I’ve always imagined myself sketching in the park, not on paper, but using some 21st-century digital device that could produce endless sheets of blank paper and a bottomless well of pixel-laden ink. Now I’ve done it and found that between Apple’s 11-inch iPad Air and Amazon’s 11-inch Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, only one is the perfect direct-sunlight drawing companion.
I carried the 11-inch iPad Air (Fifth Generation) and Amazon’s 11-inch Kindle Scribe Colorsoft into New York City’s Bryant Park on the first 70-degree, sunny day of spring, grabbed a metal folding chair, and positioned myself in front of the outdoor space’s iconic fountain.
Article continues below
Why draw with these tablets?
It’s been six months since I first saw the 11-inch color ereader. Back then, I was impressed with its remarkably thin and light frame and, naturally, attracted to its reflective color-E-Ink screen (backlighting is included, too). At the launch event, I quickly sketched some primitive figures on it.
While most people might use the Scribe Colorsoft for reading graphic novels and taking copious notes, I couldn’t stop thinking about the artistic possibilities. Still, life got in the way, and it’s taken me until now to get my hands on the $629.99 / £629.99 device.
As for the iPad Air, well, I’ve been drawing on the iPad since it was introduced in 2010 and am a massive Procreate fan. It is the best and most versatile drawing app on the planet (and a good bargain: you pay up front ($12.99 / £12.99) and get lifetime updates.
I’m under no illusion that the art tools on the Colorsoft can match those of an app like Procreate, but I was intrigued by the very different screen technologies. After all, the benefit of E-ink is that it’s designed to be read and seen under direct light. When I go to the beach, I love nothing better than reading books on my 7-inch Kindle eReader.
The iPad Air ($599 / £599), by contrast, uses backlit screen technology. Like all such screens, it battles brighter external light. The reason companies tell you about the maximum number of nits on your smartphones, laptops, and tablets is that they are sometimes used in direct sunlight. A screen that isn’t bright enough will be unviewable outside. The iPad Air 5th Gen display tops out at 500 nits.
Kindle Scribe Colorsoft versus drawing in the sunlight
I don’t claim to be a great artist — far from it — but I find the act of drawing incredibly relaxing. My brain focuses on the process; I get tunnel vision, and my cortisol levels drop. I am never as calm as I am when I’m drawing.
Amazon’s Kindle Scribe Colorsoft’s stylus is almost identical to the Apple Pencil, save for one significant difference: an actual rubber ‘eraser’ opposite the business end. More on how that works later.
As I mentioned, the Kindle Scribe Color soft has a backlight, but I purposely turned that all the way down before going outside. When I turned on the screen and selected the note taker and a blank template, it looked like a light-gray sheet of paper. I scribbled quickly on the screen and immediately noticed the fast response and perfect contrast. It was as if I were writing on paper.
I chose to draw in the Notes app because there are really no third-party drawing apps on the Scribe Colorsoft. Plus, there are some very real and obvious limitations, like just 4096 colors and only a couple of pens, which appear to include a highlighter, a pen, and an eraser. I could set the width for each of these.
Still, the 300ppi screen looked sharp and was quite responsive, so I set to work.
Despite the limitations, drawing on the Scribe Colorsoft was an absolute pleasure. It kept up with my strokes, and there’s just enough friction between the pen and the screen to feel a little bit like real paper.
I was frustrated by the lack of colors, layers, and the inability to edit your drawing, but then this also felt a lot like sketching on real paper, where none of those options exist. Suddenly, those minuses transported me back to a simpler time, when I used to sit in every meeting and on every vacation, doodling or sketching what I saw.
One of the cooler aspects of the Scribe Colorsoft is that the pen has a rubber eraser on the end that you use just as you would a real eraser. I flipped the pen around and started rubbing away bits of my digital art. What a time machine.
When I had something passable, I switched to a highlighter and added splashes of color. Colors on the Scribe don’t exactly pop as they do on an iPad, but the overall effect wasn’t bad, and I was pleased with my work.
iPad versus drawing in the sunlight
Things did not go as smoothly with the iPad Air. Look, I know this device and the Procreate software like the back of my hand. They’re a trusty pair of creative companions I rely on for casual art, greeting cards, cartoons, portraits, and more. I will never stop drawing on the iPad. However, in this one situation, I could see the utility of a very different kind of device screen.
I put the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft below the iPad Air, pulled the Apple Pencil from the side of the iPad Air, and opened Procreate.
Even though my screen brightness was set to 100%, I was already struggling to see the screen, and, to be honest, it affected how I drew. I was squinting at the display and feeling unsure of where to start.
Also, switching from the Scribe Colorsoft to the iPad Air meant I could really feel the difference in pen-to-screen friction, as there is essentially none when you use an iPad. This is normally not an issue, but between that and my inability to clearly see the screen, I couldn’t quite get into the flow of my art.
Granted, even though I hated what I was drawing, I could immediately see how to fix and adjust the image, doing things in Procreate on the iPad Air that are simply impossible with the Scribe Colorsoft. I selected the fountain and adjusted the size. I thought about adding a complete color layer to put under some of the elements.
Still, I disliked the drawing so much that I kind of gave up. It just wasn’t fun to draw in direct sunlight.
One more sketch
I switched back to the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft and, this time, I made the pen much smaller and then started rapidly sketching two men eating by the fountain. It was really just a bunch of squiggly lines, but I would see how I might clean it up and make it into something real.
I honestly want to spend the afternoon drawing people and things I saw at the park, but I have to get back to work.
I collected the two tablets, stood up, took one last glance at the fountain, and walked back to the office, knowing that I’d probably be back on the next warm, sunny day, and this time, I’d only bring the Amazon Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.