reMarkable - Paper Pure – 10.3” Paper Tablet Bundle with Marker Plus and Sleeve Folio - Desert Pink

Bought it for my daughter who loves writing, she is fascinated with it!

Really neat notetaking tablet for those who prefer paper and pen. This is my first experience with a “paper” tablet and it honestly took some realigning of my expectations. The reMarkable Paper Pure Tablet has a lot less features than a regular one that runs on Android, iOS, or Windows, but it wasn’t designed for that either. It was built for aiding your workflow and if you’re a person who prefers the freedom and sketchability of a pen or pencil, then you’re in luck! The whole kit comes with a fabric hard shell case, 6 replaceable pen tips, pen, and USB-C charging cable. The pen magnetically docks to the side of the tablet, which is how it charges as well. The tablet charges through a USB-C port and features an amazing 3 weeks of battery life, so unless you’re really careless it’s ready when you need it! But you can be a little clumsy, because the body and screen are made with rugged plastic that’s prepared for day-to-day abuse. And let me tell you, this thing takes drops like a champ! And I appreciate that. The pen feels great in the hand too, with a nice weight and solid grip. It took me a while to realize the “eraser” end of the pen actually works like an eraser on the tablet screen, but I’m sure it was mentioned in the tutorial that I mostly skimmed through. Most of the features are pretty intuitive though and I’m impressed with how well it can read and convert handwriting to typed text. Usage wise, the screen responds quickly and accurately to touches. It feels a little slow on the refresh rate, but this tablet isn’t for playing videos or games, so it’s not a big deal. Everything you create can be tagged by keyword for easy searching later and you can import documents to the tablet by synching with Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.. However, you can only export your files through email unless you pay for the Connect subscription, which I did not do. It does come with a free 50 day trial though, and at just $39.90 for the year it’s probably worth springing for. The Google and Microsoft integrations should make importing and exporting a breeze. And it gains extra abilities like being able to search your notes, unlimited cloud storage, and adding docs directly to your Google or Outlook calendar. There’s actually one more free method to share your docs and that’s through “Screen Share”, which connects through your web browser and acts like a mirror display for the tablet. But even better, because while the tablet screen is black and white the Screen Share output is in color. It was a nice surprise to see, but it’s still weird highlighting notes directly on the tablet, because every highlighter looks like a variation of gray on a black and white screen. I do wish the screen were a little brighter, but I can stare at it all day without getting eye fatigue, so maybe that’s a good thing. Overall, I can’t say that it feels like writing on actual paper, but it’s a great form of “digital paper”. It’s a fantastic alternative for sketching, taking notes, and marking up documents on the fly. A co-worker can send me an ad layout while I’m in the field and I can quickly import it, mark it up and send it back within minutes. I also love that it works in layers so it’s easy to edit through notes and design variations. This kind of tablet isn’t for everyone, but if your workflow requires a lot of marking things up or even if you simply prefer working with a “pen and paper”, I think you’ll love what the reMarkable Paper Pure tablet can do. PROS - Super long battery life (supposedly 3 weeks) - Good at reading/converting handwriting - Background templates are handy - Like that it works in layers - Feels durable - Handy for taking handwriting notes and sketching drawings - Keeps notes organized well - Can import files from Google Drive, Dropbox, and other apps - Can email sketches and notes to self for free - Screenshare works well and in color - Pen works well, feels solid - Screen is easy on the eyes CONS - Need subscription to get best use out of it - Wish it were brighter - No color - Highlighting color is essentially only light gray - Needs to pull out of case to use, can’t just flip case open - Can’t charge in case - Doesn’t feel like writing on paper as claimed

