Remarkable Paper Pure vs. Amazon Kindle Scribe: I’ve written on both E Ink tablets – this one wins

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Remarkable announced its new digital paper tablet for note-taking and sketching, called pure paper. It hits the market at the same time $399 Starting price as high as Amazon, one of its biggest competitors kindle scribe. If you have your eye on either tablet and are confused about which one is better, I don’t blame you.

The 2024 Kindle Scribe isn’t the newest model — but it’s the version I recommend and is one of Amazon’s top-rated tablets for its price and functionality. It also has the same $399 starting price as Paper Pure, and is closest in features.

Also: I’ve tested several ReMarkable tablets, but its new cheap E Ink tablet fooled me

In fact, there is evidence that the designs of these two devices were influenced by each other. Following the success of Remarkable’s Paper Pro, Amazon took a page from Remarkable’s pro-minded features that emphasize distraction-free work. In turn, the Paper Pure seems to have taken some design cues from Amazon: the left-aligned grip, the crisp, white display, and the more accessible price.

Both tablets have crisp, black-and-white displays, strong capabilities to share documents quickly and easily, and, most importantly, excellent pen-to-“paper” writing experience. But despite all this, they are very different devices. Let’s look at what each person excels at and where they fall short.

Specifications

You should buy a Kindle Scribe if…

1. All the e-books you want

This is the biggest reason. If you are looking for something to read e-books, then Kindle Scribe is the perfect option for you. The Kindle practically invented the e-book device genre, and Amazon’s library of digital content is second to none. If you want to annotate and take notes on books you’re reading, Scribe has a great feature called Active Canvas that lets you organize your handwritten notes on text documents in a variety of ways.

Also: I tested the Kindle Scribe 2 for months and it beats my Remarkable in many ways

The Scribe also has more configurations, going up to 64GB of local storage (double that of the Remarkable Paper Pure), which is more than enough space for a lifetime of reading.

Please note that you must can do Read eBooks on your Remarkable Paper Pure; You don’t have the convenience of Amazon’s library at your fingertips, and you have to drop the EPUB files onto the device manually.

2. You need a backlight

Whether you like to read on the veranda at night or have trouble seeing a dim screen, the Kindle Scribe automatically adjusts to ambient lighting, while the Remarkable’s Paper Pure omits any backlighting on the display and can be difficult to see in dim light. In contrast, the Kindle Scribe gets shiny – Up to 110 nits, one of the brightest digital paper tablets I’ve tested.

You should buy Remarkable Paper Pure if…

1. You mainly want to write and draw

The writing experience on both of these tablets is good, but the Paper Pure has a richer toolbox of brushes, colors (shades of gray on the device, but they’re visible when you share to the Web), and a huge library of “Methods” (templates and e-books you can fill out). We’re talking about practical templates like journals, lists, creativity exercises, and grid layouts.

Also: Kindle Scribe vs. Remarkable Paper Pro: I’ve used both E Ink tablets, and this one wins

The writing experience is focused on Remarkable, and the steps to turn it on and reach a blank page are minimal. For example, turning on the device opens back the page you left off, and the entire process takes a few seconds without having to navigate through menus.

It’s also easy to share what you create with a few taps: you can send your work to a specified email address, or as a universal URL that can be shared with anyone with an Internet connection. This makes it easier to show designs or sketches quickly with less friction.

2. You want a distraction-free UI

The whole ethos of Remarkable is to keep things as distraction-free as possible. There’s no app store, no browser, and no notifications. While you’re using the device, nothing pops up prompting you to buy anything, and the UI stays out of your way.

Compared to a laptop (or other tablets), the Remarkable is a quieter experience (literally and figuratively – it has no speakers) which is great for keeping you focused on what you’re working on. It’s incredibly refreshing. Paper Pure has a single purpose, and it does it well.

However, this distraction-free format comes with limitations. If you’re looking for a digital paper tablet that isn’t so closed off, check out the Boox Note Max – a tablet with a lot more customization (but also potentially more distractions).

3. You are a casual user, or don’t want a subscription

You might not see yourself using a tablet every day, and that’s totally okay. For casual users who stop by to use the tablet occasionally, I would suggest purchasing the Paper Pure for $399 and dropping the Connect subscription. You’ll still have access to the device’s core features, without unlimited cloud storage, access to methods, and handwriting search.

Also: I tested Remarkable Paper Pro, and can’t go back to ‘real’ paper – especially at this price

You’ll still be able to share your screen, convert handwriting to text, use third-party storage like Google Drive and Dropbox, and access your notes in the web app – all core features. In contrast, the Kindle Scribe without a subscription is a bit more limited as you won’t have access to new e-books, which is the biggest draw of the device.

author’s choice

Both devices offer a great writing experience. kindle scribe Amazon has an extensive library of e-books and an e-reader with a more sophisticated annotation feature. Remarkable Paper PureOn the other hand, it’s a minimalist device with a focus on distraction-free aesthetics and productivity.

Also: I’ve tested dozens of E Ink tablets, but this Android one checks the most boxes for me

Personally, I prefer Paper Pure’s streamlined UI and gorgeous digital writing experience. I appreciate how it serves as a medium for your creativity without any barriers, and its integration and screen-sharing features are smart and frictionless. I use the device to create sketches, take notes, and iterate on ideas, and I have to say, it’s impressive how the ReMarkable nailed the balance of features and trade-offs at $399.

The Remarkable Connect subscription is very optional and, for many users, not necessary – reducing the total price of Paper Pure to a one-time cost. Just note that if you want to read e-books on your Paper Pure, you can do so, but you’ll have to get them elsewhere and download them to the device.