reMarkable 2 10.3" RM114 Gray

The reMarkable 2 is a digital notebook that nails the paper-like writing experience but skips almost everything else a tablet does. It's thin, distraction-free, and great for focused note-taking, but the 8GB storage, no backlight, and required subscription for cloud sync are real trade-offs. Buy it if you want a dedicated writing tool, not a general-purpose tablet.

Let's be honest about what this device does and doesn't do. The writing experience is the star here. The screen has a textured surface that genuinely feels closer to paper than any glass tablet we've tested. There's a slight resistance when the pen moves across it, and the latency is low enough that it feels immediate. Our database puts the screen quality around the middle of the pack for tablets, but that's comparing it to color LCD and OLED panels. For what it's designed to do, it nails it.

The Marker Plus pen attaches magnetically to the side, which owners consistently mention as a nice touch. Handwriting conversion to text works well enough for most people, and writing directly on PDFs is smooth. But the pen tips wear down faster than you'd expect. Multiple owners report going through tips quicker than they'd like, and replacements aren't free. The battery life claim of up to two weeks is realistic if you're using it as a notebook, but our battery percentile ranking puts it below average for tablets overall. That's because real tablets with big batteries and efficient chips last longer in standby. For a focused writing tool, two weeks is fine. For a general tablet, it's mediocre.

The obvious comparison is the Apple iPad Pro M5. The iPad does everything the reMarkable does and about a thousand things more, but the writing feel on glass with an Apple Pencil is completely different. It's slick and fast, not papery and textured. If you want one device for everything, get the iPad. If you want a dedicated writing tool that won't tempt you with apps, the reMarkable makes more sense.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 is another strong competitor, especially if you want Android flexibility and a great S Pen experience. The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is the pick for Windows users who need full desktop apps. And the Kindle Scribe is probably the closest direct rival, since it's also an E Ink writing tablet. Several reMarkable owners mention trying the Scribe first and switching because the reMarkable's writing feel and organization tools are better. But the Scribe is cheaper and doubles as a Kindle reader, which the reMarkable doesn't do well. The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus and Xiaomi Pad 7 are more traditional Android tablets that happen to support styluses, but they don't compete on the distraction-free angle at all.

Here's where things get tricky. The reMarkable 2 costs real tablet money but does one thing really well and almost nothing else. In Europe, prices swing from EUR 379 to EUR 600 depending on the vendor, which is a massive spread. If you're in Germany, Spain, France, or Italy, it's worth shopping around because paying EUR 600 when someone else sells it for EUR 379 is just throwing money away. The bundle with the Marker Plus and Book Folio adds value, but the Connect subscription for cloud sync is an ongoing cost that owners mention as a mild annoyance. For focused note-takers who write daily, the price is justifiable. For everyone else, it's a luxury purchase that's hard to recommend over a standard tablet with a stylus.

The reMarkable 2 is a weird product to review because it's not really a tablet. It's a digital notebook that happens to look like one. At around $683 in the US, or anywhere from EUR 379 to EUR 600 in Europe depending on where you shop, it's priced like a mid-range iPad but does about 10% of what an iPad does. And that's kind of the point. This thing is for people who want paper, but digital. No apps, no notifications, no YouTube rabbit holes. Just writing.

The 10.3-inch display runs at 1872x1404, which sounds low compared to modern tablets, but it's a monochrome E Ink-style panel designed to feel like paper, not play Netflix. Storage is 8GB, which is tiny by tablet standards. But again, you're storing handwritten notes and PDFs, not photo libraries. The bundle includes the Marker Plus pen with an eraser, nine spare tips, and a gray Book Folio case.

People searching for "is the reMarkable 2 worth it" usually fall into two camps. Writers and note-takers who want zero distractions, and curious tech buyers who think it looks cool but aren't sure what they'd actually do with it. If you're in the first camp, keep reading. If you're in the second, this review might save you some money.

Skip the reMarkable 2 if you want a device that does more than one thing. If you need web browsing, video streaming, apps, or even just a backlit screen for reading in bed, this isn't it. The 8GB storage fills up fast if you're storing anything beyond notes and PDFs. And if you're not already in the habit of handwriting notes daily, you'll probably use it for a week and then let it collect dust. For most people, an iPad Pro M5 or Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 with a stylus is a smarter buy. The reMarkable is for people who already know they want a dedicated writing tool, not for people hoping it'll become their everything device.

The reMarkable 2 is a fantastic tool for a very specific person. If you're a writer, student, or professional who takes handwritten notes constantly and gets distracted by notifications, this is one of the best purchases you can make. The paper feel is genuinely excellent, and the focus it provides is real. Owners rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars, and the sentiment across reviews is overwhelmingly positive for the core writing experience.

But if you're expecting a tablet that can also browse the web, watch videos, run apps, or even be readable in bed without a lamp, you'll be disappointed. The 8GB storage, lack of backlight, and near-zero connectivity options put it at the bottom of our tablet rankings in those categories. This is a single-purpose device that does its single purpose better than almost anything else. Whether that's worth $683 depends entirely on how much you value focus.