Annalisa

Outstanding writing experience, but a niche luxury and hard to justify for the price

TL;DRPROS: The writing experience is honestly excellent and feels much more like writing on paper than on an iPad. It understands pressure really well, the handwriting conversion is surprisingly accurate, the battery lasts forever and the screen has absolutely no glare. It is also very light, beautiful and easy to carry. The price makes a little more sense when you remember that the Marker Plus, extra tips, cable and sleeve are all included.CONS: The lack of a built-in light is my biggest issue, especially because I have low vision and always need a light to read. The pen colours all look grey on the tablet, even though they appear correctly after exporting. Reading is lovely, but there is no proper bookstore or full ebook experience. The settings are very limited, and the Connect trial makes it difficult to understand which features will remain without a subscription. The calendar integration is also no use to me because it is mainly for work meetings, and I am not allowed to connect my company account.OVERALL: I really like the product, but I still struggle to justify spending around £400 on it. I think it makes the most sense if you already own an iPad, laptop or another tablet and specifically want something for distraction-free writing and reading. If this were going to be your only tablet, a refurbished iPad would probably give you much more for your money.1. MY OVERALL THOUGHTSI have been using the reMarkable Paper Pure bundle for just over a week and, to be honest, I have quite mixed feelings about it. It is genuinely outstanding at writing, which is obviously the main reason someone would buy it. At the same time, it is a very specific product with very limited features, so I think whether it is worth around £400 really depends on exactly what you want from it.The bundle includes the 10.3-inch tablet, the Marker Plus with the eraser, extra Marker tips, a cable and the Ocean Blue Sleeve Folio. When I first looked at the price, I thought it was probably too expensive. However, when I actually thought about everything included, the price started to make a little more sense. I bought my Apple Pencil and case separately for my iPad, and those accessories are not cheap either.That said, I still keep asking myself why the average person would spend around £400 on this instead of putting a little more money towards a refurbished iPad for around £500 to £600. An iPad can do so much more. I know they are not really trying to be the same type of product, but it is a difficult comparison to ignore when the prices are not that far apart.2. WRITING EXPERIENCE: 5/5The writing experience is definitely the best thing about the Paper Pure. It feels much more like writing on paper than writing on an iPad. There is enough texture on the screen that the Marker does not feel as though it is sliding across glass, and it responds really well to how much pressure I use.It just feels very natural. If writing quality is the main thing you care about, this is where the reMarkable really stands out. I have used an Apple Pencil before, and for me the reMarkable feels much closer to an actual pen or pencil on paper.The Marker Plus is also really nice to use. The built-in eraser means I can simply turn it around and erase something as I would with a normal pencil. It is a small thing, but it makes the whole experience feel more natural and less like I am using a piece of technology.The handwriting conversion was another big surprise. I wrote my original notes for this review by hand and then converted them into typed text. It was not completely perfect, but it understood most of my handwriting and the result was actually very good. My handwriting is not always the clearest, so I was impressed that it managed to recognise as much as it did.I can see this being very useful for students, teachers, writers or anyone who likes writing notes by hand but then needs to turn them into editable text later. This is probably one of the features that impressed me the most.3. DESIGN, PORTABILITY AND THE SLEEVE: 5/5The tablet itself is beautiful, very slim and surprisingly light. It is easy to carry around and does not feel bulky in a bag. I also really like the wider side of the tablet because it gives me somewhere to hold it without constantly touching the screen.There are settings for left-handed and right-handed users, and the toolbar can be moved separately for portrait and landscape mode. I originally did not notice that the toolbar could be moved to the right, so the option could probably be easier to find. Still, it is good that it is available because it helps stop left-handed users from accidentally touching the menu while writing.The Ocean Blue Sleeve Folio is also really nice. It feels premium, sturdy and protective, and the colour makes the whole bundle look expensive. It is worth knowing that it is really a sleeve for carrying the tablet rather than a case that stays attached while you use it. You have to take the tablet out to write or read. I do not necessarily dislike that, but some people may prefer a case that protects the tablet while it is being used as well.4. DISPLAY, COLOURS AND ACCESSIBILITY: 3/5The black-and-white display looks very natural, especially when reading or writing in good light. It really does look closer to ink on paper than a normal tablet screen. There is also absolutely no glare, which helps me a