## Design You can think of the reMarkable Paper Pure as a digital notepad. It has a crisp, e-ink touchscreen that is great for reading, plus you can also markup and highlight text with the included stylus (what they refer to as a "marker"). The matte display has a paper "feel" to it, so writing feels natural when using the stylus. Not only does the display feel like paper, but it also looks like paper as well. The background is white, and the dark e-ink display contrasts nicely against it. Unfortunately, there is no backlight in the Paper Pure, so you will only be able to use it in a well-lit area. The frame of the device is plastic and while it is lightweight, it does feel a little flimsy. However, the bundle version of this tablet includes a semi-rigid carrying case, and there are other 3rd party protective case options available as well. The stylus attaches magnetically to the right side of the Paper Pure for storage and charging. The bundle version of this tablet includes Remarkable's Marker *Plus* which includes an eraser function on one end which saves you from having to manually turn on the erasing function in the software with the regular Marker. The bundle also includes a Sleeve Folio for the Paper Pure. ## Performance The OS and display are responsive and documents and notebooks open quickly so you can get to work. There is some ghosting when scrolling and pinching and zooming, but if you wait a beat the screen typically refreshes to clear any abnormalities. When creating new notebooks on the device, you can choose from a blank page or use a handful of templates as a background, such as lined notebook paper, week planners, and sheet music. Writing on the device feels natural and, as I mentioned, the glass display has a matte finish that provides a paper-like feel as you write. The Paper Pure can also convert handwriting to text and I found it to be quite accurate with my own writings. I sometimes need to read lengthy manuals and technical documentation in the PDF format which I typically do on an iPad, but sometimes (especially after long reading sessions) my eyes prefer an e-ink display. Transferring PDFs to a Kindle typically messes up the formatting, so I've been looking for a larger e-ink solution for PDF reading. The reMarkable Paper Pure does a fair job with PDFs as you can import PDFs in their original format. The resolution of the display is typically enough for most PDF documents, but text-dense documents or documents with a small font may require zooming or using the tablet in landscape mode. You can transfer documents back and forth from the tablet my using reMarkable's website, but some features require a subscription. ## Which features are free and which require a Connect subscription? Free features include: - Reading web articles and eBooks - Transferring/syncing files updated within the past 50 days - Handwriting conversion to typed text - Annotating PDFs - Using the browser extension on your laptop to send PDFs and articles to reMarkable - Retrieving documents from Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive The Connect subscription adds these features: - Unlimited cloud storage and syncing (no 50-day limit) - Viewing and editing your work in the mobile and desktop apps (without the tablet) - Handwriting search - Exclusive templates ## Battery Life The Paper Pure can last about 3 weeks on a single charge, and it recharges with a standard USB-C cable. ## Summary The reMarkable Paper Pure is a digital notepad with a crisp e-ink touchscreen and a stylus for writing and highlighting. It offers a paper-like feel and can convert handwriting to text, but lacks a backlight and the plastic case feels somewhat flimsy. The device includes free features like reading, handwriting conversion, and PDF annotation, with a Connect subscription adding more cloud storage, handwriting search, and templates.

The new reMarkable Paper Pure 10.3 Bundle is a great option for note takers, play makers and artists who would like to simplify and streamline their doodling by removing unwanted app distractions, notifications and social media on other tablet devices. I personally opted for it for our kids’ note taking in school but found myself using it more myself for sketching, doodling, writing notes/lists and even for my volunteer sessions with our local football teams. It is super simple to set up and use and less than or as lightweight as other options at less than a pound. This bundle is great because it includes the Marker Plus, with several replacement tips, which can magnetically snap to the side for storage and charging and a protective sleeve folio all for less than what you would expect to pay for a decent tablet with those accessories. The new Paper Pure model features a 10.3-inch monochrome Canvas display built with glare-free and durable Gorilla Glass 3 that is very responsive to the Marker Plus which displays digital ink immediately with a rapid 21 ms response rate. The 1.7 GHz dual core processor delivers speedy pinch-to-zoom capabilities and page turning is noticeably quicker than other readers I have used. It has 2 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 32 GB of internal storage which can accommodate thousands of notebooks. The 3,820 mAh battery can last up to three weeks on a single charge. After quickly charging the Paper Pure tablet using the USB-C port and wirelessly syncing with my Google account using the built in Wi-Fi antenna (2.4/5GHz), I was able to link my work to Google Drive and there are also options to sync it with Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox to save and reference your work elsewhere. You can also integrate your work with Google and Outlook calendars, send your work by email from the tablet or mirror the screen on your tablet on a larger screen to become a live white board. Like most other advancements in today’s technology, there is an AI assistance feature to auto-summarize handwriting, convert script to text or search your own handwriting notes. However, some of the more advanced AI features do require a paid subscription. Overall, the new Paper Pure tablet has been the most realistic paper-like writing feel I have experienced; the Marker Plus combined with the non-glass feel screen actually feels like you are writing on paper. It is very responsive to touch and there are plenty of writing / drawing options. It is nice to have a product this capable without having to worry about it running out of power every day. The paper tablet is designed and built specifically for certain usage and may not be for everyone. If you’re looking for more bells and whistles that come with a full-color, backlit tablet that works at night or prefer one that is compatible with a keyboard attachment, you may want to weigh other options.

The reMarkable is the perfect notepad! I have loved using it. It’s easy to write on and beats having to write on pages. Best of all, I can convert my notes to text! I really appreciate that this comes with a folio case. You can purchase without, but I like the extra peace of mind. I’d like it if the case had a dedicated spot for the pen, but it’s ok because it magnetized to the side of the pad. I consider myself a very organized person. So I like that I can create tags and folders to keep my documents together where I see fit. I can see this being a fantastic tool for those in marketing and education. It’ll surely impress clients and coworkers. Something I’m not happy about is there’s not some sort of ability to backup your files. Hopefully a future update can address this. It’s app connected, so hopefully files can be stored in the app. I’m still diving deep into the templates. Love that I can easily select something based on my needs. The screen helps my eyes. I stare at a computer all day, so it’s super nice having the type of reflective screen it offers. Pros: Size Durability Screen clarity Magnetic pen Easy to use Convert notes to text Upload pdfs and other docs Battery life Folio case is fantastic Cons: Optional subscription for enhanced features Backup capabilities Overall: This is a must for a professional. It’s eye catching, practical and super helpful. I highly recommend this!!