Amazon may have introduced a new Kindle Scribe earlier this month priced at $399.99, but even after testing it, it still falls short compared to its competitors. If you’re in the market for an e-reader with enhanced note-taking capabilities, the Kobo Elipsa 2E remains one of my top choices, and currently, it is available at a record low price of $349.99 ($50 off) on Amazon or Target. Rakuten Kobo is also offering $10 in credit when you purchase a $50 gift card, which can be used towards buying books or styli.
If you’re someone who enjoys jotting down notes in the margins while reading ebooks, you’ll likely find the Kobo Elipsa 2E more appealing. The Elipsa 2E allows you to directly write on ebook pages, making notes in the margins or anywhere else you please, much like you would on a physical piece of paper. While the new Kindle Scribe also allows for direct writing on pages, it is more complex and doesn’t offer the ability to circle phrases or words.
Additionally, the Elipsa 2E provides other useful features beyond just an improved note-taking experience. It offers double the storage capacity (32GB) compared to the base model Kindle Scribe and efficiently converts handwritten notes into typed text faster than the Scribe. The main drawback, however, is the lack of native support for Kindle ebooks, requiring users to convert their library if they wish to read them on their Kobo device.