lot because I have low vision. Reflections on glossy screens can make reading difficult for me, so this is a major positive.The problem is that there is no built-in reading light at all. This is my biggest issue with the product. Because of my eyesight, I always need a good light to read. If the room is dark or even slightly dim, I have to use a lamp or sit near another light source. I could not comfortably use this in bed with the lights off, for example.I understand that the lack of a light probably helps with the battery life and contributes to the paper-like screen. I also understand that a normal piece of paper does not light up. However, this is still a £400 digital device, and for that price I would really expect some type of adjustable reading light. The glare-free screen is amazing in bright conditions, but it does not solve the problem of trying to read in low light.Another thing I find strange is the colour selection for the pens. You can choose colours such as red and blue, but they all appear as shades of grey on the tablet because the display is black and white. When I exported my notes and opened them in Google Drive, the lines I had written in red and blue actually appeared in the correct colours.So the tablet does save the colours, but you cannot see them while you are writing. I understand why this could be useful if you plan to export the document later, but I still do not really understand the point of choosing colours that I cannot see on the product itself. I also have to remember which grey line is meant to be which colour, which makes the feature much less useful while I am actually using it.5. READING BOOKS AND DOCUMENTS: 3/5Reading on this tablet is genuinely lovely when there is enough light. The screen has no glare, the size is comfortable and the page looks much more like a real printed book than it does on an iPad. There are no notifications or apps interrupting you either, so it is very easy to focus.The confusing part for me was how to actually add books. The tablet supports PDFs and DRM-free EPUB files, and you can transfer them using the reMarkable app, the website, USB or a connected storage service. There is no proper bookstore built into the device, and protected Kindle books are not supported.This is fine if you already have books or documents in the correct format. It would also be great for university papers, work documents, manuals and PDFs that you want to annotate. However, it is not the same experience as using a Kindle or another dedicated e-reader where you can browse, buy and download books directly.I love how a book looks on the screen, but I think the actual book-reading side of the software feels incomplete. For this price, I expected it to be easier to find and add books rather than having to make sure I already have a compatible file.6. SOFTWARE AND CUSTOMISATION: 3/5The software and settings are extremely limited. You can manage things such as Wi-Fi, cloud syncing, security, display, accessibility, battery, storage and the Marker, but there is not much else to change.To be fair, I know that this is partly the point. It is supposed to be distraction-free, so there are no social media apps, videos, games, endless notifications or browser tabs. If you specifically want a digital notebook that helps you focus, the lack of apps can actually be a positive.The problem is that it can also make the product feel very restricted for the price. You really have to think of it as a digital notebook and document reader, not as a normal tablet.One small thing that bothered me was the sleep screen. I could not find a way to choose my own image or design. You can choose to leave your current document or overview visible when the tablet is in standby, but the normal screen says “Paper tablet is sleeping.” I would love to remove that writing and choose my own image so that it could look more like the cover of a real notebook while it is not being used.It is only a small complaint, but it is another example of how little can be personalised.7. CONNECT AND THE INTEGRATIONS: 3/5My tablet currently has a trial of the Connect subscription, and this made the experience a little confusing to review. I can use features now that may disappear when the trial ends, and it was not immediately clear which features belong to the tablet and which ones I only have because of Connect.Connect includes unlimited cloud storage, handwriting search, more editing through the mobile and desktop apps, extra templates, Convert to Notebook, AI conversion and sharing, Meeting Notes, and options for sending notes to services such as Slack and Miro.Basic Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive access is still available without Connect. You can browse files, copy them to the tablet and upload documents back to those services. However, some of the more advanced options, such as converting Word or Google documents into notebooks, need the subscription.I am not against subscriptions in general, but I think the difference should be explained much more clearly when the tablet is first set up. When a device already costs around £400, I want to know exactly what I am getting with the product and what I will have to keep paying for later.The different integrations also do very different things. Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive are mainly for accessing files. Slack and Miro are more about sending or continuing your notes somewhere else. The calendar integration is for creating meeting notes, which is much more limited than I first expected.8. THE CALENDAR INTEGRATION: 3/5When I first connected Google Calendar, I thought I would be able to see my personal calendar and check my upcoming events on the tablet. That is not really what it does.The calendar is mainly used for the Meeting Notes feature. It can show up to five events coming up within the next ten hours. You can select one and create a note that already contains details such as the meeting title, date, attendees and agenda. If it is a recurring meeting, the notes can be kept together in the same notebook.I can see how this could be really useful for someone who has meetings all day at work. However, it is not a proper calendar view. You cannot use it to look through your week or easily check birthdays, appointments, reminders and personal plans. Even if a personal event appears, the main reason it is there is so that you can create a meeting note from it.You can also only connect one calendar at a time. The limit is only for calendars, not for all integrations, but it still means you cannot keep a personal Google Calendar and a work Outlook calendar connected at the same time.For me, connecting my personal calendar does not really do anything useful. The feature would make much more sense with my work calendar, but my company does not allow me to connect my work account to an external service for privacy and security reasons. I imagine this could be the same for quite a lot of people working for larger companies.So this is a feature that exists and could be useful, but I cannot actually use it in the situation where it would make the most sense.9. BATTERY LIFE: 5/5The battery life has been incredible so far. After around eight days, it had only gone down by one bar.I do want to be fair about this because I have not used it heavily every day. I have mostly used it for writing notes, testing the handwriting conversion and reading a few documents. It also has no reading light, no normal apps and no colour screen constantly refreshing, so very good battery life is something I would expect.Still, it is really nice to have a device that I can put in my bag and not worry about charging all the time. Compared with an iPad or phone, the battery is one of its biggest advantages.10. VALUE FOR MONEY AND WHO I THINK IT IS FOR: 4/5The Marker Plus, replacement tips, cable and sleeve definitely make the bundle better value than the price of the tablet might suggest. As I said, I had to buy the Pencil and case separately for my iPad, so I do think all the included accessories need to be considered.At the same time, a refurbished iPad for around £500 to £600 can do so much more. It gives you apps, colour, web browsing, email, entertainment and much easier access to books. The reMarkable is much better at feeling like paper, but it is only better if that is the specific thing you care about most.I think this is something you buy if you already own your main devices and have the money for a second tablet with a very specific purpose. It feels like a luxury product rather than something most people actually need.Students, teachers and writers could probably get a lot of use from it, especially for notes, marking documents and keeping everything organised. The problem is that the price is probably too high for many students and teachers. It could also be a lovely gift, but I think the person would need to already want this kind of product. Otherwise, they may immediately start asking why it has no light, no apps, no proper bookstore and a subscription for some of its more advanced tools.11. FINAL VERDICTI really do like the reMarkable Paper Pure. It is beautiful, light, easy to carry and outstanding to write on. The Marker Plus, handwriting conversion, glare-free screen and battery life are all genuinely impressive. The sleeve also feels premium and makes the bundle feel complete.However, I keep coming back to the limitations. The lack of a reading light is a major issue for me because of my eyesight. The colours cannot be seen on the tablet, the book-reading system is quite limited, there is very little customisation, and some of the more interesting workflow features require Connect. The calendar integration is also mostly useless to me because I cannot connect the work account that would make it helpful.I would still give it four stars because it does its main job extremely well. If half-stars were possible, I think 3.5 would be more accurate. It is not necessarily bad value once all of the accessories are included, but it is definitely a niche and luxurious product.I would recommend it to someone who already owns other devices and specifically wants the best possible distraction-free writing experience. I would not recommend it as someone's only tablet or to anyone expecting it to replace an iPad, a Kindle and a notebook all at once.

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reMarkable Paper Pure with Marker Plus and Ocean Blue Sleeve Folio

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Faster, better screen and better software then the older remarkable 2.

Must have!

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Ottimo per chi scrive a mano

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Au top !

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Outstanding writing experience, but a niche luxury and hard to justify for the price

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