The Remarkable Paper Pure is a highly focused, distraction-free 10.3-inch monochrome digital paper tablet that serves as the direct successor to the aging Remarkable e 2. It doubles down on the brand’s core philosophy—”notes first, distractions never”—by stripping away premium extras like color screens or front lights to deliver an exceptional, bare-bones paper writing experience at a more accessible price of $399 CAD or $399 USD for the base model, and the price goes up depending on what type of bundle you want, such as with the premium pen and a case.
Paper Pure vs Remarkable 2
The Remarkable Paper Pure is the spiritual successor to the Remarkable 2, which came out several years ago and has recently been discontinued. It features a brighter E Ink Carta 1300 screen, a much faster processor, 32GB of storage (up from 8GB), and up to 3 weeks of battery life—but it has a thicker, more plastic-heavy build than its predecessor. The Pure delivers 50% faster performance thanks to the 1.7 GHz dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM; navigating heavy PDFs and menus feels completely lag-free.
What Reviewers Like
The Writing Experience: Testers from ZDNET praise the textured glass screen and active Marker Plus stylus, noting that the friction matches actual paper better than almost any tablet on the market.Lighter Form Factor: By swapping the aluminum back plate of older models for a recycled-plastic chassis, the device dropped its weight to a highly portable 360 grams.
Repairability: In line with sustainability initiatives, Engadget notes that the hardware uses screws and snaps rather than heavy adhesives, making it much easier to open and repair.
Workflow Ecosystem: The software features an incredibly clean “notes first” interface with useful background tools like calendar-linked meeting templates and smooth handwriting search.
Hardware
The Remarkable Paper Pure features a 10.3-inch Canvas display based on E Ink Carta 1300. The resolution is 1872 x 1404 at 226 PPI, and this device is not a color e-note; it uses black-and-white e-paper only. It does not have a front light display, so you will have to rely on ambient lighting.
While the absence of a front light is seen as a drawback for some users reading in low light, the device has a strong appeal for purists. According to discussions on Reddit, users appreciate lower inking latency and deliberate focus on multitasking, making it an excellent tool strictly for thought and organization.
Under the hood is a 1.7 GHz dual-core Cortex-A55 processor, 2 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and 32 GB of internal storage. There is no SD card slot for additional storage. You can connect to the internet and download software updates via Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) and Bluetooth 5.1, and it has a USB-C port. It is powered by a 3820 mAh battery.
There are screws on the back, and likely the battery will be replaceable. This is due to a new EU mandate requiring all devices to be able to replace their batteries when they die, thereby prolonging the product’s life. Remarkable Paper Pure is made of 38% recycled materials, the most of any Remarkable product. This includes 100% of the lithium and cobalt in the battery, 90% of the magnesium in the central frame, and 73% of the plastic in the rear cover.
Software
The OS is based on Linux, and if you have used Remarkable 1 or Remarkable 2, Paper Pro, or the Paper Pro Move, the overall UI and menus are the same. So are the vast majority of writing features. The overall UI and menus are the same. So are the vast majority of writing features. The only difference is a new slider bar to control the brightness of the front-lit display. It also features colors that can be used to sign PDF documents, freehand draw, and taking notes, among other functions. The nine colors are black, grey, white, blue, red, green, cyan, magenta, and yellow. The colors are not just standalone; you can blend them to create new ones, or get artistic by using blending/shading. The device can support 20,000 different colors.
The UI is as clean and straightforward as possible by choice rather than chance. There is no specific home page; therefore, the page you are currently working on serves as the home page. The new Pro also features a surprise—a glowing light that allows you to work even in the dark.
The drop-down menu also includes the Airplane button and the new Screen Share button. It isn’t that previous-gen devices lacked a screen-sharing option, though what’s new is that the same feature now gets a dedicated UI element. The drop-down menu also gets a Wi-Fi button. Just tap on the display or swipe up to remove the down-down menu.
The left panel has been carried forward from Remarkable 2 and follow-up devices. This includes the usual options such as My Files, Filter by, Favorites, and Tags options at the top. At the bottom lies the “Trash, Guides, and Settings” option. When you press Settings, you will have the following options on the left: General, Wi-Fi, Battery, Storage, Security, and Accessibility. Under General, you have the Personal section, which includes the Account, Language, and Keyboard options. The Software section lists the currently installed software version. There are the Display and Marker sections. The marker indicates whether the pen is currently attached and displays the remaining charge level. The Display offers Light sleep, Brightness, and reading light options.
In the Battery section, you can enable or disable the Auto Sleep feature. It saves battery when turned off. Under Storage, you have options for disk space, USB web interface, and Cloud connection. Of the 64 GB of storage it comes with, around 46.32 GB is available to the user. Under Security, you have the options for Passcode, Personal Information, and Light Sleep. Interestingly, the Light sleep setting here is the same as the one available under General > Display. I’m unsure when they included the same option in two places.
Lastly, there is the Accessibility option, where you can choose between Handedness (left- or right-hand operations) and Font size. For the latter, you can choose between two font size options. The changes thus made are applicable system-wide.
Drawing
One of the big reasons to invest in a Remarkable is the distraction-free drawing experience. You get to choose from 9 different pens and sizes. No other manufacturer offers such a wide range of options. Those include the ballpoint pen, pencil, paintbrush, and fountain pen, among others. You can choose between three levels of thickness, and since this is a black and white e-paper display, there are no colors, but different shades of black and white.
The Remarkable allows for up to five layers in your sketches, enabling you to merge or delete layers as needed, change templates effortlessly, and even straighten your wobbly lines into nice straight ones, making it perfect for digital artists.
One of the standout features of the stylus is its tilt functionality, which is simply incredible. Remarkable pioneered tilt, and they still have a significant edge here. Pressure sensitivity is excellent, allowing for a range from a subtle dusting to a darker shade. That said, there is almost zero latency when you type in something. Whatever you type appears instantaneously, which is surprising given how long it takes for the colors to fully develop. Other tools available include the Selection tool, handwriting-to-text conversion, layers, and the Undo and Redo tools.
It is worth mentioning that the Remarkable Paper Pure uses an active, powered stylus system that charges wirelessly on the side of the tablet, making it incompatible with older Remarkable 2 EMR markers. This stylus setup matches the ecosystem of the Paper Pro series, offering a much more secure magnetic hold and lower writing latency
Another notable feature is the ‘Send by email or export’ option. Once you have selected the option, you must add the email address to which you wish to send it. You can send documents via email in various formats. Those can be in PDF, PNG, SVG, and Text Formats in an email. As Peter demonstrated in the video, this can be helpful in situations where you need to sign your name. Simply have it sent to your email address, sign the document, and return it. As simple as that.
Options available at the bottom include Quick Sheets, Notebook settings, Set as landscape, Search, and Add page. Now, setting the display to landscape is required since no accelerometer is onboard; hence, simply rotating the device won’t change the display orientation from portrait to landscape. A split-screen option is not expected from a note-taking device.
Wrap Up
Remarkable Paper Pure is designed to bridge the gap between a traditional notebook and the organization of a digital workspace. It’s a dedicated tool for handwriting, reading, and refining your ideas without the noise of notifications. With its paper-like surface and smart digital features, you can easily capture thoughts, mark up imported documents, and keep your ideas moving from pen to laptop. Held together with screws and snaps, not glue, most components can be easily changed by a repair specialist.
Remarkable Paper Pure
$399.99Pros
- Superb Writing Feel
- Distraction-Free
- Ultra-Light & Long Battery
- Crisp Display
- Good Pens
Cons
- No Front Light
- Subscription Paywall
- Plastic Build
- Limited E-reader
- No typing