Check out the Remarkable Paper Tablet: remarkable.pxf.io/vNKWLW The Kindle Scribe: amzn.to/3PxX6lQ The Boox Note Air 3 C: shop.boox.com/products/noteair3?ref=0t1qqbSDWLMb (US and HK) euroshop.boox.com/products/boox-note-air3-c?ref=my_f5MKKrpQRge&variant=42939341373640 (EU and UK) And the Supernote A6 X2: supernote.com/products/supernote-a6-x2-nomad?sca_ref=4915589.rferNaRlAM (This is an affiliate link and I receive a small commission from purchases made through it. Thanks so much for supporting the channel. 🙂 )
I am searching for something that I can use as a whiteboard to put my idea's down. I always sometimes draw flowcharts to get idea's. I also want to use it as a daily notebook. Really hard between supernote or remarkable. What do you think?
@@MusicForHourss Hiya, I'd suggest you check out some of my much more recent content. I have a really long video about both the remarkable 2 and the latest Supernote. Check those out and let me know if you still have questions, or what you decide to go with!
You didn't mention the cost of the subscriptions and how crippled the devices would be without an online subscription. I like that SuperNote does not require a subscription to use all of its functions and transfer capabilities.
I was so sure that I wanted a ReMarkable 2 until I watched your video... lol... now I am thinking possibly SuperNote. Thanks for the clear, unbiased, detailed comparison. You probably saved me some frustation!
My daughter got a ReMarkable for college, she loves it. I have been watching them, but they just do not do 100% for me. When you have a device that says "your writing sucks, can you try a little harder and I will convert it to text" your writing will improve. (Yes my spelling has improved with auto spell checker.) I have two use cases, off grid notes and Teams White board. The other two will do that. I have to figure out what I really need it for.
Took 30 videos and 2 months of random searches to find a concise review of all three. Thank you so much for being a logic and critical thinker. All other video attempts were always lacking. I hope they find your video and learn how to provide value in a meaningful way around various use cases.
I wasn’t going to watch the whole video- but as soon as I started it- I was hooked. Well made and thorough review. It has helped with my purchase decision a lot- thank you!!
This was such a well done review from a product point of view! As an architect I think I’ll go with the remarkable since the pen latency and the pen-paper feeling seems the best for quick sketches/notes hybrid. The atmosphere you have created with editing, well spoken, and music is also immaculate! Thank you!
Thanks so much for your positive comment! That's definitely the correct choice for architecture. You can also export your sketches as SVG, so you'll be able to work them up a bit after if you need to. Cheers, let me know how you get along with it!
Thank you for an objective review without the fluff! I’ve been researching e-ink tablets for weeks and was stuck on the Note 2 because I love my OneNote. But now that I’ve seen how wonky it is on the Note 2, and how the SN is closest to pen and paper, I’m still torn but closer to a decision. Your review is the best I’ve seen so far!
Thank you very much for the review. It confirms my choice of buying the Note Air 2 beginning of December. It took sometime to set it up and I am still discovering and optimizing things. I am not a hand-written notes taker, but I start to appreciate this too. I got addicted the last years to Kindle and I wanted something bigger than the Oasis, where I can also use my newspaper apps and read the news every day. This really saves my eyes and improves my sleep without any blue light before going to bed. Email reading also on the Note Air. My old Samsung Tablet is basically only for distraction now (videos, social media). I also started using Pocket and read most of the web articles on the Note Air. So the PC screens are basically for work and all my reading is now done on the Note Air
I really appreciate your dedication and detail into these three devices, I'm a private pilot becoming a commercial pilot and organizing my notes has always been a hassle, I'm looking into getting the A5X in hopes that I can put all of my notes in and keep them organized and easy to look back on. Thanks for your reviews!
Thank you very much for this comprehensive overview. I have been using the reMarkable 2 for some time without complaint, although it is not easy to organize notes in the RM2. However, recently a technical issue arose: my device will not turn off and the screen is unresponsive. When I attempted to contact ReMarkable for troubleshooting or tech support, it was a frustrating nad fruitless endeavour. Eventually, I received a canned email instructing me to request a replacement under warranty, which is indicated as valid on my account, and then they denied me the warranty. Twice. Needless to say, I'm not buying another RM2 after dealing with this extremely poor customer service. I'm happy to have explored the two alternatives through your video and feel comfortable switching to another device. Thank you!
That rrally surprises me! I had the rm1, and had an issue with the screen being unresponsive. Got an email back within hours, back and forward and few times. Offered a replacement or refund, and all was solved within 1 week!
I'm a UX Designer, so need to take notes down in client meetings and draw 'fag packet' style sketches to get my ideas across, I've looked at the RM2 for a while now and gone as far as adding it into my basket to buy! But the really poor reviews on Trustpilot put me off! And it seems to be a common theme when I skim through the reviews! I think I'll have a look at the other two! I did ask RM2 how it felt writing on the device - they said "like a pen on paper", but the review said it's more like a "pencil on paper" - I personally don't like the scratchy feel from that!
Thank you for making this, I work in mental health and need a tablet to write notes on during sessions and convert my handwriting to digital text, in order to save me hours of time when writing reports and case notes. I was pretty keen on the Remarkable 2 but now it definitely looks like the Supernote A5X is even better suited to my needs as a provisional psychologist
Cheers, I don't think you'd be disappointed with any of these! By the way I have a few more updated comparisons on my channel now, of your interested to see how the last 6 months of updates have changed the comparison. 😀
As a techie with so many regular subscriptions like Medium, Perlego, Scribd etc, I have no other option than Onyx Note 2 Air. This video confirmed it. This video summarized 2 weeks of my research. I wish I watched it earlier and saved some time..
so glad I watched this before making my purchase. I was ready to order my Remarkable, but for the purpose I need it for, the SN is definitely the way to go for me. THANK YOU for this detailed review! Remarkable would still work great if I was looking for a sketch or drawing pad.
with every boox item ive ever gotten, I've always gotten a free protective cover along with the tablet that's quite decent looking, functional and water resistant. As you said, the pen is also included. Free basics trumps fancy-not-free, regardless of how many options you get. With Boox you have the *option* to buy something nicer, but you don't actually have to buy anything extra, bc they just give u everything you need.
Really enjoyed this video. I went with the Note 2. I'm a techie so I'm not afraid to play around with the settings. I love that you can import your own note page templates and take notes on a page that is formatted for your particular needs. I also like the ability to create bookshelves that let me organize things, and the integration with Google play store so that I can use Kindle and other apps that I use on a regular basis. The other thing that I really like is the ability to push and pull documents from the device over bluetooth or wifi using the BOOXdrop feature where you just scan a QR code and can move files to and from the device from pretty much any other device. This is great for moving PDFs that you found searching for information on desktops or phones to the BOOX device for ease of consumption. I also like the power behind the BOOX device. I just wish that it were faster. I know there is a physical barrier to speed with the e-ink devices, and there is a clear delay in getting to where you want to be, so I've found that you need to be prepared to be where you need to be when if you need to start taking notes quickly. I suspect with the simpler devices, this is less of a problem. Thanks again, for this. Well done!
Hi. Can u help me with some info, please? If u want? question 1: how does an ink tablet cope with 1000+ pages pdfs books with images and 2 columns of small text (med student)? can I jump fast from page 25 to page 1025 for example? I need this a lot. How fast it can be in searching words in documents? q2: can I see detailed images like an anatomy atlas details? q3: does it support power points? Word documents? I have a lot of courses like this. Also taking notes on them? I am asking this because I also can't invest in a very very expensive product.
I was leaning really hard towards the Boox NA2 for my use case - textbook reading and some note taking, maybe some mind-mapping, just kind of depends on how efficient it is at those 'extra' tasks, but having the larger screen/form factor for technical manuals, textbooks, etc is an attractive thing. Then I watched your review and the Supernote has caught my eye. Something you didn't mention here but I've seen mentioned elsewhere is that the NA2 has a backlight while the Supernote does not - and that's been a hard-line moan/niggle for a lot of reviewers. I'm still trying to determine how important that is to me (I often do read in low-light or no-light conditions, but that's not necessarily a deal-breaker if the Supernote really is a cleaner overall experience.) Ooof decisions, decisions... :D But thank you for such an in-depth and comprehensive review!
