I became a Kindle Scribe convert about six months ago. Before that, I had stacks of notebooks covering my desk and an iron grip on my pens and pencils. Pen and paper wasn’t broken, and a digital notebook’s capabilities seemed too good to be true. Now, I’ve retired my analog writing tools and trust my Kindle Scribes to do the rest.
Having recently upgraded from the first-generation Kindle Scribe, I’m now the proud owner of the new Kindle Scribe Colorsoft — E Ink colors and all. Both devices are in the classic Graphite, which shows off a sleek, dark gray chassis. I don’t mind the more basic color, but Amazon just set a release date for a brand-new colorway for the Scribe Colorsoft: Fig.
Fig is a vibrant purple with a dash of pink, and I wanted it on my desk immediately. When I went to write about it, I noticed a curious price jump. The Graphite Kindle Scribe Colorsoft was $630, but the Fig model was $50 more expensive at $680. There’s no way Amazon could get away with charging $50 simply for a chassis with a little more personality.
No, it couldn’t. That’s when I noticed the other upsell: storage. The Graphite model only provides 32GB of storage, and the Fig only comes with 64GB. So if you want the hardware to be slightly more fun, it’ll cost you $50 — with a “bonus” 32GB you may not even need. Not cool, Amazon.
- Resolution
-
150ppi
- Storage
-
32GB, 64GB
- Brand
-
Amazon
- Screen Size
-
11-inch glare-free display
Amazon’s Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is an 11-inch note-taking tablet and e-reader with a color display, faster quad-core processor, and new AI-powered productivity features.
Pick the fun one, pay the premium
Amazon is forcing the upsell
Kindles in general are renowned for their storage capacity. E-books and notebooks (on the Scribe) do not take up much space at all. In fact, even 16GB can hold thousands of them without even coming close to running out of space for most readers. The only exception is graphic novels, which have more data per page, but even then, it’s hard to hit that ceiling.
Using a Kindle Scribe with 64GB is like setting down a bookshelf in a football stadium: all the space in the world, but you don’t need 99% of it.
32GB on a Scribe is more than enough, and some might even call it overkill. To double that storage for only a $50 upcharge is almost insulting — because if storage were truly the commodity Amazon is making it out to be, the upcharge would be far higher. Using a Kindle Scribe with 64GB is like setting down a bookshelf in a football stadium: all the space in the world, but you don’t need 99% of it. Very few users would see 64GB as a necessary upgrade, so they wouldn’t make it on specs alone.
However, personalization is always an easier sell. Fifty bucks isn’t too much to ask for, especially since you’re theoretically already okay spending upwards of $600 on an E Ink tablet. So if Fig really calls your name, that’s what you’re paying for first — and storage comes second. The bundle just gives Amazon (and buyers) a convenient justification for the upsell.
It makes the buying experience worse
Decisions, decisions
I, for one, wish both colorways were available in both storage options. Amazon should also consider the reverse scenario: maybe there’s someone out there dead-set on 64GB, but they truly prefer the Graphite colorway — should they be forced into buying the more colorful model when all their other devices match the Graphite aesthetic?
The mismatch turns what would be a simple purchase into a pricing puzzle. Introducing Fig as a more premium device makes the Graphite model feel like the one you ‘settle’ for, especially if you aren’t willing to shell out an additional fifty bucks.
I wondered if this was a pattern Amazon followed, and I was right. If you want to buy the Metallic Jade version of the second-generation Kindle Scribe, your only option (again) is the 64GB model for $450. Meanwhile, the second-gen Scribe is available in Graphite with all three storage tiers: 16GB ($400), 32GB ($420), and 64GB ($450). I like that Graphite is available across all options, but gatekeeping the colorful model behind the storage pay wall is just absurd.
The Kindle Scribe is inarguably my favorite device. I use my Scribe Colorsoft every day, and the first-generation Scribe anytime I’m on the go. Because I use it all day, it’d be nice to add a pop of color to my already gray desktop. Choice matters when you’re already selling at such a high price point, and I wish Amazon would let you pay for features you’d actually use, rather than hiding the color premium behind a storage upgrade.
