It’s Hard Not to Love ReMarkable’s New Colorful E Ink Tablet

I wrote this review on the ReMarkable Paper Pro. What better way to test it than using it as the distraction-free writing device it promises to be? This digital notebook is technically a successor to the ReMarkable 2 that launched in 2020—though the Norwegian company is presenting it as the “upgrade” model with more features, commanding a higher price.
This tablet now has a color E Ink screen, a front light that makes it visible in the dark, and an active stylus paired with a more responsive display, making the whole package feel much closer to the experience of writing with pen and paper. Considering the company will still be selling the ReMarkable 2 for $399—still an excellent digital notebook—it’s hard to say the ReMarkable Paper Pro is worth the eyebrow-raising $579 price (minus accessories), and it’s probably not worth an upgrade if you already have the ReMarkable 2.
But if you struggle to stay focused on a laptop and miss the feeling of pen and paper—which has real benefits for memory retention—the Paper Pro can be an invaluable tool. The updates in this model are welcome, and if it means being able to write this review without hearing an incessant ping from Slack, then that might just be priceless.
I love taking notes, whether it’s on a paper planner or a digital notebook. The Paper Pro is bigger than most of these, with an 11.8-inch screen, so it feels much closer to having a sheet of A4 paper in front of me. It’s a nice size for my loopy handwriting and ever-growing lists, but it’s not so large that it’s uncomfortable to carry around. It’s thin enough to stack on my laptop or a large book as I wander about my home. It’s just over a pound, which is manageable.
I’m also a big fan of adding color when I can, and that’s the headline feature here. Color E Ink screens have been becoming more common of late—Kobo has a color e-reader and it’s safe to expect Amazon to release one soon—but ReMarkable says its Canvas Color technology was built on top of E Ink’s color display and features physical color particles that move around the screen. It’s not a color filter sitting on top of a black-and-white display, which is what you’ll find on some other color E Ink screens.
The colors aren’t electric but muted, kind of like colored pencils rather than a set of vibrant pens or highlighters. The shades range from classic primary shades of red, blue, and yellow to magenta and cyan. You can choose gray or white too, and the latter only shows up if you’re writing on top of another color. There are seven different pen styles to choose from, similar to the ReMarkable 2, all of which have the same range of six colors and three neutrals, while the highlighter and new shader have slightly different color options.
The colors on the page are still easy to see and identify. The experience of using them is fun too; when you initially write it’s often black or gray, and then the Paper Pro starts recoloring the letters after you lift your pen. Typed text, meanwhile, can only show up in black. I liked using the colors to mark edits I needed to make when proofreading my typed work or to write color-coded notes. The black pen color is much darker than any of the colors, so much so that I would use gray as my neutral option so that it wouldn’t make the colorful writing look faded.
Another major upgrade is the built-in light. It’s not a backlight like your smartphone or tablet but a frontlight like on many e-readers—the light faces the display and illuminates it, reflecting it up to your eyes and making the display readable in the dark. If you’re in a well-lit room, you might not even notice the light is on—I can barely see the difference when sitting at a table with plenty of natural light. But in darker rooms, the gentle glow of the screen reminds me of reading on my Kindle at night. It’s well suited for writing your novel on an evening plane ride or taking notes in a dimmed presentation hall.
When you purchase the ReMarkable Paper Pro, you’ll choose between the regular Marker stylus (free) or the Marker Plus ($50). The main difference between them is that the Marker Plus’s other end works as an eraser, whereas you will need to select the eraser on the tablet’s tool menu if you use the standard Marker. Since they’re now active styli, they need to be charged, but don’t worry—they can be stored magnetically on the right edge of the ReMarkable Paper Pro and recharge automatically, just like an iPad.
The active part of the stylus means this pen has better accuracy and latency. The writing experience feels like a fine-tipped Sharpie but more satisfying. It has a sharper feel than writing with the ReMarkable 2, and while both have minimal input lag, writing on the Paper Pro does feel slightly quicker and more responsive. You can also write at more of a tilted angle thanks to the more pointed end of the new Marker. You get six pen tips, whichever stylus you choose. The only downside is that if you have a Marker or Marker Plus and are coming from the ReMarkable 2, you can’t use them on the Paper Pro.
I never worried about the battery life on these pens since they can purportedly last more than two months, and they’re almost always charging. The tablet, just like before, lasts for two weeks. When was the last time you used a device every day and didn’t have to charge it every day? It’s refreshing.
The Type Folio ($229), which adds a keyboard cover to the tablet, is a necessity. It’s a great way to get away from the desktop or laptop and the distractions that come with those devices. It’s just a shame that ReMarkable doesn’t allow you to connect third-party keyboards to the Paper Pro; you have to use the Type Folio, which is pricey.
Anyone with a ReMarkable 2 shouldn’t upgrade to this tablet unless you really want a color E Ink display. Or if you can resell your tablet for a good chunk of change that’d make the Paper Pro easier on the wallet. If you’re new to the category and know you’ll use this slate in dim environments, even occasionally, I’d suggest the splurge on the newer model. The frontlight is handy, and the color features are the cherry on top.
It’s an excellent digital notebook that’s easy to navigate, satisfying to use, and something I’d genuinely replace a notebook with. If I was back in school running between classrooms, I’d love to have the ReMarkable Paper Pro for my notes, and the Type Folio to type away. I’d probably splurge on ReMarkable Connect ($3 a month) to access my notes on my phone or laptop too.
But you have to be content with this device’s simplicity. You’re spending a lot on a tablet that cannot surf the web, doesn’t offer a collaborative environment, and is not a great substitute for an ebook reader. If you don’t mind all of that, it’s hard not to love the Paper Pro.