@@MusicForHourss Believe it or not, none of these. I ended up buying the Kindle Scribe. It was on sale on Amazon (and periodically goes back on sale) for a couple of hundred bucks so I thought I'd 'try it out' and see what I did or didn't like in an e-notebook/reader. Turns out it does literally everything these other e-notebooks do, just as well (or better), is directly linked to my Kindle books (including text books, etc - this was really important to me), will show PDFs (quite easily), the writing experience is actually pretty phenomenal (and I've got two different, upgraded aftermarket pens depending on what I'm doing), it's backlit (turns out that's pretty clutch, I recommend it), it's light, durable, water resistant... Why spend $400+ to fulfill a task that can be done equally effectively for $250 or less? It's definitely not going to get the most hipster cred, and it isn't going to get influencers the most affiliate money, and it's not the latest, newest, most expensive unit... and yet it does it all. I was so pleased I almost didn't even try anything else, but I tried the Remarkable 2 and was also quite happy with the performance... at almost twice the price, so I returned it. I haven't found a better value proposition than the Scribe, but (as always) YMMV. What works for my specific use-case may not work for you, so it's worth trying them out.
As a student and a sketch artist, I’ve considered getting a reMarkable. With the Note Air, I would get too distracted; but with the reMarkable, I think it’s be perfect for taking notes in class and occasionally doodling.
@@thatpenguinate I use the Note Air for taking notes for work. I don’t have email. It’s not really made for browsing and there are no alerts for any social media. So when I use note Air 2 I am 100% focused on what I am doing with no distractions.
Hi. Can u help me with some info, please? If u want? question 1: how does an ink tablet cope with 1000+ pages pdfs books with images and 2 columns of small text (med student)? can I jump fast from page 25 to page 1025 for example? I need this a lot. How fast it can be in searching words in documents? q2: can I see detailed images like an anatomy atlas details? q3: does it support power points? Word documents? I have a lot of courses like this. Also taking notes on them? I am asking this because I also can't invest in a very very expensive product.
A nice review. The more I watch reviews and read comments, the more it is apparent that there are a lot of great devices and the best is the one that matches up with an individual's use case and personal preferences. In terms of the latter, this is where it's really a shame that people can't just go out and play with each device to see which is the best fit for them. I think internet reviewers have done their best job to translate that feel in their vides (and this channel is one of the best, by the way) but because of that preference aspect, potential buyers really have to take a leap of faith in the end as they weigh their purchase.
as a writer, entrepreneur and a massive kindle reader, who also likes beautiful objects, I think I am rooting for the Supernote. It would have been Remarkable if only they had kindle and ditched that subscription model. Only downside is, it is really hard to trust any China-based companies today, especially the ones who have access to personal data. Waiting for the Amazon scribe comparison. Because right now, it really is the Supernote for me.
Yeah, it's such a well balanced device. I'm hopeful they bring new tech to market soon, because I would hate to see such a special device get buried under the might of Kindle. Looking forward to reviewing the Kindle for you all.
Excellent comparison and breakdown! Supernote should thank you from snatching my purchase from remarkable! I was all but ready to click BUY on the remarkable 2 until I saw this. Thank you for your time and effort in putting this together!
I am still with the Remarkable and now I know why since you explained it very well: I like it simple, thin design for visual thinking and inspiration. Great review.
Such a brilliant review - thank you for your attention to detail. I just started my shopping process for an e-ink notebook and you referenced so many functions and use cases that I had not considered. Well done - nice work. (Greetings from Pennsylvania.)
I really enjoy your videos. As an adjunct faculty member and business professional, I purchased the Super Note A5X because I could only choose one device and it seemed to fit my needs. I have not regretted the choice since. I personally think you may have went with the Boox because you seemed excited about the App Store integration but from a functionality point of view, I think the Super Note is the clear winner for me. Thanks for all you do.
By far the best video I've seen. I saw a lady at church taking notes on the remarkable. My daughter is heading to college I believe I'm ordering her the Supernote! Thank you
Thanks Tina, good choice, I'm sure your daughter will find it very useful for her studies. Best of luck to her. And... are you picking one up for yourself?! ;-)
I love your review style. Straight to the point and very nice audio quality (and pleasant voice!). I'll need my notebook mostly to read and annotate pdf's for school, but I also want to use it as an e-reader. I also don't want it to be too fancy with distracting features, so for me the choice is clear. Supernote A5X. Thanks for helping me with my choice! :)
Yes @gorillaphysics has a very attractive vocal delivery and tempo in his videos which makes them a pleasure to listen to as well as being a fantastic source of unbiased and very knowledgable thoughts and impressions about the device(s) under review.
I chose Supernote instead pf Remarkable because of your reviews. Really love the A6X2 - its a life changer for me, coming from 12 analogue paper books before…
Thank you for your honest review with multiple objective aspects of these three similar devices. I knew I wanted to integrate a digital notebook into my work flow, but I was unsure as to which one would accommodate me the best. Now, I know I can choose from these three options with much greater clarity and confidence. As I was watching your video on my laptop, my planner lay on top of my spiral bound notebook on my desk next to my computer. I had a constant reminder of my goal to replace those two items with one digital tool. I will be going with the Supernote A5X.
Ive watched a lot of reviews on these e-ink tablets but none gave me the confirmation I wanted like your video did, thank you for making such a concise and well constructed video. As for the results Ill definitely be adopting an onyx boox air!
Love my supernote. Have had it a few days and the text conversion is pretty accurate and that is what I was looking for. Just paired a bluetooth keyboard so I can use the word document. It's nice to not have that light shining in your face when typing.
@@KitBetts-Masters It's not the fastest when using the keyboard but I'm not a fast typist. But one thing to note is that the save doc is touch and go when using the keyboard. So maybe save doc every page instead a few pages in. Its better when you hand write. I don't know if this is a glitch or what. I sent an email to supernote about this. Will let you know what they say.
I will stay with RM2. When you have to think and analyse, that is when you realise the benefit of a distraction free and minimalistic device. RM2 makes me want to write more and think better. Over time, I have accumulated many notebooks on my RM2 and I love its ease of use.
For a while, I considered this type of product but concluded that over 500€ for a notepad is a bit stiff. Plus adding another device to carry around (as it does not replace my laptop). I use OneNote which is perfect for my notes and links to my tasks & Outlook. However, the review is amazing in terms of content quality and ambiance. Kudos Sir!
I bought a Note Air 2 and have had it about a week. It is a learning curve to get set up but I am very happy with it. It is the least expensive right now in the US if you buy from their site. You get a pen and a sleeve and 40% off accessories. So I was able to get the device, pen, nibs, sleeve and folio case for $527.00 shipped. A similarly equipped Supernote (without nibs and sleeve) was $539 and not shipping until February. Remarkable 2 with pen and folio was $594 (without nibs and sleeve) and that price requires purchasing the Connect plan. Compared to an older and far less functional device it was a no brainer for me to go with the Boox Note Air 2.
Thanks for this. I think this complexity is why I really didn't want to get into the pricing in this video, but in the end it was a bit of a pity win for remarkable! Hahaha!
@@litemakr yeah totally, I didn't make enough of that in this review! But Boox already won the reading category, and back light is essential for a reader!
@@KitBetts-Masters “pity win” as in you had to try give the struggling Remarkable a point or two for at least something? :) Not wishing to be cheeky but you could also have given them a point for being the only device that has its own subscription plan! :)
Your voice is so chill and calm. You could read bedtime stories for kids and sell them in an App or smth. I bet they fall asleep in like 10 mins. And great video about the notepads btw. :D
I'm glad I came across this, as I would have never considered the Boox Air Note 2, but it actually suits my needs far better than the others. I can get it on special here in Australia right now, so I guess I'm off to place an order!
Hours of reviews watched & I finally found your channel. Love your honest analysis & multi-factor comparisons. I have already ordered both the RM2 & the SN for different 'me-s'. I am an artist & free-form thinker & also do field research for Cornell Ornithology & some botanical studies that require very simple notes & field drawing. RM2 will be great for this creative side. Simple & focused. However, I am also a writer & perpetual student with many sets of notes that are in different digital forms & old paper journals. Phone & regular tablet are there if I have to be in the tech frenzy but too much chatter for focusing & be productive. Syncing & backing up all my work is essential, though. So, I also chose the SN bc it will let me use my books (not just Kindle) to study & research & also allow me to keep notes & PDFs *organized* & *with* me. And still be able to access the simple apps I need that help & don't hinder creativity & focus. Getting to use Lamy style pens is a great bonus! Thank you, again!
