Digital distraction is a very real problem of our times, with phones, tablets and laptops only too eager to bombard us with messages, alerts or, worse, the siren song of social media apps. This is where distraction-free devices like the new reMarkable 2 tablet come in.
Just as Amazon’s Kindles are to reading, the reMarkable 2 tablet is to writing or typing, a purpose-built device designed to do only one thing – serve as a digital notebook for collecting your thoughts without the sensory overload that is just about any modern computing device.
It may come across as a tablet with a stylus, but this is no iPad replacement, even though it’s priced similarly. At its core, the reMarkable 2 is a hybrid between an e-ink e-reader and a tablet for writing, with the stylus-sensitive layer above the e-ink display mimicking the feel of writing/drawing on actual paper. Not really, you can actually feel the coarseness of the screen against the pen tip.
The 10.3-inch screen is encased in a remarkably thin (4.7mm) and rather minimalist design — no speakers, no cameras, just one port, one wake/sleep button, and a sizable bezel on the left edge to grip it while reading. You’ll want to pick up the optional Book Folio cover (INR 9,800) or the Type Folio (INR 19,499), both of which attach magnetically and protect the tablet in a bag. The Marker Plus style and spare tips are in the box, as is a charging cable.
Switch it on, and you can get started almost instantly by scribbling on a new sheet using a variety of pen styles and colours on the monochrome display, although the coloured highlighter will only show up on pages you export over WiFi via the reMarkable app to your phone or computer.
All your notes stay organised in folders, notebooks, or quick sheets, and unless your handwriting is extremely terrible, the writing-to-text conversion takes place pretty seamlessly. You can sync PDFs, EPUBs for reading or annotation via Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive, and there’s a year of Connect subscription included in the price to sync your notes to reMarkable apps on other devices.
As well as doing the job it has been tasked with, reMarkable 2 does have its shortcomings. There’s no backlighting for nighttime use, which allows the 3,000 mAh battery to last weeks of daily use, if not more.
The process of getting books onto the device isn’t quite as seamless as a Kindle, so you’d best temper your expectations. E-ink has an inherent latency, so while the writing experience is largely uncompromised, it’s very noticeable while typing or while zooming into notes.
Priced at INR 43,999 for the tablet and the stylus, the reMarkable 2 will draw some unflattering comparisons to far more full-featured offerings, although none serve up as distraction-free and focused-on-writing offerings as this rather unique product. The stylus-to-tablet feel of paper, of sticking out a to-do list as if it were on a notepad, is unrivalled, and for the few who value a premium writing experience, the reMarkable 2 is as good as it gets.
Rating: 8/10
Price: INR 43,999
