on June 10, while the Kindle Scribe and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft are already available.