Supernote is the clear winner for me. My situation is probably a bit different as the boox lost the applications segment for me because it has too many. It’s a tablet and therefore out of the running. The subscription model ruled out the remarkable for me. All three are awesome devices. But, for my needs, supernote looks really good. Thank you for the awesome comparison.
Great review, you should do more! Thanks for showing the strengths of each. I was familiar with remarkable before this video and was super intrigued, but now am concidering the supernote. Thanks!!
Great video! I just bought the Supernote A5X for university, and general note taking. Think it's nicely in the middle of both the Remarkable and Boox Note Air, having just enough but not too much. I'm definitely waning an e ink tablet for efficient productivity, the Note Air is just too fussy for me with almost too much, at that point I'd rather just get an iPad. Then the Supernote seems to just be a better Remarkable tablet, in it of itself.
The Note Air 2 is far from being an IPad. I use it all the time and keeps me focused with no distractions. It has the ability to do many things. Doesn’t mean it has to do them.
Hi. Can u help me with some info, please? If u want? question 1: how does an ink tablet cope with 1000+ pages pdfs books with images and 2 columns of small text (med student)? can I jump fast from page 25 to page 1025 for example? I need this a lot. How fast it can be in searching words in documents? q2: can I see detailed images like an anatomy atlas details? q3: does it support power points? Word documents? I have a lot of courses like this. Also taking notes on them? I am asking this because I also can't invest in a very very expensive product.
Wish I had seen this before buying my R2! I will say though that that feel of writing/doodling on the thing is just excellent and you do feel the "Apple" vibe of cool when you're using it. I think you nailed that. Now I'm wondering if I should have gone with the Supernote as my main usecase was converting my idle writing to text to post on my blog(s). Also the lasso-erase, starring, and title/table of contents creation you showed looked awesome!! The only thing I don't think you highlight that's worth mentioning is that the ReMarkable 2 is specifically marketed as being "distraction free." I think it's no excuse to skimp of features, but I will say that I do feel "tech free" when using it, which was mostly the goal. I will also say that their apps for your phone/desktop are super seamless. I can click "share to ReMarkable2" on any PDF I encounter on my phone and it's instantly on my tablet. It's also so much cleaner to do uploads from another device than to try and figure out how to pull down data on the tablet itself. I applaud that design decision. Now for them to kick the subscription model. You should be able to at least upload to GDrive without paying as the integration costs them nothing and they're not hosting anything either.
Yeah same wish this video was out when I was making a decision. I went with the RM2. Organization is a bit of a struggle 😪 not looking forward when I have to replace the device. Wish cloud Integration was smoother.
I was really wanting to get Remarkable, but if they charge for using drive etc. then that's not a good option. I have actually played with one and the feel of it was extremely nice.
This was a very good review, I do just want to ask why did you place the heading or focus of each section after you talked about it. At the start of the video that did get me a tad bit confused. Me personally would get the remarkable 2 manely because I am not a techy person or a writer. I just want something realy slim I could use for simple note taking and maby as a journal. All and all a great video.
Couple of points/categories I think that you have missed out on here, I think that you should have included the cost of the remarkable subscription and the cost of nibs into your ownership cost calculations. Customer Service should also have been a topic to discuss and worth adding to the points tally. Finally security and privacy should have been a topic, I know that this really isn't a technical review but given how much of information is being stored on these devices and lots of recent high profile hacks it's definitely worth considering.
I think I’m going the remarkable route. I forward all my notes to my Evernote for organizing and search anyways but I hate using Evernote to type my notes - this way is more natural and what’s nice is I can title my subject lines in such a way that when I send them direct to Evernote , Evernote will automatically organize my notes to the correct notebook
Incredibly helpful! Really appreciated the systematic way you've compared them and left us with everything we need to make the right decision for ourselves - thanks!
Lovely review. Really unbiased in my opinion….but slight criticism that you didn’t take the remarkable connect fee into account to use some of the more simple tools it has. Which would have brought it in as one of the more expensive of the lot. I’m going to go with the supernote though. The fact they aren’t trying to tie you into a subscription and the functions that you’ve described makes it the clear winner. Thanks.
Yes, surprised by this too. Remarkable absolutely does not win based on price. That subscription model is really required if you plan to do anything more than store drawings locally on your device, and over the long run, that makes this tablet sooo much more expensive. And you know it's only going to cost more over time. Their model is based on recurring fees paid by customers, rather than accessories and add-ons, and while it may be a decent model for the company (fiscally), it sucks for the consumer. Just too much.
Phenomenal review!! I came into the space because of a recommendation from a friend for the remarkable 2. After looking at the Amazon Scribe and then the supernote a6x. I'm leaning towards the supernote 👌!!
Thanks fo a useful review - it confirm what I suspected, that the Boox is the only device which can support Google Sheets. This is important - I do registration at an outdoor event, and a spreadsheet is the ideal tool. We tried an iPad but in bright sunslight it is unreadable. I realised that an e-ink tablet was the best way to go - and the Boox not only works in bright sunlight but also has amazing battery life, and does not need a permanent wifi connection. You can record data offline and it will synchronise autmatically when next connected to the internet. I needed to buy a Boox just to confirm this works as advertised. I'm surprised that not more is made of this feature - it's a really wonderful way of recording data out of doors.
Thanks, that's a really very interesting use case. The Bigme B1 Pro Max plus colour would also work great for spreadsheets. I think colour eink is going to be great if you need to use full Android apps. Especially the office ones. I'm hopeful we'll see a Note Air 2 Colour soon. That would be amazing.
Great reviews,really appreciate your detailed comparison. I believe the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 will be my next tablet. If I had to guess I'd say you prefer the A5.
I had been hesitating between Supernote A5X and Boox Note Air 2 before watching your review. Now I am confused about which one to chose. Now, I need to toss a coin to decide. 😂 Thank you for such a great review!
Great review. Thank you for taking the time to be so thorough in your assessments. I have chosen to stick with my Mobiscribe Origin... It blends the Boox and Supernote for me (by adding a 3rd party app store).
I purchased the original BOOX Note Air and find myself not using it because it is just too much. I chose it for its additional things but that was a mistake. It isn’t near an iPad for content and to me only ok for note taking. These things should be used for what they are and not more. Notes, writing, sketching, reading that is their power not apps and tablet type of things. The Note Air is painfully bogged down if you try anything beyond notes. It is also just way too complex. With that said, I really dislike the Note Air. I’ve ordered the Supernote A5X and hoping it works better. Great review!
Agreed! I think I want an iPad and an eink tablet in my life, however if I didn't want to own and use two devices I could see myself leaning towards boox.
I'm considering the remarkable for some other reasons than you might think. I'm a very techy person, a developer actually. But I'm also prone to AD(H)D. The device is so limited, the only think I can do is take notes OR read a book, that seems perfect. Well as a side note. I think the Remarkable (1 at least) is hackable .. there is a whole community around hacking the thing and making new features for it
My pleasure, glad the video was useful! I think it's an important distinction! These devices are great tools for thought, so it's important to match the way you think to the tool!
I believe millennials like myself would prefer the boox note air as all the bells and whistles on it are pretty intuitive to learn for us, but I would see how it would overwhelm someone not used to the plethora of features it offers. I think the only question I have now from watching your video is how well the battery life is on each device and whether it can last longer than a week of use. Great video btw 👍
Thanks bud! I totally be agree with you. The battery life in the boox is the one that will vary the most, because you can use it in so many different ways. But all these devices have excellent battery life, (boox included, especially if you turh off WiFi and stick to the core more taking apps!)
Thanks for the review it was really helpful, and I ended up purchasing the Note Air 2 thanks to this video. My thoughts are although it has all these extra features they are not that great eg Onenote or marking up word documents is sluggish and onenote sync saves your notes as a pdf, not a vector-written page. However, being able to read my files from Onedrive is very handy. With that said though the native note-taking app is brilliant, and the paper feel is fantastic. I actually prefer writing on it to normal paper and having the ability to have several notebooks to organise my notes is where it adds value. My overall view now having this for a couple of weeks is if you keep it simple and use it for what it's designed for ie taking notes you will be very happy with it. For anything else, you probably be disappointed.
Thanks so much, you've got the nail on the head there I think. I agree there is something just top drawer about writing on the screen with the Note Air 2!
