The only Kindle Scribe upgrade I want is a foldable design

I love my Kindle Scribe, truly. The massive display, paper-like texture, and pen that never needs charging all add up to a convenient, distraction-free space for reading, writing, and pretending my thoughts are more profound than they actually are. But as much as I adore my e-ink notebook-library-in-one, there’s one thing the Scribe still doesn’t get right, and that’s portability. My biggest pipe dream for the line is a foldable design.

The Scribe’s oversized display is extremely useful and the main reason to own one. I can spread out my notes, annotate copy, and sketch elaborate redesigns of my back porch that will never come to fruition. Compared to my Paperwhite, it offers ample space for a lot more than reading. Once I’m tossing the reader into my bag, though, or balancing it on my lap during a flight, that same screen suddenly feels like a slab of responsibility. It’s simply not built for travel.

ReMarkable users faced the same issue with the heft and weight of the ReMarkable Paper Pro. The company took a stab at solving the issue with a smaller, ultra-portable form factor in its Paper Pro Move. However, the trade-off is steep, both in screen size and price. Meanwhile, Kindle has smaller tablets in its lineup, but none with stylus support. Trust me, I’ve lamented the lack of a pocket-sized Scribe model for many moons. If I’m honest with myself, though, I don’t want to lose the big screen altogether. I just want the option to minimize it as needed.

Hear me out. Phones fold. Tablets fold. Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Fold 7 literally folds a 7.6-inch OLED screen in half and keeps on ticking. We live in a world where your pocket device can open like a book and stream YouTube. So what about a foldable Kindle Scribe? A slim e-ink display that bends down the middle like a hardback, giving you a full-spread notebook feel when open and a compact travel size when closed. One screen for reading, one for writing, or a single continuous display for all the above.

Yes, it would be pricey. Yes, it would probably launch with a handful of bugs. But a foldable Scribe would be incredible. The line already nails so much. It’s responsive, powerful, and deeply satisfying to use. The newly announced model even adds color, a thinner design, and faster writing and page turns. A foldable design might be a moonshot, but so were color e-ink displays not long ago, and now Amazon’s already selling one.

A foldable design wouldn’t just make the Scribe more portable; it could make it tougher, too. E-readers often feel fragile with their exposed glass and tablet-like footprints. A folding shell could act as its own case, protecting the screen from scratches, keys, and the chaos of daily life. I’ve never loved the idea of sliding my naked Scribe into a backpack. A clamshell-style fold would let me close it up and go without the cost of an extra accessory. It’s practicality layered under innovation.

I don’t expect to see a folding Kindle Scribe anytime soon, but I won’t stop dreaming. The device would be the ultimate hybrid of e-reader and notebook, finally as portable as a journalist’s pad. Until then, I’ll keep babying my oversized Scribe and daydreaming about the day I can origami my notes in half.