I Tried the reMarkable Paper Pro and Discovered It’s An Excellent, Albeit Expensive Digital Note Taking Tool

If you’re someone who’s an avid note taker, and prefers handwriting notes, to-do lists, journal entries, and other paper-based content, the reMarkable Paper Pro is the ideal digital notepad solution for you. The device can also be used to read and annotate PDF files or as a virtual sketch book. It offers a variety of virtual writing instruments, ink thicknesses, and ink colors, along with more than a dozen virtual paper styles. 

I discovered that with reMarkable Paper Pro, it’s easy to create and manage custom-named notebooks. Each notebook can include any number of virtual pages, or you can keep individual note pages separate for easy reference.

As you’re creating notes and notebooks, all content automatically syncs to a free reMarkable cloud account, which makes it easy to access all content with your mobile devices and computers. Or, you can share content with others via email, directly from the reMarkable Paper Pro.

Over the past few years, I’ve seen the evolution of the digital notepad and have tried virtually all of them. In fact, I recently reviewed the latest version of the Amazon Kindle Scribe, too. The folks at reMarkable provided me with the reMarkable Paper Pro, a folio cover, both the Marker and Marker Pro stylus, as well as the reMarkable Type Folio keyboard. Right off the bat, I immediately found the writing experience to be authentic, compared to writing on paper using a pen or pencil. 

I really like that this device does not rely on apps or try to serve as a full-featured tablet. Instead, it focuses almost exclusively on being a really impressive and customizable note-taking tool that also allows you to read and annotate PDF files. Keep reading to learn more about my experience using the reMarkable Paper Pro with its full-color digital paper (e-ink) display.

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There’s Also a Handheld Version…

If the full-size reMarkable Paper Pro you’re reading about is too large to meet your needs, a smaller model is now available. The reMarkable Paper Pro Move offers the same functionality as the Paper Pro, but with a 7.3-inch color display. This allows the device to serve as a handheld digital notepad while you’re on the move.

The reMarkable Paper Pro Move is now available from Amazon for $499. Check out my full review.

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What is a Digital Notepad and How Does It Work?

A digital notepad is a product category unto itself. While it may look like a full-featured tablet, it’s not, and it’s not meant to be. Instead, it’s a thin, tablet-shaped device with a large e-ink display that serves a dedicated purpose — to replace a traditional pen and paper. It provides a digital writing experience where the user can handwrite, draw, or annotate documents directly on the screen using a pen-shaped stylus.

I found that the reMarkable Paper Pro is a digital notepad in every sense of the word. It allows you to create individual digital sheets on which you can write, or you can create custom-named notebooks within which you can add any number of digital pages. Each page can utilize one of several dozen templates, which replicate everything from a traditional lined notepad to graph paper. There are also specialty templates so you can use the device as a colorful daily planner, storyboarding tool, or even for writing music.

A digital notepad like the reMarkable Paper Pro can also be used to view, annotate, and share PDF files. What makes this particular device special is that it features a full-color e-ink display. This means you can write or draw using any color virtual ink. Plus, you can choose a virtual writing instrument, such as a ballpoint pen, mechanical pencil, fountain pen, marker, or highlighter, and also adjust the thickness of the digital ink. Anything handwritten on the display can be converted into text, or left in handwritten form.

Without the distraction of other apps or notifications, a digital notepad can replace all of your scraps of paper or separate notepads containing reminders, to-do lists, meeting or class notes, or any other types of documents you currently hand write in notepads. Plus, it can store and make accessible PDF files of any length, and display them in full-color. Because the device relies on an e-ink display, it can be viewed in any lighting situation, including direct sunlight or in a dark room. Also, the device’s battery lasts for weeks between charges, not mere hours.

Who the reMarkable Paper Pro Will Appeal To

Anyone who is a traditional note taker will love using the reMarkable Paper Pro. This is one of the few devices that authentically replicates the feeling of writing on actual paper using a pen, pencil, fountain pen, or marker. Integrated into the device are dozens of templates that replicate pages in all sorts of formats, so the device can be used for daily note taking, creating and managing to-do lists, as a meeting planner, personal scheduler, drawing pad, journal, story planner, or for a wide range of other specialty purposes. 