This is the longest I’ve ever sat through a review. I watched it all and appreciated it very much. I’m techie. I use an iPad an a Surface Pro, both, with their respective pens to work and take notes-but they’re both not great at writing. So, What I really need is OneNote integration. Boox sounds closest, yet I think you’re saying they won’t update it. I’d have to purchase a new one at some point. So in reality, Supernote may end up with an update which will make it the best. Perhaps it’s best to hold off until one of them is clearly good at it? Until I know, I just keep using that other tech product: Rocketbook 😆
Yeah One Note is still not really useable on boox. It's getting closer, but it's still a workaround! They excel at being a digital notebook, but not at everything, so you have to want a digital notebook primarily, otherwise you are still better off with the iPad!
Bought the Remarkable 2. Wanted simplistic note taking with a premium device. The folio and the enhanced pen work for me as a senior professional. Great review!
I really appreciate your reviews, they feel really unbiased and objective! I'd been eyeing the Remarkable for a few years now and finally decided I wanted to get one. Though, I always do my research before purchasing a product and was drawn to the Supernote. I stumbled upon your videos and they really solidified my decision to get the Supernote! An added bonus is the Supernote is opening a distribution center in France, so the import fees won't be so much an issue. As someone with ADHD, the features of the Supernote are just unbeatable, the Boox is nifty, but I need something that wont distract me and instead promote productivity. I'd have to say you'd go with the Supernote, especially considering you have the LAMY pen (I have the fountain version and use it daily, they make great pens)
That removal of distractions is actually a really nice point I hadn't considered. As a techie I'd normally be looking at the BOOX but now I have things to consider....
@@AlanMillerFencepost that's right, you have to weigh up what you really want it for. For example if you're just going to continue managing email on your laptop or phone for example, does your eink tablet need to do that!? Or can it be a more focused place?
the ADHD consideration is real. The boox can do everything, which means that even if it isn't optimized I'll still end up using it for distraction rather than having dedicated tech. I don't need another tablet/android device. I need an eReader that I can annotate and take notes with. I was thinking about the remarkable but the subscription model for handwriting to text conversion functionality dropped them out of the rank for me. I'll be going with the Supernote as well.
Thank you for this thorough review. I go through reams of printer paper taking notes every day. Eventually I just throw them out. Years ago I tried digital pens with the special paper notebooks without success. I'm going to give the Supernote a try.
Yes, I liked the look of those pens too, but just seemed like such a faff! Had a wacom slate things well, and loved it at first, but soon found it had quirks which made it hard to use
When it comes to ease of use I think Onyx being more difficult is more dependant on how use to tablet adjacent tech the individual is. For older generations it's more common for them to lose patience and give up instead of peaking around. Middle aged generations have had to adjust more thus becoming more used to having to learn how tech works. Younger generations growing up using tech on top of it's more typical requirement in day to day life often makes higher tech easier at times than lower tech due to the expectation.
Not sure that I agree. I am 60 and adopting the Note Air 2 was very easy. It does lots of things the others can’t. Keeps me focused and I can share documents take notes and it’s very easy to use. My wife received an early Valentines day present with a Note Air 2 this week and after 24 hours she is already an expert.
I feel like I want something that feels less tech-like, because I am trying to escape from all this technology in my face. I never liked planners and calendars because they were always very impractical to me. I wanted something for note taking and found the rocketbook, and even got their planner as well, but the problem there is that I still need to put in extra work to go erase pages and let them dry, or if I make a mistake on there, I cannot just erase it as easily as I need to do it with the use of water, which can smudge my other letters or even lines of words. So something like the supernote to me feels great
Thank you for this review. I missed Ctrl+F (search) in my traditional paper notebook and wished technology would someday make it possible. When I saw the Surface Pro, I thought the time had come. Unfortunately, it proved to be wrong. The Pen on the surface was like walking on an icy slippery surface. So I dismissed my search for a digital writing pad. The reading part of me was also looking for the Kindle. However, I was not able to settle with any of the Amazon Kindle they have on sale yet. I had heard about Remarkable but I dismissed it when I realized it needs a subscription to send the handwritten notes to email, and that it cannot display Kindle books. Finally today I found the device that I need. It is the Boox Note Air 2. I think this will not only replace my paper notebook, but it will also replace my laptop in the meetings as I should be able to screencast to the big screen. And then the native Kindle app is downloadable from the Play store.
Great review and comparison. I have tested the remarkable 2 for 4 week and finally send it back, based on some problems with the software delays / wait times. Now I use the Air Note 2 for 2 months and happy that I have changed. Software is more complex, but key is for me the background lights (which allows me to use this in the night as eBook reader), the speed of the hardware / software (no more wait times from 10-30 seconds where you afraid that the Tablett is crashed), the flexibility with software apps / extension and the quality of the hardware.
@@alrak562 it took some time and more attempts with our German post office, based on tax and declaration discussion, but this was not the failure of remarkable. For all additional questions / Requirements from the post man I got very fast support / answers from remarkable. Now I use my Boox Air nearly 5 month and still very happy. The remarkable is a little bit more stylish but the technique from boox and the Android system is far ahead of the time remarkable
Hi. Can u help me with some info, please? If u want? question 1: how does an ink tablet cope with 1000+ pages pdfs books with images and 2 columns of small text (med student)? can I jump fast from page 25 to page 1025 for example? I need this a lot. How fast it can be in searching words in documents? q2: can I see detailed images like an anatomy atlas details? q3: does it support power points? Word documents? I have a lot of courses like this. Also taking notes on them? I am asking this because I also can't invest in a very very expensive product.
Thank you! Very helpful for making a choice. The Remarkable put me off because of the subscription. I found the Note Air 2 too comprehensive and complex. Through this video I learned about the Supernote which is actually the best option considering the features I am looking for. Now the challenge to get it in Europe. But I will sort that out.
Thanks for this video! I have bad adhd and a variety of sensory issues and am trying to figure out how best to distribute my disabled student grant - I think one of these could be a lifesaver for me but still not sure which one best provides both a lack of distraction and the capacity to easily organise very sporadic and scribbled notes!
First of all, I wish you all the best with your studies! I have used RM2 and Supernote (switched from RM2 to SN). It's not straightforward to compare the level of distractions between the two, one reason because everyone's different in that respect. Regarding level of distractions: - RM2 has less features and buttons, which makes it a more simplistic device in terms of GUI, something that can help reduce distractions, BUT: - It lacks organizational efficacy (no bookmarks, no titles, no keywords). You'd basically have to locate your notes via file names and overview (looking at all pages in order to see based on large handwriting). My experience is that whenever I had to switch between many notes, it would be harder than in the Supernote. You still can place files in the favorites category, and you also have a "recent" category. But that you also have with the Supernote. So, yeah, simpler designs can also equal to more friction, which, at least for me, led to more distractions. - If you like to read and/or write anywhere else than your desk, then you *might* get distracted by how fragile RM2 feels. Let's say that you take the device in order to read somewhere outside. Thoughts of the device cracking while in your bag, or being dropped will probably jump into your thoughs and generate anxiety. SN is quite the oposite. It is made of plastic and the Ratta team has even drop-tested it and still worked! - Supernote does have a bit more complicated GUI, but it is still very minimalistic compared to a Tabled, Android Phone and Computer. you'll just have a bit more buttons and just a bit of slower page turning (I don't know if that sounds distracting) - In general, Supernote is far more efficient with respect to note organization than RM2. THis is the reason that I returned the RM2. I take a lot of notes and hate to search them as if it's another paper notebook I think that it is a quite personalized thing. I'd suggest to think back to what distracts you while you study, read and write and then try to link those sources of distraction to a set of characteristics.
Thanks for comment and you've got a really great answer here too! Great advice, both are great devices, I don't think you'd be disappointed with either!
@@Gaib_al_lisan That was an awesome reply. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond so thoroughly. That's really helped me too! Now if only I could find a way to get a Supernote! Lockdown seems to have ruined their supply chain at the moment.
@@byleighart My pleasure! It's a new type of tech and it does make a difference to many people (including me) what tools we use. Regarding the supply chain, I suggest you visited the Reddit community (Supernote), since there's quite a few people who are selling their Supernote. If you live in Europe, gorrilascribe distributes it (idk if they've run out, possibly not)
I'm a "Techie" with over 8 IT certifications. I absolutely love my Remarkable for how well its does exactly what I need it to do. I can definitely make 20 suggestions off the top of my head for improvements but certain things like a backlight would also reduce the things I like about it like long battery life and weight. I do think they were to skimpy on the internal storage for the price though and I have to "Hack" to get my books on there but I'm very satisfied with it and it just works. Theres something to be said for that because everything else feels Janky compared to it. If your sole purpose is writing and taking notes then it really cant be beat cant believe you gave it a 0 on writing feel? Yeah its overpriced but its really a premium product and I love it!
