reMarkable's New 'Paper Pro Move' Takes on iPad Mini

[bluecoast]

Despite trying endlessly, I just can't get used to taking notes by typing. It just doesn't work for me.

I would still like if I could properly archive all my notes, categorise them and make them searchable.

I don't think this thing is for me considering the price and I'm entirely dependent on what kind of IT my employer provides, but I'd love to have something that enables handwritten notes that I can make electronic.

tbh - it does sound like a fantastic product. Just niche right now.

But any science fiction that's half decent, has people taking notes on super thin flexible e-paper - not tapping away on a laptop.

So fingers crossed that this product can survive into our sci fi future!

 

[mybodywatchdev]

If Amazon was going to, IMO they would have done it years ago.

They already do color screens. They do the right form factor. They do handwriting on tablets.... it's not a big mental leap for them to do a compact version combining all of these with access to the Kindle library as well.

 

[ignatius345]

reMarkable's New 'Paper Pro Move' Takes on iPad Mini​

Really really a stretch to say this is "taking on" the iPad Mini. It's got a much narrower feature set. You can't even really use it as an e-reader unless you sideload PDFs and epub files -- which is kind of a baffling omission. If anything, it's taking on the Notes app.

 

[ignatius345]

am I alone in hating color e-ink? If you can't be good at something, don't do it!

Agree. I have a Kobo Clara HD reader, which I absolutely love. I briefly tried the Clara Color version of the same device. I had to return because the contrast was so bad.

The background on the black and white version is roughly equivalent to a newsprint page, maybe a 20% gray, which is fine to read without backlight in normal room lighting. The background on the color version was as dark as a paper grocery bag, upward of 40%+ gray to my eye. At that point, it becomes awful to read unless you crank up the backlight or go outside into direct sunlight. And the sharpness of the text was also reduced because of whatever additional layer of material they needed to do the color.

I do hope they truly crack color e-ink soon. What I really hope is that Apple puts out an e-ink device of their own when the tech is ready for prime time.

 

[Art Mark]

If it was $100 I'd consider buying and seeing if I develop a use scenario for it. But not at $500

 

[lotones]

I really don't get it... why more more for something that does so much less than an iPad mini?

If you really want the "feel of paper" why not just get a Paperlike screen protector or something like it for your iPad mini, and still come out ahead of what the Paper Pro Move costs to do one thing?

I'd be embarrassed to bring that to market at that price.

 

[bb_mac]

You can buy quality paper notebooks with a combined page count of 5000 pages and several quality pencils or pens for the same price.

They don't need batteries.

They'll last thousands of years if stored correctly and if anyone finds them, thousands of years from now, they'll still be accessible... without batteries.

You can start with just one high quality paper notebook and one high quality pencil for about $10 and there is no subscription required.

... I'll get my coat.

 

[svish]

Seems like a good device. But at that price point, I would prefer to go for the iPad mini with a full color display. Can consider this only if it is available at a much lower price.

 

[wlossw]

It's Hard to compete with entry level iPads on Functionality per dollar.

This might do 1 or 2 things better than iPad, but it is basically a unitasker.

Ipad is excellent at a few things and very good at everything this does at a similar price point.
These things will always be niche unless the price comes down to reflect the reduced functionality.

Ie: if ipad is 399. This is compelling at 199-299 MAX

 

[anthonymoody]

The Paper Pro Move features a 7.3-inch Canvas Color display based on E Ink Gallery 3 technology, offering improved color reproduction and a paper-like texture optimized for handwriting. The tablet measures 7.7 inches tall, 4.24 inches wide, and 6.5 millimeters thick, weighing 235 grams, making it significantly smaller and lighter than the 11.8-inch Paper Pro introduced in 2024. The iPad mini, on the other hand, measures 7.69 inches tall, 5.3 inches wide, and 7.2 millimeters thick, weighing 293 grams.

Despite its reduced size, the Paper Pro Move maintains the same 64GB of internal storage and a two-week battery life target as its larger sibling, supported by a 2,334 mAh battery. It is powered by a dual-core 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex-A55 processor and 2GB of LPDDR4 memory, compared to the quad-core chipset in the larger model. Optimizations for the smaller screen include a movable toolbar, improved gesture navigation, handwriting search, and integration with Slack and Quick Share.

