How the Kindle Scribe measure up to the Onyx Tab Ultra C

The Kindle Scribe is Amazon’s first take on the burgeoning e-note segment. This makes for a significant development considering that most of the e-note devices currently available emanate from China which has led to availability or language incompatibility issues, at least till recently. None of that with the Scribe given Amazon’s pan-world presence. Besides, the Scribe also draws upon what is inarguably one of the biggest content ecosystems you can have

Meanwhile, Onyx Boox has upped its ante with the new Tab Ultra C, the first e-note device featuring a Kaleido 3 display. It comes across as a feature-rich device which makes it one of the best in the business. It is almost a proper Android tablet but with an E Ink Kaleido 3 display, stopping short of providing a full-fledged tablet experience given the usual limitations of the e-paper displays.

But then, among the Kindle Scribe and the Tab Ultra C, which comes out on top when one is pitched against the other. Let’s find out.

The display

The Kindle Scribe comes with a 10.2-inch E Ink Carta 1200 display having 300 PPI resolution. The latter bit is interesting considering that this happens to be the only large-screen – read 10.2-inch – e-note having 300 PPI resolution. This makes it special as most top out at 227 PPI. The result is also immediately noticeable as the display is sharp and clear. The other aspect of the display that immediately becomes noticeable, more so when pitched against the Tab Ultra C is the background which is a brilliant white. This makes the text stand out all the more, thereby allowing for enhanced readability.

Things however aren’t as nice with the Tab Ultra C where the whites are just not white enough. Instead, what you have is something that is leaning heavily toward the gray color scheme. Needless to say, the text isn’t as inviting though there is a lot more to the Tab Ultra C that will let you forgive that easily but more on that later. Also, the fact that the white isn’t quite so on the Tab Ultra C has to do with the very nature of color e-paper displays given the presence of a color array filter on top even though things are slightly better with the Kaleido 3 display. The display otherwise comes with a similar 300 PPI resolution.

e-Book Reading

Naturally, it’s a lot better on the Scribe, be it black text on a white background or otherwise. The texts simply pop out and hit the eyes, making reading off it a very comfortable and enriching experience. This should apply to most of the e-books that are text-based but not quite so if there are a lot of illustrations included, like what you have with academic textbooks. It is here that the advantage shifts to the Tab Ultra C where the color display makes the illustrations seem a lot more natural and inviting. Also, while the usual highlighting is done in black on the Scribe, you have a wider color palette at your disposal with the Onyx device.

Manga

Here again, things look that much better on the Scribe. It’s bright and sharp and that makes a lot of difference. Held side by side, you will want to do all your reading on the Scribe. While the display can’t be said to look dull on the Tab Ultra C, it simply lacks the vibrance that is present on the Scribe. As already stated above, this can be attributed to the absence of the color array layer on the Scribe or its presence on the Tab Ultra C. Things might not seem lacking with the Onyx device when used individually though the difference becomes all the more evident when placed beside the Scribe.

That said, the Tab Ultra C can still hold on to its own thanks to the plethora of settings and features it comes with. For one, there is the color display and the Scribe loses its advantage right away when faced with comic content done up in color. That apart, there are several refresh modes available too, those being ‘HD’, ‘Balanced’, ‘Fast’, ‘Ultra Fast’, and ‘Regal’. Apart from those, there is also the option to tinker with a few other settings like ‘Dark Color Enhancement’, ‘Vivid Enhancement’, and ‘Color Brightness’. For instance, putting the dark Color Enhancement to its lowest setting will make the background a lot whiter than before, almost akin to what you have with the Scribe.

Another point worth mentioning is page turn animations, something that’s present on the Tab Ultra C but not on the Scribe. As it is, the Amazon device is pretty fast and responsive though the Onyx tablet is no slouch either. Invoking the Ultra Fast mode makes it all the more responsive and agile. You can rely on any of the other settings as well and won’t be disappointed either.

Note-taking

Both offer brilliant pen support though there is still a fundamental difference in the way you put them to use. With the tab Ultra C, you can make notes right on an e-book as well, something that isn’t possible on the Scribe. In fact, you can’t do anything on an e-book save for Sticky Notes. Just tap on the display and there you have a window at the top where you can jot down your notes. There is a little mark that appears on top of the word to which the specific note is attached. This again might not be to the liking of many but can keep things tidy and uncluttered.

The writing feel on the Scribe is also way better than on the Onyx. It’s closer to what you have when writing on real paper, including that slight bit of resistance along with maybe some wee bit of noise as well. In contrast, the Tab Ultra C offers a slippery kind of feel with the pen tending to glide off the display. Now, this might be to the liking of many but for those who might be expecting a more realistic writing experience, the Onyx device can be a bit disappointing.

Unfortunately, apart from the writing feel, the Scribe is a lot more disappointing when it comes to things that you can do with the pen. All that the Scribe provides is a Pen, Eraser, Highlighter, and Undo button along with another tapping which will make the pen capacitive. The rest of the page is blank for you to do whatever you want but with only the above-mentioned writing aids.

Turn over to the Onyx device and you will be spoilt for choice. There are options galore and pull off crazy things that are pretty much impossible to do on the Scribe in its present state. As depicted in the video attached below, simply striking through the display can be enough to draw a triangle having broken lines of the desired thickness. You have none of that on the Scribe.

In fact, the list of features on the Tab Ultra C is almost endless. There is the option to extend the canvas, add layers, choose from the several preset shapes, lasso tools, several hundred templates, zoom, and so on. You have wide-ranging share and insert options too, besides being able to convert texts and such. Then there are five customizable pens with the option to choose from a wide range of colors and pen widths. Pressure sensitivity is another aspect that leaves a lot to be desired on the Scribe.

Conclusion

The Onyx Tab Ultra C has got the Kindle Scribe covered in more ways than one. The Scribe can be considered more of an enlarged e-reader device with note-taking capability rather than being an e-note device. However, the Tab Ultra C is a full-fledged e-note device, and then perhaps a little bit more. The video below will let you have a better idea of it all.