I’d be interested in a comparison of battery life. Also, I always see very large text being written on a page - that’s easy to do, but how well do they perform with small text i.e. writing a full page of text, not just a few bullet points. Finally, does hand writing get enhanced in any way? … I currently use GoodNotes on a large iPad Pro and the fountain pen appears to smooth my writing which makes it much more readable. Finally, can you search hand written text?
I commented earlier… please forgive me for not sharing all my thoughts. This is a really well put together comparison. I agree that these 3 are the ones to compare. Thank you. It was really helpful for me, and solidified my decision to go with the Note Air 2. I’m going to guess based on clues I picked up watching your video that your pick is the Note Air 2 as well.
Haha, interesting because everyone picks a different one of the three that I would choose! Hopefully that means I've done a good job of being objective?!
Hahaha, I've guessed! Yeah, I do love the larger devices as well. I just think most people are priced out of them! I'll have a comparison of the Papyr and Max Lumi at some point soon!
Great video. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I personally think you would buy Supernote out of the three 😉. I've ordered a Supernote A5X and I can't wait to get my hands on it. I'm a design engineer and I'll be using the device to record design ideas and design feedback.
I can neither confirm nor deny! Hehe, thanks for comment, I hope you enjoy it, and make sure to let me be know. Did you order HoM pen? And which folio?
@@KitBetts-Masters Yes I did order HoM pen AND a standard one just in case I lose my HoM pen 😁. I went with grey canvas folio. Keep up your content. It's a joy to watch.
Thank you so much for the review, I am really stuck between the Remarkable 2 and the SuperNote. I believe they are both great devices and I love the simplicity of the Remarkable 2 being just a replacement for pencil and paper. That being said the ease of syncing and organizing notebooks on the SuperNote is a plus. One of my questions is how often do you replace the nibs on the remarkable? I know the SuperNote have the forever nib so I would have to take the replacement of these nibs as a pro or con between the two. As for what device I think you would choose I think for you and being a teacher the SuperNote seems to be the one that has all the features you need with out the extras that would be distracting. Thanks again for the video
I agree with this. I am stuck between the two. I don't need the Note Air but still want a bit more functionality than the Remarkable but the price is better. I don't want to have to change the Kindle books to epub when i want to read, but having more availability might distract me. It's a difficult decision. I also agree on which one he would pick.
Great comparison. As a technical professional for more than 25years I assure you that the last thing I need is something technical. I’m getting the remarkable. 100%. I study, I write notes. I’ve got computers and iPads to waste time with.
How do the three devices compare in terms of handwriting recognition? I purchased a note air 2 last November and have been disappointed with the hand writing recognition. I have heard that for some reason this capability has actually gone downhill a little bit in boox devices recently. What is your experience?
RM and SN are really accurate. It's great that you can do it offline on SN though, not much experience with it on boox yet, but I think I'll make a dedicated comparison video for that!
So glad I watched this video. Seeing the features from three different pads is awesome. It allows for more firm decision making. I really want to root for the remarkable… but I need a back light! Plus better cloud systems to transfer your notes to and from various devices. (Most important) Color coding is huge for me as a student. Annotating is the foundation of taking notes. I think searchable notes is vital... as well as more compartmentalized filing options. (That’s the bare minimum of improvement for a $500 device) also the replacement of marker tips freaks me out. I don’t like the boggling of notifications using tablets for notes. I really want for my electronic notebook to completely replace the need to buy notebooks and I have so many notebooks for so many different things! With the occasional use of my trusty yellow legal pad and passion planner. I’d add that more thought into the planner sector of a notebook wouldn’t hurt. I would love for them to add a scan feature to transport your paper written notes and voice notes it would really take it to the next level… my cherry on top. I think that the subscription is a slap in the face honestly, however for that price + subscription I will just stick with my galaxy tab for now. I really hope they take feedback from consumers who actual want this product to work! Looking forward to Remarkable 3... super note looks enticing though! 😅
A really fine review, thanks! Could you also tell something about zooming while taking notes. This is a great feature e.g. for mind-mapping. Smaller notes could be added subsequently without altering the big picture. Useful in this context could also be a function to move selected parts of a picture. Is this possible?
This was the best unbiased, detailed review of the three tablets and you have mede it much easier for me to decide which one to get. I am mainly wanting the device for writing so it is Supernote A5X for me. Thanks!
Thank you for a great review! It helped me realise which one suits my needs the most. However, I do want to correct you - Supernote A5 X costs 415 dollars with no pen or folio, which comes down to 305 pounds, whereas the reMarkable costs 399 euros, which comes down to 332 pounds (minus the discount you get if you get Connect) - therefore, the difference between the two is just over £20 in favour of Supernote A5 X. However, as you said, Supernote doesn't ship to the UK so paying extra fees should be taken into account. But all in all, they both have basically the same price.
It's not just the shipping fees that need to be considered, it's the VAT and duty charges that are levied when something comes into the UK. Also remember when comparing dollar and pound sterling prices that UK prices always include sales tax (VAT) whereas US prices don't and that will be added on at the point of purchase. That makes it a little harder to do simple price checks.
I was down to buying an RM the other day; then I found out they changed to a subscription model with many useful features behind it. I can't get behind that. Oura Ring did the same thing, and they have lost me and many others. I'll be going with a Supernote now. Plenty of features, frequent updates, supposed good customer service, fewer distractions than Boox. I just wish it looked as nice as a RM.
Good point about Ring. Time will tell whether it was a good move by RM but at the minute it seems like bad PR! The supernote does look good though, and the folios really make them feel premium!
@@KitBetts-Masters Do you have any experience with the basic canvas folio for Supernote? How it looks and feels and holds up over time? I would absolutely purchase a premium option, but personally am not comfortable with leather. Thanks.
@@zach2763 yeah, I have the canvas on the A6X and I think it's great. I think I'm right in saying that it is synthetic leather by the way, but I could be wrong!
@@zach2763 I have the canvas folio on my A5X . It’s very good, I found it doesn’t get too dirty and is nice and feels professional. The tab that holds the pen I think could be stronger, but really not bad.
I was going to buy the remarkable 2 but after this video I bought the Super note! Super excited to get it and start playing around! Thanks for the awesome video 😊
Thank you for your review. I was impressed by the "text to speech", and translation capabilities demonstrated by the Boox Air, a tablet you felt was too complicated for people who just wanted to read books on the thinnest device like Remarkable. Such folks might insist on a multitasking device like the iPad which will still attract simple users because iPad comes with great sounds,visions and the unlimited Internet....
So glad I watched your video. I am a software developer. I love to write my stuff.. because when I do, it means that it's final... process diagrams, etc... I can write all of it in a meeting. So, I'm looking to replace my notebooks. I really was hoping to see more 'app' support, using them with PDFs, Word, excel, exporting, using one note if it's available... etc... But I think I'm going to settle on the Air 2... mainly because it supports android based apps, basically, an android tablet with an e-ink display.
Such a helpful review! I'm stuck between the RM2 and the SN. I mostly want to use it to annotate documents, take notes, and I want to be able to stream the feed into a Zoom call. (The writing feel is also really important but I don't know how to know what the best fit is without trying them!) Are both the RM and SN able to do those things? If so, SN might win out because of organization and ebook abilities - but if only the RM can do those things, then I gotta go with them. Decisions, decisions!
SN can't currently share screen but that is in the pipeline. RM only shares to the web app, but you could then share that window. And you need the subscription. Boox probably has the most capacity for this, but don't be surprised if there are technical tweaks you have to go through to get it to work perfectly.
Good informative video, I would have loved to know how the devices connect with keyboard and how the feeling is if one wants to work alternating pen and keyboard.
I just watched this comparison. Thanks for your very thorough comparison. As I mentioned in your other video, I am thinking about Quirklogic and Boox. This video is getting closer for me to get BOOX. However, my concern is that since it has so many functionalities and third-party applications, it may use up space and slow down latency and response. Is this something have BOOX users have experienced? Again, collaboration is the main reason why I want the QuirkLogic just in case I pursue teaching. For now, I want to purchase one for note-taking, daily journals.
Hiya, I haven't had any slowdown with boox, nope! They have way more power than they truely need. The quirklogic is great for teaching! I'm going to do a direct comparison between the max lumi and quirklogic Papyr soon!