The Paper Pro Move enters a category dominated by multipurpose tablets such as the iPad mini, which offers an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, the A17 Pro processor, Apple Pencil support, and iPadOS. While the iPad mini has a catch-all customer base seeking an multi-purpose device with apps, browsing, cameras, and performance for creative workflows, the Paper Pro Move caters to those prioritizing a distraction-free e-paper writing environment with lower eye strain and much longer battery life. The Paper Pro Move supports PDFs and ePub documents but does not provide access to digital bookstores or third-party apps.

Pricing begins at $449 with the standard Marker stylus, while a $499 configuration includes the Marker Plus with an integrated eraser. Accessories include folio cases in polymer weave and leather options, priced from $69 to $139, and discounted when bundled. The Paper Pro Move complements rather than replaces the Paper Pro and reMarkable 2, which remain available. It is available to order from the company's website starting today.

This is bizarre to me. Not that much thinner/smaller/lighter in the grand scheme of things. No apps so can't access my Kindle or Google Books libraries, nor my PL via Libby. And definitely not cheap. And then you have to pay a subscription? I guess if people REALLY want a distraction free note taking device. But this feels DOA to me.

 

[shyam09]

This isn't "taking on the iPad mini". It's not even in the same genre (outside of form factor).

I've been using ReMarkable tablets for about a year now. I absolutely HATE the feel and action of taking notes on the iPad. After all these years, it still really sucks. I bought my ReMarkable to do what the iPad can't do well -- take handwritten notes.

It's where I'm at too. I love the iPad, but I can never get into the habit of using it for handwriting thoughts or anything. It just doesn't feel right. I'm also a typer first, but I noticed that my memory works best when I handwrite (I used to be the opposite hence why typer first).

That being said, I don't know if I can justify this. I'm tempted. It has a 100 day trial, so I might just do that and see how well it fits in when I'm on the move.

 

[bollman]

Although I find it very tempting for note-taking, I know it would very soon end up in a drawer. The size is great, being able to easily hold it in one hand and write, that must be a pretty much first, haven't seen that before.
I type at least double the speed on a keyboard than I write with a pen, and I can hardly read my own notes if written with pen and paper so... No, sorry.

 

[gregmac19]

Agree. I have a Kobo Clara HD reader, which I absolutely love. I briefly tried the Clara Color version of the same device. I had to return because the contrast was so bad.

The Remarkable's display is different from the one on the Kobo Clara Colour (Remarkable: E Ink Gallery 3, Kobo: E Ink Kaleido 3). I don’t like Kobo’s display, but the one on the Remarkable is okay.

 

[blaizefm]

Looks lovely, and I dig the form factor, but it needs to do these things at a minimum before I'd throw £500 (inc cover) Remarkable's way:

• RSS reader
• Read it later support (Instapaper or similar, something open)
• Decent EPUB support - Remarkable devices lack decent compatibly from what I've read
• Free sync function. I get why they need to charge for cloud sync, but I'm not into eternal subscriptions for basic functionality, especially on such a high-cost device.

Unless they embrace an app store, I can't see any of the above happening. You never know.

I've spent time looking at alternatives (Boox, supernote etc) and none seems to tick all the boxes for me. Yet. The market will mature and colour e-ink will get better, this is all just a matter of time. I could see Amazon opening up the Kindle for app support, and Kobo as well.

But man, Apple could absolutely slay this if they built their own e-reader. Too niche for their spreadsheet wranglers, I suspect.

 

[mdwsta4]

Like others have commented, I too have tried taking notes countless times on iPads over the years. Different apps, screen protectors, etc.

I *always* go back to my trusted moleskine notebooks which I fill up every 18-24 months. This product definitely intrigues me as it’s roughly the same size as my notebooks. If it actually feels like paper that’s a huge plus too.

The $500 is a bit too much for my liking though. $300? I could probably get behind that. Maybe they’ll run a Black Friday special and I’ll give it a try

 

[MysteriousStain]

It sounds lovely but if found myself taking enough notes to justify this device then either I have used them for writing or else they are just temporary jots that don’t need keeping.

 

[Fraserh02]

Lots of paper. I assumed that was implied? 🤷🏻‍♂️ Please don’t make me go back and edit my jokes. They’re all I have!