Unlike many other digital notepads, the reMarkable Paper Pro allows you to write in color. It’s ideal for someone who prefers to handwrite, as opposed to type. It’s also about the same size as a notepad, so it’s easy to carry around. 

Yes, a traditional tablet can serve as a digital notepad using a specialized app and an optional stylus. However, I found that the reMarkable Paper Pro offers a much more authentic and precise handwriting or drawing experience (a tablet typically offers a smooth display surface, so the stylus slips around too much).

That said, the closest competitor to the reMarkable Paper Pro is the new version of the Amazon Kindle Scribe. The Scribe offers similar note taking and PDF viewing and annotating tools, but relies on a monochrome (not full-color) display. It’s also less expensive than the reMarkable Paper Pro and can serve as a full-featured e-reader and audiobook player. But, for serious note takers, I found the reMarkable Paper Pro offers a better overall writing experience. 

After using the reMarkable Paper Pro for several weeks, I found that the product’s developers have done an excellent job creating the proprietary operating system and software that allows the device to work very well as a dedicated note taking and PDF viewing and annotation tool. There’s practically no learning curve needed to get the most out of the device, and it’s basically ready for use right out of the box.

The Full-Color Canvas Color Display Sets the reMarkable Paper Pro Apart

Having used virtually every e-reader and digital notepad currently on the market, having one with a full-color display makes a huge difference. It allows the user to create content in full-color, and view content in PDF format exactly how it was meant to be seen. When you highlight text, you can choose your highlighter color, or when making corrections to a document, you can use a virtual red pen. Being able to view and create in color gives the user a broader range of tools.

It’s important to understand, however, that an e-ink display showcases colors differently than a traditional tablet or computer monitor. The reMarkable Paper Pro’s display has a matte finish and the e-ink technology makes the colors appear less vivid. While an e-ink display doesn’t typically do a great job displaying high-resolution photographs, it allows full-color drawings/sketches, charts, and graphs, for example, to be displayed clearly and in full-color.

Note Taking Is Just Like Writing on Paper

The reMarkable Paper Pro has become my favorite device for digital note taking and for reviewing and annotating PDF files. At the time of purchase, you can choose between the Marker or Marker Pro stylus. The main difference is that the top of the pen-shaped Marker Pro can be used as a digital eraser, just like a pencil eraser, when you flip it over. This feature contributes to the authentic writing experience this device offers, so it’s the stylus I recommend.

The size and shape of the reMarkable Paper Pro nicely replicates a traditional notepad, so it’s comfortable to hold or lay flat on a desk. The screen can be viewed from any angle and is virtually glare-free, so even after a long writing session, you won’t experience eye fatigue like you might when using a tablet or laptop.

Choose from many Paper Designs and Virtual Writing Instruments

My favorite feature offered by the reMarkable Paper Pro is the ability to quickly switch between virtual writing instruments. When you select a ballpoint pen, your handwriting on the display looks as if it was created using an actual pen. This is also true for all of the other virtual writing instrument options. 

The virtual highlighter functions just like a traditional highlighter, as do the mechanical pencil, fountain pen, and marker options. The ability to change ink colors and ink thickness with a few on-screen taps greatly expands the control you have over your handwriting or drawing experience.

Take Advantage of Optional Templates to Personalize Your Writing Experience

Nicely integrated into the reMarkable Paper Pro’s operating system are a selection of several dozen paper templates. They’re divided into categories – creative, grids, lines, and planners – for easy access. This allows you to mix and match paper designs within a virtual notebook, or create a “quick sheet” using any paper design you need for the current task. 

There are also a handful of third-party companies, like Your Productivity Pro, that sell a large assortment of specialty templates. These can be installed on the reMarkable Paper Pro to give it even greater flexibility and personalization options to meet your writing habits.

Another feature I really like is that you can rotate the device between portrait and landscape mode and the digital paper (template) you’re using adapts accordingly. And if you have a DIY-type personality, you can use any graphic design tool, like Canva, to create your own custom forms or templates that can be saved in PDF format, transferred to the device wirelessly, and worked with on the reMarkable Paper Pro. There’s no custom programming required to do this.