The Boox firmware does take up quite a bit of space. So, on my 32GB Boox Leaf It's more like 21GB free space. You can remove bloatware. Bootloader is unlocked by default and USB debugging is accessible in their firmware (or you can install a custom launcher to get into Android vanilla settings underneath when you need) so you can use adb to remove packages you don't want. It should in theory work I do that on my Samsungs without root. You can root the Boox though which makes that easier to mod how you want. I've seen reports on mobileread recently that removing the Onyx Books system app Email bricked their device but you've got root, turn it to user then uninstall maybe. MobileRead will sort you if you brick. There's custom recoveries there. There's a function to freeze apps so I freeze most third party apps until I need them re: performance. My Leaf is a bit laggy yeah, but apparently the Leaf is unusually slow compared to their others. Boox does have USB-C OTG and reads a micosd with a cardreader. The problem there is getting around Android 10+ I'm yet to work out how to get the apps I want to read back from the card. I can download my library through apps onto the card but can't open it within the same library manager app. You can just access all your files via file explorer though. I've got a 256GB I plug in on my Leaf.
ReadEra Pro version will read and add your library to itself from OTG SD card reader so you can see thousands of books your books w/cover given Calibre Companion & Calibre Sync won't open from extSD BUT that rules out tags (sigh) and you need to have Paragon eFAT/NTFS app to mount it. Weeks I worked on this and that was the closest I could come to a solution. Pro tip.
What I mostly do though is use Calibre Sync which lets me see my library from cloud, so covers, all my series, tags, authors all the same filters but it's not on the device, you download the file you want from your library and then I use FolderSync to automatically move it over to Moon+ Reader (it seems to force you to select "Downloads" for the location but I wasn't having it). Pro Tip 2.
Check out the Remarkable Paper Tablet: remarkable.pxf.io/vNKWLW
The Kindle Scribe: amzn.to/3PxX6lQ
The Boox Note Air 3 C: shop.boox.com/products/noteair3?ref=0t1qqbSDWLMb (US and HK)
euroshop.boox.com/products/boox-note-air3-c?ref=my_f5MKKrpQRge&variant=42939341373640 (EU and UK)
And the Supernote A6 X2: supernote.com/products/supernote-a6-x2-nomad?sca_ref=4915589.rferNaRlAM
(This is an affiliate link and I receive a small commission from purchases made through it. Thanks so much for supporting the channel. 🙂 )
I am searching for something that I can use as a whiteboard to put my idea's down. I always sometimes draw flowcharts to get idea's.
I also want to use it as a daily notebook.
Really hard between supernote or remarkable. What do you think?
@@MusicForHourss Hiya, I'd suggest you check out some of my much more recent content. I have a really long video about both the remarkable 2 and the latest Supernote. Check those out and let me know if you still have questions, or what you decide to go with!
You didn't mention the cost of the subscriptions and how crippled the devices would be without an online subscription. I like that SuperNote does not require a subscription to use all of its functions and transfer capabilities.
I was so sure that I wanted a ReMarkable 2 until I watched your video... lol... now I am thinking possibly SuperNote. Thanks for the clear, unbiased, detailed comparison. You probably saved me some frustation!
Very glad to help!
Let me know how you get along with the supernote!
Same here! Haha
My daughter got a ReMarkable for college, she loves it. I have been watching them, but they just do not do 100% for me. When you have a device that says "your writing sucks, can you try a little harder and I will convert it to text" your writing will improve. (Yes my spelling has improved with auto spell checker.)
I have two use cases, off grid notes and Teams White board. The other two will do that. I have to figure out what I really need it for.
@@fk319fk yeah, I think that's the right way to think about it. Otherwise it's a luxury that you actually end up not integrating into your workflow!
Took 30 videos and 2 months of random searches to find a concise review of all three. Thank you so much for being a logic and critical thinker. All other video attempts were always lacking. I hope they find your video and learn how to provide value in a meaningful way around various use cases.
I wasn’t going to watch the whole video- but as soon as I started it- I was hooked. Well made and thorough review. It has helped with my purchase decision a lot- thank you!!
This was such a well done review from a product point of view! As an architect I think I’ll go with the remarkable since the pen latency and the pen-paper feeling seems the best for quick sketches/notes hybrid.
The atmosphere you have created with editing, well spoken, and music is also immaculate! Thank you!
Thanks so much for your positive comment! That's definitely the correct choice for architecture. You can also export your sketches as SVG, so you'll be able to work them up a bit after if you need to. Cheers, let me know how you get along with it!
@@KitBetts-Masters I'll absolutely let you know how it works with my workflow.
@@TheKarchitect so how did it go?
Thank you for an objective review without the fluff!
I’ve been researching e-ink tablets for weeks and was stuck on the Note 2 because I love my OneNote. But now that I’ve seen how wonky it is on the Note 2, and how the SN is closest to pen and paper, I’m still torn but closer to a decision.
Your review is the best I’ve seen so far!
It is a tough choice, but the good thing is, you'll not be disappointed with any!
@@KitBetts-Masters Can annotations on an epub book be made in audio form and if that is possible can one link to that audio note from within the epub?
Thank you very much for the review. It confirms my choice of buying the Note Air 2 beginning of December. It took sometime to set it up and I am still discovering and optimizing things. I am not a hand-written notes taker, but I start to appreciate this too. I got addicted the last years to Kindle and I wanted something bigger than the Oasis, where I can also use my newspaper apps and read the news every day. This really saves my eyes and improves my sleep without any blue light before going to bed. Email reading also on the Note Air. My old Samsung Tablet is basically only for distraction now (videos, social media). I also started using Pocket and read most of the web articles on the Note Air. So the PC screens are basically for work and all my reading is now done on the Note Air
Thanks so much for the comment. It's a great reader. Sounds like you are making great use of it.
@@KitBetts-Masters Best place to buy Note Air 2?
hello man, sorry for bothering, after almost a year do you still use it? is it still a good option?
@Gabri Everyday, still discovering new things to do with it
How do you like it?
I really appreciate your dedication and detail into these three devices, I'm a private pilot becoming a commercial pilot and organizing my notes has always been a hassle, I'm looking into getting the A5X in hopes that I can put all of my notes in and keep them organized and easy to look back on. Thanks for your reviews!
Is lack of backlight issue in cockpit of an airplane?
Thank you very much for this comprehensive overview. I have been using the reMarkable 2 for some time without complaint, although it is not easy to organize notes in the RM2. However, recently a technical issue arose: my device will not turn off and the screen is unresponsive. When I attempted to contact ReMarkable for troubleshooting or tech support, it was a frustrating nad fruitless endeavour. Eventually, I received a canned email instructing me to request a replacement under warranty, which is indicated as valid on my account, and then they denied me the warranty. Twice. Needless to say, I'm not buying another RM2 after dealing with this extremely poor customer service. I'm happy to have explored the two alternatives through your video and feel comfortable switching to another device. Thank you!
Thanks for your interesting comment! Safe to say you'll be happy with the alternatives. Shame that their customer service has this reputation.
That rrally surprises me! I had the rm1, and had an issue with the screen being unresponsive. Got an email back within hours, back and forward and few times. Offered a replacement or refund, and all was solved within 1 week!
I'm a UX Designer, so need to take notes down in client meetings and draw 'fag packet' style sketches to get my ideas across, I've looked at the RM2 for a while now and gone as far as adding it into my basket to buy!
But the really poor reviews on Trustpilot put me off! And it seems to be a common theme when I skim through the reviews!
I think I'll have a look at the other two!
I did ask RM2 how it felt writing on the device - they said "like a pen on paper", but the review said it's more like a "pencil on paper" - I personally don't like the scratchy feel from that!
Thank you for making this, I work in mental health and need a tablet to write notes on during sessions and convert my handwriting to digital text, in order to save me hours of time when writing reports and case notes. I was pretty keen on the Remarkable 2 but now it definitely looks like the Supernote A5X is even better suited to my needs as a provisional psychologist
Cheers, I don't think you'd be disappointed with any of these! By the way I have a few more updated comparisons on my channel now, of your interested to see how the last 6 months of updates have changed the comparison. 😀
This is a great video, wow. Thank you for taking each individual category bit by bit and rating the devices on such a granular level.
Thanks Alexa, glad you are finding the reviews useful. I have an updated version of this now if you are keen!
