reMarkable

The heart of the brand

reMarkable focuses strongly on minimalist design that mimics paper. They seem to be ruthlessly cutting any functionality that will not contribute to their vision: replacing your paper. Their website greets you with: The future of paper is here.

This minimalist approach appeals to those who want to write and read distraction-free, allowing you to fully engage with whatever you are focused on whilst using the device. The very few bells and whistles all contribute to the vision.

That vision, with exceptional attention to the design and great build quality, seems to appeal to a wide audience. Online, I have often heard them described as the “Apple” of e-ink devices. The devices are premium and while there is a wide audience, executives seem more attracted to reMarkable than other brands.

They do seem to draw quite a bit of criticism from people who prefer the feel of the reMarkable devices, but want more than the very limited functionality available to its users.

Models

There are currently two main reMarkable models available in the market.

reMarkable2

The reMarkable2 is a monochrome device that has been around since early 2020 (yes, that year). It relies on ambient light (no front-light) and the screen size is 10.3″. It was ahead of its time – but other devices have caught up with it. It is still debatable whether the newer devices are as well-built and designed as the reMarkable2, though.

The reMarkable can be bought with a keyboard folio that is of exceptional quality, but be prepared to pay for it.

Is this right for you? You don’t care about bells and whistles – the basics is fine, your output is more important than the device’s functionality. Looks do matter, your device needs to compliment you when you roam the boardrooms.

Similar devices: Onyx Boox Go 10.3, Ratta Supernote A5X2 (not available at present).

The reMarkable Paper Pro (RPP) was launched in September of 2024. It is an 11.8″ colour device based on e-ink’s Gallery3 technology. This technology has three additional colours of e-ink particles – unlike the Kaleido technology that the competition uses (which is essentially monochrome but achieves color using an additional overlay).

The result is that the RPP has more vivid colours than any other device in this class. This does come with some drawbacks – to render the colours, a lot of flashing is involved. This may or may not be an issue for you – I would suggest watching a video or two that explains this.

Unfortunately that gorgeous colour (and slightly larger) display also makes the tablet more expensive. But, you’ll also get a front-light for nighttime use – which is missing on the reMarkable2.

Is this right for you? If the best colour reproduction is important to you, this is one of the best devices to get. People will adore the gorgeous look of the device, and drool over the display, but ask uncomfortable questions about all the flashing going on. You’ll either lie about the price or make a point of telling everybody how much it cost!

Similar devices: Onyx Boox Note 4c