Haha I will let you off this time 😂

 

[entropys]

This is for people who like to write by hand. If you’re a type-first person, you’re correct, this. device might not be for you. The better question would be, is this a superior experience to doing the same thing on a iPad with an Apple pencil and pencil-feel screen protector.

I don’t know the answer to that - someone else might - but I think it’s a better question. 😀

I do a lot of handwritten notes. I always feel people typing on anything in a meeting a bit off putting. But not so handwriting. But I am old.

Yes a Remarkable is superior for handwritten note taking in meetings etc. compared with an iPad. it is a dedicated device so you would hope so. The texture is very good compared with an Apple Pencil on the hard glass face of an iPad

but….an iPad does a lot, lot more, and is still quite good at note taking using an Apple Pencil. There are a plethora of note taking apps to find the one that works best for you. The Remarkable struggles in low light. Plus, an absolute outright dealbreaker is the Remarkable has a subscription. After you have paid good money for it.

So, those screen protectors that make an iPad more like the remarkable surface? I haven’t tried one on my M4 IPP, but have on my previous M2 IPP. Yes it makes handwriting better, but it makes the iPad a bit dull. It loses something. No way around it. And note, I now don’t have any kind of screen protector (other than the case) on my M4 IPP so that probably tells you my thoughts about them.

On balance, the remarkable just isn’t worth it.

 

[ignatius345]

The Remarkable's display is different from the one on the Kobo Clara Colour (Remarkable: E Ink Gallery 3, Kobo: E Ink Kaleido 3). I don’t like Kobo’s display, but the one on the Remarkable is okay.

Interesting! Unfortunate that these aren't (are they?) sold in any physical stores because I'd be interested to see.

Tangent: I honestly wish more stuff was sold through retailers like Best Buy or whatever. When I was getting all nerdy with keyboards, for example, I really lamented the fact that it was impractical or impossible to try most of them out without actually buying them and getting them delivered.

I do a lot of handwritten notes. I always feel people typing on anything in a meeting a bit off putting. But not so handwriting. But I am old.

Same. My partner is a therapist and uses a Remarkable tablet to jot things down. Much much less weird and disruptive than typing in a session, and she likes the fact that unlike a paper notebook everything is password protected and backed up.

What people forget about hand-written notes is that you don't write everything down the way one tends to do with a keyboard. You write down a key phrase or idea, stay in the flow of the conversation, and then after the meeting/session/class you return to it and then type up some more detailed notes. IMO when people fall into typing endlessly they just check out while they're doing it.

I teach a writing class, and find that people just momentarily disappear when they're typing, and a lot of them stop participating the back and forth of the writers room while they're trying to capture everyone everyone says. The place I work used to have a "no devices" rule before the pandemic, and students would bring notebooks or just jot down notes directly on their script pages. I found that they stayed a lot more engaged that way. (And that's not even touching on the massive host of distractions that people start falling prey to when notifications and crap start popping up, or they just get tempted to text their friend or look up some random bull**** or whatever -- problems the Remarkable doesn't have.)

 

[ctyrider]

That bezel and massive bottom lip though.. For $500 - would it be too much to ask for an all screen design?

 

[efktd]

2 of my coworkers have these. I haven't really said yet, oh that's like Notability on the iPad....

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Just as a warning to anyone who is tempted, you have to pay a monthly subscription to sync this:

reMarkable

reMarkable - "Replace your notes and printed documents with a digital notebook that feels like paper."

remarkable.com

Ah! The cellular phone model prior to Apple. The good old days!

 

[gregmac19]

Interesting! Unfortunate that these aren't (are they?) sold in any physical stores because I'd be interested to see.

Best Buy has them.

 

[ignatius345]

Just as a warning to anyone who is tempted, you have to pay a monthly subscription to sync this:

reMarkable

reMarkable - "Replace your notes and printed documents with a digital notebook that feels like paper."

remarkable.com

To be fair, unless your needs are incredibly light, you need to pay Apple to sync to iCloud as well. Seems everyone has identified file sync as the crucial pain point that they can make you pay for on an ongoing basis.

 

[Rafagon]

This is the iPad RedCap. Reduced capacity. And at a price that's not very competitive at all.