It made me want to write again

My favorite part of going back to school as a kid was picking out a notebook for the new year. Back then they were color-coded by theme (according to the system in my head) and equipped with hideous spirals that would get tangled in my bag. It’s been a long time since I’ve shopped from a back-to-school supply list, but my love for notebooks hasn’t gone away.

Perhaps that is why the remarkable Paper Pure ($399 at reMarkable) won me over very quickly. While many E-Ink tablets try to pack in productivity features, Amazon Kindles hold back add restrictions and AI tools, Paper Pure is refreshingly committed to being one thing: a really good digital notebook. After working with the device for more than a week, I am in no hurry to remove it from the technological cycle.

The Paper Pure is unlike most modern tablets. At 360 g and only 6 mm thick, the device is quite light. Its asymmetrical frame gives me a place to hold the tablet without constantly covering the screen in fingerprints.

The 10.3-inch monochrome Canvas display reinforces the feeling that I’m carrying a notebook, not a tablet. There is also no front light, which is one of the notable bolder choices made with the device. Without another layer of backlighting sitting on top of the screen, the screen is cleaner and the typing experience is more responsive. On the other hand, I need a lamp (or in my case, a headlamp) for comfortable use at night, like a pen and paper journaling session.

The device is also strictly gray in contrast to the increasingly colorful e-ink market. Text looks crisp and the screen retains the glossy, paper-like look that monochrome e-ink still does best. I didn’t miss the color nearly as much as I thought I would, which is shocking considering everything from my brain to my wardrobe is organized by ROYGBIV.

Internally, the Paper Pure runs on a 1.7GHz dual-core Cortex-A55 processor with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. None of this is particularly impressive by tablet standards, but it doesn’t need to be. The interface is snappy and the whole device feels unfocused in a way that many modern tablets lack. It also has a 3,820mAh battery that lasts up to three weeks on a charge, and I’m yet to think about it.

Most importantly, writing on Paper Pure is good enough that I started looking for excuses to use it. The textured display offers enough resistance to the stylus without overpowering the paper trick, and low-latency input keeps handwriting natural. I missed the compatibility with the brand’s Type Folio, but after mentally sticking with my own sloppy pen, the notebook’s simpler setup felt nostalgic.

This feeling is also based on the simplicity of reMarkable’s core software. I never bothered to explore the settings or tweak the interface. It’s a low bar, but once you start using more feature-rich e-ink tablets, the simplification becomes surprisingly uncommon.

Since Paper Pure is less intimidating than many of its competitors, I used it more casually. At the time of this review, the Pure sat on my counter like my Christmas nutcracker. I’ve used the device for everything from writing quick grocery lists to jotting down details while on the phone with a frustrated customer service representative. And writing notes to my partner while he’s on the phone, reminding him to ask for the gossip I want. I jotted down random, not-so-deep thoughts throughout the day and took notes during Zoom briefings. I also used it to draw nonsense during the recurring parts of said meetings.

In other words, the Pure fell seamlessly into my work routine as a notebook because it behaves more like an old-fashioned whiteboard than a productivity powerhouse. It doesn’t come loaded with apps or a bookstore, so I’m not tempted to dive deep into distractions. Compared to the brand’s smaller Move, the larger display gives me plenty of room to comfortably jot down notes and review documents, and the Marker Plus feels better than writing with a real pen. The stylus itself feels great in the hand (probably my favorite of any I’ve tested), and I love the built-in pose. I was a little disappointed with the text conversion feature, which is confusing when it comes to formatting. When I wrote a to-do list, for example, the template disappeared during the conversion and my tasks got mixed up.

It’s also worth noting that Paper Pure isn’t completely naked. ReMarkable still includes useful organizational tools like folders, tags, templates, document markup, and cloud sync. An optional Connect subscription for $3.99 per month adds features like handwriting search, Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook meeting integrations, AI-generated summaries, and deeper workflow tools. For work more demanding than drawing dinosaur breeds, I appreciate the ability to annotate PDFs and brainstorm directly into documents. All of these tools are there when I need them, but they rarely compete for my attention.

The biggest caveat to this device is that it’s absolutely not for everyone. If your goal is to replace your traditional tablet or read a bunch of e-books, there are objectively better alternatives. The options from BOOX are dramatically more flexible thanks to Android apps and wider file support. The Kindle lineup offers better pure reading devices Kindle Scribe adding stylus support for recording.

You can read a book on the Paper Pure, but the device focuses more on the document than the reader. Commenting on article drafts and reviewing media kit documents works great. But as mentioned, there is no built-in bookstore or developed ecosystem for reading. The lack of a front light is also a real compromise, even if I appreciate the cleaner screen for it. I loved the paper-like look during the day, but a few times I switched to another device rather than park it under a lamp at night.

Then there are the prices. The tablet itself starts at $399, but the accessories push things up a notch. The Marker Plus stylus feels almost essential, the folio cases aren’t cheap, and if you need features like handwriting search, AI summarization, and calendar integration, the optional $3.99-a-month Connect subscription adds another ongoing cost. I will always be reluctant to add another subscription to my embarrassingly long list of monthly payments.

I will say that I love Pure’s folio work. The padded wrap design makes the Paper Pure feel really protected, like the egg I wrapped in a 2-foot-tall bubble wrap for a science fair in elementary school. The deep ocean blue color is especially classy. This too $69 ain’t cheap. It is definitely best to save money $449 packageIncludes Sleeve Folio and a Marker Plus (normally $129).

I no longer have a job pushing my cart down the school supply aisle, but Paper Pure has been scratched with a similar itch. There’s something satisfying about a tool that exists for a specific purpose and does it well. For over a week, I’ve been picking up the tablet, writing something, and throwing it back on my counter, desk, bedside table, or straight in my bag, no paper cuts. Instead of picking up the phone and inevitably distracting myself to write everything down in Notes, I started writing more often, a luxury I’d forgotten about.

More capable options are available, but while many brands try to push more sophisticated devices, reMarkable Paper Pure stands out for its refreshing simplicity. If you want a dedicated e-reader with Amazon’s built-in bookstore and reading ecosystem, you’ll be better off with the Kindle Scribe ($629.99 at Amazon). If you want maximum flexibility, apps and customization, a tablet from BOOX makes more sense. The Go to 10.3 Gen II ($419.99 at Amazon) has the same size monochrome screen and access to the Play Store, and the Lumi model ($449.99 at Amazon) even adds a front light.

Compared to the rest of ReMarkable, Pure feels like the purest expression of reMarkable’s philosophy. Movement ($499 on Amazon) still makes more sense if portability is your top priority Paper Pro ($629 on Amazon) is the company’s most ambitious device.