Where traditional tablets fail, reMarkable succeeds

Imagine you’re in this situation: you’re in a coffee shop or your favorite place to work, trying to brainstorm ideas and get work done, but you just can’t. There’s a lot of – as I like to call it – digital noise around you: Instagram notifications here, Twitter beeps there, WhatsApp pings, phone calls, emails, news apps. Eventually, you’ll get frustrated because you haven’t gotten any work done. This is where reMarkable 2 comes in.

reMarkable aims to solve our digital clutter with the reMarkable 2 tablet, allowing us to focus on our thoughts, reading, and giving us a distraction-free space real Productivity – Traditional tablets fail us here and only bring more digital clutter into our lives. I’ve been using the reMarkable 2 tablet for a few weeks now and I believe everyone needs a tool like this. This is my full review of reMarkable 2.

Price and availability

reMarkable 2 is sold in several countries around the world, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and many parts of Asia, including India, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Singapore, and more. In the United States, the tablet starts at $279. However, if you want a stylus and folio cover, you’ll have to pay extra. Alternatively, you can opt for a bundle that includes the tablet, Marker Plus Pen, and Book Folio Cover for $549.

Design and display

One thing you’ll notice immediately when you take the reMarkable 2 out of the box is how thin it is—almost half as thin as the iPhone 15 Pro Max and 25 percent thinner than the fifth-generation iPad Air. The thickness is only 4.7 mm, making it very convenient to carry. Further enhancing its portability, it is made from a single piece of aluminum and weighs only 403 grams. Even with the folio cover installed, the reMarkable 2 feels like a lightweight laptop in your hand.

In terms of design, the reMarkable 2 keeps it simple. You won’t find any camera or speakers on your device. Instead, it only has a USB-C port for charging and a power button. The company paid great attention to detail in its design, as the device also features small plastic nubs on the back to ensure the device doesn’t slip or get scratched while you’re taking notes or doodling. Overall, the reMarkable 2 is designed to be your “everyday companion,” whether you’re taking notes in class, reading a book, or using it in company meetings.

Looking at the front, you’ll find a 10.3-inch E Ink display with a resolution of 1872 x 1404 pixels and a PPI of 226. It’s important to note that this is a monochrome display, so everything appears in black and white – there’s no vibrant colors here like with LCD or OLED. Beyond that, you’ll find plenty of bezels on the front, providing space for your hands to rest or hold the device comfortably. The display itself has a paper-like surface, so when you use the device it feels like you’re swiping and/or writing on A4 paper.

When it comes to using the device, reMarkable offers us a full range of accessories, including the company’s Marker Plus and Type Folio keyboard covers, as well as the reMarkable 2 unit. The stylus feels sturdy, similar to an Apple Pencil or a high-quality pen, but it’s a bit longer than I’m comfortable with. One cool feature is that the back of the Marker Plus doubles as an eraser, so you just turn the stylus and erase using the other side – similar to a traditional pencil with an eraser.

reMarkable offers a variety of Folio covers for the device, such as Book Folio and Folio, available in different textures and finishes. However, my favorite is the Type Folio cover. This Folio cover serves as both a cover and a keyboard for your device, increasing your device’s productivity. It has a similar feel to the Microsoft Surface, although it lacks the ability to adjust the tilt angle, which would have been a nice addition. Still, it makes taking notes and writing on the reMarkable 2 much easier.

Coming back to the monitor, there are some disadvantages you should be aware of. First, it doesn’t have a backlight, which means you’ll have to be in a well-lit room to easily read the reMarkable 2. Beyond that, you’ll find it difficult to see the display clearly. That’s what you’d expect when reading the paper, but for a device this expensive and the fact that competitors like the Amazon Kindle Scribe have backlighting, it really should be a built-in feature – maybe for the next generation?

Another drawback is that the display feels a bit sluggish and less responsive, especially compared to the iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab. Now, this is to be expected with an e-ink display – since there are actually particles moving underneath the screen to display the content – but it’s worth noting.

Software and performance

On the software side, reMarkable 2 runs on the company’s own Linux-based operating system. It’s nothing like Android or iPadOS — in fact, its interface is simple, with a home screen to manage your notebooks, spreadsheets, and reading material, and a status bar that shows the time, Wi-Fi, and battery status below. Yes, this device supports Wi-Fi connectivity. As for reading, reMarkable 2 only supports two formats: ePub and PDF.

You can sync documents with services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive to access them from anywhere, and even send notes to your email directly from your device. The device also supports integration with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, which you can use to view and edit documents on the device. In addition, reMarkable offers apps for Mac, Android, iPhone, and Windows that support synchronization with devices and even screen sharing with laptops.

It’s worth noting, however, that the cloud sync and desktop app features require a subscription to the company’s Connect service. The subscription also includes a handwriting-to-text conversion tool that makes searching handwritten notes easier. However, after the included years, the monthly fee is $2.99, or the annual fee is $29.90.

Yes, let’s talk about the reading experience. The reading experience with reMarkable 2 is not ideal. While syncing ePub and PDF is easy, browsing pages isn’t as smooth as with other e-readers. You have to swipe left or right instead of using buttons or even clicking to turn pages, which may become less convenient over time. However, I have to appreciate the device’s excellent note-taking and PDF annotation capabilities, which somewhat make up for the average reading experience.

reMarkable 2 is not an iPad replacement.

Finally, it’s worth pointing out that the reMarkable 2 is not an iPad replacement. There are some things that only an iPad can do. Watch movies and TV shows, play games, make video calls, draw, and more—these are things only an iPad can do. However, when it comes to brainstorming, jotting down ideas, and getting work done, reMarkable 2 is your best choice.

Battery

Finally, let’s talk about battery life. reMarkable 2 is equipped with a large 3,000 mAh battery. The company promises two weeks of battery life, and in my experience I’ve only had to charge it once over the past month, backing up that claim. You won’t typically find yourself needing to find a power outlet to charge the reMarkable 2, but the device has a USB-C port, which adds convenience since most devices these days have the same port.

Should you buy it?

So, is the reMarkable 2 worth buying? Well, it’s pricey, and admittedly, it doesn’t offer as many features as the iPad, which costs about the same. However, if you’re stuck at work and find yourself engrossed in digital chaos, reMarkable 2 is worth a try. It has its own unique way of getting things done, and while it does require a learning curve to get used to, once you get over that hurdle and integrate this device into your life, it’s certainly a game changer – as it already has been for me.