As a techie with so many regular subscriptions like Medium, Perlego, Scribd etc, I have no other option than Onyx Note 2 Air. This video confirmed it. This video summarized 2 weeks of my research. I wish I watched it earlier and saved some time..
so glad I watched this before making my purchase. I was ready to order my Remarkable, but for the purpose I need it for, the SN is definitely the way to go for me. THANK YOU for this detailed review! Remarkable would still work great if I was looking for a sketch or drawing pad.
with every boox item ive ever gotten, I've always gotten a free protective cover along with the tablet that's quite decent looking, functional and water resistant. As you said, the pen is also included. Free basics trumps fancy-not-free, regardless of how many options you get. With Boox you have the *option* to buy something nicer, but you don't actually have to buy anything extra, bc they just give u everything you need.
Agreed to they do a good package!
Really enjoyed this video. I went with the Note 2. I'm a techie so I'm not afraid to play around with the settings. I love that you can import your own note page templates and take notes on a page that is formatted for your particular needs. I also like the ability to create bookshelves that let me organize things, and the integration with Google play store so that I can use Kindle and other apps that I use on a regular basis. The other thing that I really like is the ability to push and pull documents from the device over bluetooth or wifi using the BOOXdrop feature where you just scan a QR code and can move files to and from the device from pretty much any other device. This is great for moving PDFs that you found searching for information on desktops or phones to the BOOX device for ease of consumption. I also like the power behind the BOOX device. I just wish that it were faster. I know there is a physical barrier to speed with the e-ink devices, and there is a clear delay in getting to where you want to be, so I've found that you need to be prepared to be where you need to be when if you need to start taking notes quickly. I suspect with the simpler devices, this is less of a problem. Thanks again, for this. Well done!
Hi. Can u help me with some info, please? If u want?
question 1: how does an ink tablet cope with 1000+ pages pdfs books with images and 2 columns of small text (med student)?
can I jump fast from page 25 to page 1025 for example? I need this a lot. How fast it can be in searching words in documents?
q2: can I see detailed images like an anatomy atlas details?
q3: does it support power points? Word documents? I have a lot of courses like this. Also taking notes on them?
I am asking this because I also can't invest in a very very expensive product.
Searchable notes is such an important option. It's a shame the remarkable does not support this in a straight forward manner.
they do, just add tags to your pages. thats how they index
I was leaning really hard towards the Boox NA2 for my use case - textbook reading and some note taking, maybe some mind-mapping, just kind of depends on how efficient it is at those 'extra' tasks, but having the larger screen/form factor for technical manuals, textbooks, etc is an attractive thing. Then I watched your review and the Supernote has caught my eye. Something you didn't mention here but I've seen mentioned elsewhere is that the NA2 has a backlight while the Supernote does not - and that's been a hard-line moan/niggle for a lot of reviewers. I'm still trying to determine how important that is to me (I often do read in low-light or no-light conditions, but that's not necessarily a deal-breaker if the Supernote really is a cleaner overall experience.) Ooof decisions, decisions... :D But thank you for such an in-depth and comprehensive review!
Which one did you choose in the end?
@@MusicForHourss Believe it or not, none of these. I ended up buying the Kindle Scribe. It was on sale on Amazon (and periodically goes back on sale) for a couple of hundred bucks so I thought I'd 'try it out' and see what I did or didn't like in an e-notebook/reader. Turns out it does literally everything these other e-notebooks do, just as well (or better), is directly linked to my Kindle books (including text books, etc - this was really important to me), will show PDFs (quite easily), the writing experience is actually pretty phenomenal (and I've got two different, upgraded aftermarket pens depending on what I'm doing), it's backlit (turns out that's pretty clutch, I recommend it), it's light, durable, water resistant... Why spend $400+ to fulfill a task that can be done equally effectively for $250 or less?
It's definitely not going to get the most hipster cred, and it isn't going to get influencers the most affiliate money, and it's not the latest, newest, most expensive unit... and yet it does it all. I was so pleased I almost didn't even try anything else, but I tried the Remarkable 2 and was also quite happy with the performance... at almost twice the price, so I returned it. I haven't found a better value proposition than the Scribe, but (as always) YMMV. What works for my specific use-case may not work for you, so it's worth trying them out.
As a student and a sketch artist, I’ve considered getting a reMarkable. With the Note Air, I would get too distracted; but with the reMarkable, I think it’s be perfect for taking notes in class and occasionally doodling.
I agree. I find the purpose of the reMarkable is to not have excessive access to apps because they tend to be a temptation.
I've LOVED my Remarkable 2 for the past 2 years.
@@thatpenguinate I use the Note Air for taking notes for work. I don’t have email. It’s not really made for browsing and there are no alerts for any social media. So when I use note Air 2 I am 100% focused on what I am doing with no distractions.
Hi. Can u help me with some info, please? If u want?
question 1: how does an ink tablet cope with 1000+ pages pdfs books with images and 2 columns of small text (med student)?
can I jump fast from page 25 to page 1025 for example? I need this a lot. How fast it can be in searching words in documents?
q2: can I see detailed images like an anatomy atlas details?
q3: does it support power points? Word documents? I have a lot of courses like this. Also taking notes on them?
I am asking this because I also can't invest in a very very expensive product.
A nice review. The more I watch reviews and read comments, the more it is apparent that there are a lot of great devices and the best is the one that matches up with an individual's use case and personal preferences. In terms of the latter, this is where it's really a shame that people can't just go out and play with each device to see which is the best fit for them. I think internet reviewers have done their best job to translate that feel in their vides (and this channel is one of the best, by the way) but because of that preference aspect, potential buyers really have to take a leap of faith in the end as they weigh their purchase.
Yeah that's a good point! I think when Kindle and Nook bring out a note taker it'll be popular for people to be able to see them in shops!
as a writer, entrepreneur and a massive kindle reader, who also likes beautiful objects, I think I am rooting for the Supernote. It would have been Remarkable if only they had kindle and ditched that subscription model. Only downside is, it is really hard to trust any China-based companies today, especially the ones who have access to personal data. Waiting for the Amazon scribe comparison. Because right now, it really is the Supernote for me.
Yeah, it's such a well balanced device. I'm hopeful they bring new tech to market soon, because I would hate to see such a special device get buried under the might of Kindle.
Looking forward to reviewing the Kindle for you all.
LOVE your review style. Please start reviewing everything . Just everything in the world. I will watch them all.
Haha! Well that's just the nicest comment yet. Ok, I will, what shall I review next? I'm keen to try new content always so ideas are very welcome!
Excellent comparison and breakdown! Supernote should thank you from snatching my purchase from remarkable! I was all but ready to click BUY on the remarkable 2 until I saw this. Thank you for your time and effort in putting this together!
Hehe, thanks for the feedback!
I am still with the Remarkable and now I know why since you explained it very well: I like it simple, thin design for visual thinking and inspiration. Great review.
Thank you! I have been looking through so many reviews, this one is definetely the most helpful I found
Such a brilliant review - thank you for your attention to detail. I just started my shopping process for an e-ink notebook and you referenced so many functions and use cases that I had not considered. Well done - nice work. (Greetings from Pennsylvania.)
Thank you I'm a software developer who wants to read ebooks, loves technie stuff and wants to take notes. Scribble for ideas.
I'm going Note Air 2
I really enjoy your videos. As an adjunct faculty member and business professional, I purchased the Super Note A5X because I could only choose one device and it seemed to fit my needs. I have not regretted the choice since. I personally think you may have went with the Boox because you seemed excited about the App Store integration but from a functionality point of view, I think the Super Note is the clear winner for me. Thanks for all you do.
where did you purchase your super note a5x? i can’t seem to find a reliable place to get one
By far the best video I've seen. I saw a lady at church taking notes on the remarkable. My daughter is heading to college I believe I'm ordering her the Supernote! Thank you
Thanks Tina, good choice, I'm sure your daughter will find it very useful for her studies. Best of luck to her.
And... are you picking one up for yourself?! ;-)
I love your review style. Straight to the point and very nice audio quality (and pleasant voice!). I'll need my notebook mostly to read and annotate pdf's for school, but I also want to use it as an e-reader. I also don't want it to be too fancy with distracting features, so for me the choice is clear. Supernote A5X. Thanks for helping me with my choice! :)
Thanks so much, stop by and let me know how you get along with it! I think you'll like it!
Yes @gorillaphysics has a very attractive vocal delivery and tempo in his videos which makes them a pleasure to listen to as well as being a fantastic source of unbiased and very knowledgable thoughts and impressions about the device(s) under review.
Now that kindle is coming out with the scribe that might be the way to go
I chose Supernote instead pf Remarkable because of your reviews.
