reMarkable reMarkable - Paper Pro - 11.8" Paper Tablet with Marker Plus and Premium Leather Book Folio - Black Review

The reMarkable Paper Pro has the best writing feel of any device we've tested, but that's all it has. For the price of a full-powered iPad, you get a slow, grayscale digital notebook. It's a niche luxury, not a practical tablet.

The reMarkable Paper Pro is a device with one job: to feel like paper. And honestly, it nails that part. The textured screen and Marker Plus pen create a writing experience that's genuinely closer to a real notebook than any iPad or Android tablet we've tried. But that's where the magic ends. This isn't a tablet. It's a very expensive, single-purpose digital notepad with specs that feel like they're from 2018. If you're buying this to replace your iPad, you're going to be disappointed. It's for a very specific person who wants zero distractions and is willing to pay a premium for that paper feel.

Looking at our database, the performance story is underwhelming. The CPU and GPU scores land in the low 40th percentile, which translates to noticeable lag when you're flipping through pages or converting handwriting to text. It's not slow enough to be unusable, but it's definitely not snappy. The battery life is about average, and the connectivity scores are a real weak spot. Syncing files can be a chore. The only thing that performs well is the actual writing latency, which is excellent, but that's the one trick this pony knows.

Worth it? Not for most people. The price swings from $799 to $1107, and even at the low end, it's a tough sell. You're paying a premium for a niche experience while accepting hardware that's firmly middle of the pack. If the paper-like feel is your absolute top priority and money is no object, maybe. For everyone else, the value proposition just isn't there.

This sits in a weird spot. Against an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil, you lose a universe of apps, a gorgeous color screen, and a blazing fast processor, but you gain a better writing texture and no distractions. The iPad is the better device 99% of the time. Compared to a standard e-ink reader like a Kindle Scribe, the reMarkable is more responsive and better for active note-taking, but it's also much more expensive and locked into its own ecosystem. The Scribe is a better value for reading and light annotation.

If you're looking for a do-it-all tablet, this isn't it. Go get an iPad Pro or a Samsung Galaxy Tab. If you want a device primarily for reading e-books with some note-taking on the side, a Kindle Scribe is half the price and does that job better. Skip the Paper Pro unless 'perfect digital paper' is your only metric.

We can't recommend the reMarkable Paper Pro to a general audience. It's a luxury tool for a very specific use case: someone who writes by hand constantly, is easily distracted by a full tablet, and has the budget to indulge in the best digital paper feel. For students, professionals who need versatility, or anyone who also wants to watch a video or browse the web, a standard tablet with a good screen protector is a far smarter buy.