You Can Type, Not Just Handwrite

Any text that you handwrite can be converted into text while using the reMarkable Paper Pro. This text can then be edited using the device’s integrated virtual keyboard, which works just like a tablet’s virtual keyboard in that it pops up when it’s needed. If you find yourself doing a lot of typing, there’s the optional reMarkable Type Folio keyboard accessory ($229) that attaches to the reMarkable Paper Pro using magnets. It gives you access to a laptop-sized physical keyboard you can use to type faster and with greater accuracy.

While I enjoyed the typing experience as much as handwriting on the device’s display, the software built into the reMarkable Paper Pro serves as a basic text editor. There’s no integrated spelling or grammar checker, and the text formatting capabilities are limited. However, a typed document can be transferred to a word processing application running on your computer, so you can format and edit the text later, as needed. The lack of true word processing capabilities when typing is functionality I’d love to see added to the device in a future software update.

For now, I’d skip buying the expensive keyboard, unless you have a very specific need for it that involves basic text editing, not word processing. 

It’s Easy to Manage, Sync, and Share Notes

Because the reMarkable Paper Pro has Wi-Fi capabilities, it’s easy to transfer content to and from the device. Using the reMarkable cloud-based service, everything created on the device gets transferred and synced automatically, where it becomes accessible to all of your other mobile devices and computers. From the device itself, you can send individual pages, entire notebooks, or PDF files to others directly via email. The device does not currently support other cloud-based file sharing services, like DropBox, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, or Apple iCloud Drive.

The content organization tool built into the reMarkable Paper Pro is intuitive. I love that your documents and PDF files appear as thumbnails or as a list on the main My Files screen, so everything is easy to find. Documents can be sorted alphabetically, by date created, when last opened, when last modified, based on file size, or based on page count. From this screen, you can also select one file and archive, tag, favorite, duplicate, rename, send, move, or delete it.

App Integrations Further Expand the Paper Pro’s Capabilities

reMarkable uses its own cloud-based service for storing and syncing content. For $2.99 per month (or $29 per year), a reMarkable Connect subscription provides unlimited cloud storage, unlocks the ability to search handwritten text, grants access to an ever growing library of templates, and allows content to be viewed and edited on a reMarkable device or using the reMarkable mobile or desktop app. If you plan to rely heavily on your digital notepad, the Connect service is a worthwhile investment.

However, thanks to app integrations, the reMarkable Paper Pro can also access and sync files with a Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive account. Plus, the device works seamlessly with Slack. There’s even a screen share tool you can use during online meetings.

Is the reMarkable Paper Pro Worth It?

Unequivocally, yes — but only if you’re seeking a high-end note-taking tool. The device itself is elegant and provides a personalized handwriting or drawing experience. If you want to replace all of your paper-based notepads, scrap papers, sticky notes, paper-based planners, to-do lists, and other documents, and have them all accessible from one place in digital form, the reMarkable Paper Pro is the device for you.

Since this is not a full-featured tablet, there are no apps to install and manage, and you won’t be constantly distracted by alerts, alarms, or notifications. Instead, you can focus specifically on what you’re writing or reading on the screen. And, because there’s plenty of storage space built into the device, it can hold thousands of pages internally, plus give you access to archived files from the cloud-based service. The device’s internal storage is not upgradable or expandable.

I found that everything about the reMarkable Paper Pro has been well thought out and nicely designed to provide ease-of-use and a highly intuitive writing experience. Yes, it’s priced a bit higher than many of the other digital notepads on the market, but this one offers speed, precision, and a full-color display that sets it apart. 

My Final Thoughts

The reMarkable Paper Pro is an ideal tool for handwriting content or for viewing, managing, and annotating PDF documents, such as business reports, book-length documents, articles, or contracts. As you’re viewing these files, you have access to all of the virtual writing and highlighting tools, so you can mark up each page with your own notes, sketches, or highlights. Or, if it’s a contract, you can sign it and then share it with various recipients. 

There are many ways to use this device, so it can adapt to your personal or professional writing habits and allow you to write or read almost anywhere and in any lighting situation. The reMarkable Paper Pro is not waterproof or even water-resistant, however. I recommend investing in the optional folio cover to protect the device while it’s being stored or transported. 

One of the great things about the reMarkable Paper Pro is that the integrated OS and software is periodically updated. With each update comes new features and better overall performance.