Remarkable 2

There's a certain grace to a piece of hardware that's designed for something very, very specific. Sure, we also love gadgets that are a kind of jack-of-all-trades and can perform a variety of tasks, but these days the industry seems to be focusing more on single use cases, and Remarkable is a prime example of this.

While Remarkable launched their first "paper tablet" in 2017, it was criticised for neither offering versatile functionality nor nailing its singular raison d'être; to provide the user with an authentic, tactile and satisfying experience as the dividing line between the digital and the practical.

Remarkable 2 is an attempt to address the complaints and refocus on the essential mission behind it. This is a digital notebook that utilises so-called E Ink technology (or electrostatic ink) to get as close as possible to simulating the feeling of moving a pen across paper. In addition, there are a number of underlying features such as the ability to convert handwritten notes to text, PDF editing, tight integration with Microsoft Office, Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive and much more.

The screen itself is 1872x1404 and is 10.3". That in itself is quite excellent, but it's the thickness that really impresses. The Remarkable 2 is just 4.7 millimetres thin, which is not at all comparable to an iPad. It also weighs 403 grams, which is slightly more than an iPad Mini, but still feels feather light in the hand. The Remarkable 2 is supposed to be lighter and thinner than tablets with far more versatile functionality, and it is. Overall, the construction is sublime, and despite its thickness, it feels both robust and tough.

There's 8GB of internal space, which doesn't sound like a lot, but when you're just storing notes and PDFs it's fine, and you get a year of free online back-ups and file sharing. The processor itself is a 1.2GHz dual core ARM variant with 1GB of LPDDR3 RAM. Whilst both the interface and pen strokes run smoothly, the navigation of the interface isn't as fluid as it could be, and in fact remains one of the more frustrating aspects. Starting a new notebook, jumping in and out of PDF files or simply adjusting settings requires more patience than you're used to, and it would be nice if a paper tablet could emulate the responsiveness of a budget-friendly Android tablet or iPad.

But again, the Remarkable 2 is designed with one key usage scenario in mind, and if it delivers a sumptuous experience here, then it has secured its raison d'être. And yes, note-taking on Remarkable 2 feels absolutely brilliant, and you get plenty of options to customise the way your notes look, resembling a sort of E Ink customised version of the tools you have in Word or Docs. It has to be said, though, that it's pretty criminal that it doesn't come with a pen. It's downright useless without one, and even though you may already have a compatible one, a product like this should come with the things you need from the get-go. We've tested the Remarkable 2 with a Marker Plus for an additional £99, though it's magnetically charged and has a built-in digital eraser at the top (which is so infinitely ingenious).

The only underwhelming factor here is that there is no backlighting of any kind included. This means that Remarkable's estimate of about two weeks of battery life seems to be accurate, but it also means that, just like with regular paper, you'll need lighting to use it. Whether this is a positive thing because it helps to maintain the illusion is up to the individual.

Other than that, though, it's hard not to see Remarkable 2 as a success. Sure, a little more snappy performance outside of actual note writing would have been ideal, and some kind of backlighting might have ensured that you could have used it in more situations, but as a kind of technological anachronism that gives you modern dexterity without sacrificing nostalgia and personal fulfilment, well, it succeeded this time.