Really love the A6X2 - its a life changer for me, coming from 12 analogue paper books before…
Thank you for your honest review with multiple objective aspects of these three similar devices. I knew I wanted to integrate a digital notebook into my work flow, but I was unsure as to which one would accommodate me the best. Now, I know I can choose from these three options with much greater clarity and confidence. As I was watching your video on my laptop, my planner lay on top of my spiral bound notebook on my desk next to my computer. I had a constant reminder of my goal to replace those two items with one digital tool. I will be going with the Supernote A5X.
Ive watched a lot of reviews on these e-ink tablets but none gave me the confirmation I wanted like your video did, thank you for making such a concise and well constructed video. As for the results Ill definitely be adopting an onyx boox air!
Love my supernote. Have had it a few days and the text conversion is pretty accurate and that is what I was looking for. Just paired a bluetooth keyboard so I can use the word document. It's nice to not have that light shining in your face when typing.
Thanks, it is pretty surprisingly accurate right?! I've just ordered a Bluetooth keyboard so I can try out typing on it.
@@KitBetts-Masters It's not the fastest when using the keyboard but I'm not a fast typist. But one thing to note is that the save doc is touch and go when using the keyboard. So maybe save doc every page instead a few pages in. Its better when you hand write. I don't know if this is a glitch or what. I sent an email to supernote about this. Will let you know what they say.
@@denisepinet9472 thanks bud!
@@KitBetts-Masters Here is the response from supernote. Word APP crashed, we`ll improve this part in the future.
@@denisepinet9472 thanks for the update! I'll bet they will improve it next update!
After hours of videos comparing remarkable to other e ink tablets I found the supernote to be for me thank you very informative video
I will stay with RM2. When you have to think and analyse, that is when you realise the benefit of a distraction free and minimalistic device. RM2 makes me want to write more and think better. Over time, I have accumulated many notebooks on my RM2 and I love its ease of use.
Absolutely. It's an unlimited moleskine with a delightfully simple interface! What's not to love! Enjoy, and keep me posted.
For a while, I considered this type of product but concluded that over 500€ for a notepad is a bit stiff. Plus adding another device to carry around (as it does not replace my laptop). I use OneNote which is perfect for my notes and links to my tasks & Outlook.
However, the review is amazing in terms of content quality and ambiance. Kudos Sir!
I bought a Note Air 2 and have had it about a week. It is a learning curve to get set up but I am very happy with it. It is the least expensive right now in the US if you buy from their site. You get a pen and a sleeve and 40% off accessories. So I was able to get the device, pen, nibs, sleeve and folio case for $527.00 shipped. A similarly equipped Supernote (without nibs and sleeve) was $539 and not shipping until February. Remarkable 2 with pen and folio was $594 (without nibs and sleeve) and that price requires purchasing the Connect plan. Compared to an older and far less functional device it was a no brainer for me to go with the Boox Note Air 2.
Thanks for this. I think this complexity is why I really didn't want to get into the pricing in this video, but in the end it was a bit of a pity win for remarkable! Hahaha!
@@KitBetts-Masters another big factor for me is the built in light which remarkable and supernote don't have.
@@litemakr yeah totally, I didn't make enough of that in this review! But Boox already won the reading category, and back light is essential for a reader!
@@KitBetts-Masters “pity win” as in you had to try give the struggling Remarkable a point or two for at least something? :) Not wishing to be cheeky but you could also have given them a point for being the only device that has its own subscription plan! :)
Your voice is so chill and calm. You could read bedtime stories for kids and sell them in an App or smth. I bet they fall asleep in like 10 mins. And great video about the notepads btw. :D
Next career change I'll consider it! Hahaha! Thanks!
I'm glad I came across this, as I would have never considered the Boox Air Note 2, but it actually suits my needs far better than the others. I can get it on special here in Australia right now, so I guess I'm off to place an order!
Let me know how you find it!
you will not regret it.
Hours of reviews watched & I finally found your channel. Love your honest analysis & multi-factor comparisons. I have already ordered both the RM2 & the SN for different 'me-s'. I am an artist & free-form thinker & also do field research for Cornell Ornithology & some botanical studies that require very simple notes & field drawing. RM2 will be great for this creative side. Simple & focused. However, I am also a writer & perpetual student with many sets of notes that are in different digital forms & old paper journals. Phone & regular tablet are there if I have to be in the tech frenzy but too much chatter for focusing & be productive. Syncing & backing up all my work is essential, though. So, I also chose the SN bc it will let me use my books (not just Kindle) to study & research & also allow me to keep notes & PDFs *organized* & *with* me. And still be able to access the simple apps I need that help & don't hinder creativity & focus. Getting to use Lamy style pens is a great bonus! Thank you, again!
Supernote is the clear winner for me. My situation is probably a bit different as the boox lost the applications segment for me because it has too many. It’s a tablet and therefore out of the running. The subscription model ruled out the remarkable for me. All three are awesome devices. But, for my needs, supernote looks really good. Thank you for the awesome comparison.
Thanks for your reasoned comment! Hope you enjoy it, please do stop by and meet me know how you get on with the supernote!
Great review, you should do more! Thanks for showing the strengths of each. I was familiar with remarkable before this video and was super intrigued, but now am concidering the supernote. Thanks!!
Great video! I just bought the Supernote A5X for university, and general note taking. Think it's nicely in the middle of both the Remarkable and Boox Note Air, having just enough but not too much. I'm definitely waning an e ink tablet for efficient productivity, the Note Air is just too fussy for me with almost too much, at that point I'd rather just get an iPad. Then the Supernote seems to just be a better Remarkable tablet, in it of itself.
Well reasoned rationale! Thanks so much for the comment, it sounds like supernote will be perfect for you.
The Note Air 2 is far from being an IPad. I use it all the time and keeps me focused with no distractions. It has the ability to do many things. Doesn’t mean it has to do them.
Hi. Can u help me with some info, please? If u want?
question 1: how does an ink tablet cope with 1000+ pages pdfs books with images and 2 columns of small text (med student)?
can I jump fast from page 25 to page 1025 for example? I need this a lot. How fast it can be in searching words in documents?
q2: can I see detailed images like an anatomy atlas details?
q3: does it support power points? Word documents? I have a lot of courses like this. Also taking notes on them?
I am asking this because I also can't invest in a very very expensive product.
I've been itching to get my hands on a Supernote. Can't wait for the new one to drop so I can finally pick one up!
Wish I had seen this before buying my R2! I will say though that that feel of writing/doodling on the thing is just excellent and you do feel the "Apple" vibe of cool when you're using it. I think you nailed that. Now I'm wondering if I should have gone with the Supernote as my main usecase was converting my idle writing to text to post on my blog(s). Also the lasso-erase, starring, and title/table of contents creation you showed looked awesome!!
The only thing I don't think you highlight that's worth mentioning is that the ReMarkable 2 is specifically marketed as being "distraction free." I think it's no excuse to skimp of features, but I will say that I do feel "tech free" when using it, which was mostly the goal. I will also say that their apps for your phone/desktop are super seamless. I can click "share to ReMarkable2" on any PDF I encounter on my phone and it's instantly on my tablet. It's also so much cleaner to do uploads from another device than to try and figure out how to pull down data on the tablet itself. I applaud that design decision. Now for them to kick the subscription model. You should be able to at least upload to GDrive without paying as the integration costs them nothing and they're not hosting anything either.
Totally agree with your thoughts, they don't feel like "tech". But then you've got the digital features when you need them.
And yeah, you are right, the send to my remarkable feature works a treat, but the subscription is a bitter pill for many to swallow!
@@KitBetts-Masters
I'm grandfathered in to the free connect for remarkable 😑 this makes it hard to decide.
My remarkable battery died -
Yeah same wish this video was out when I was making a decision. I went with the RM2. Organization is a bit of a struggle 😪 not looking forward when I have to replace the device. Wish cloud Integration was smoother.
I was really wanting to get Remarkable, but if they charge for using drive etc. then that's not a good option. I have actually played with one and the feel of it was extremely nice.
This was a very good review, I do just want to ask why did you place the heading or focus of each section after you talked about it. At the start of the video that did get me a tad bit confused. Me personally would get the remarkable 2 manely because I am not a techy person or a writer. I just want something realy slim I could use for simple note taking and maby as a journal. All and all a great video.
Couple of points/categories I think that you have missed out on here, I think that you should have included the cost of the remarkable subscription and the cost of nibs into your ownership cost calculations. Customer Service should also have been a topic to discuss and worth adding to the points tally. Finally security and privacy should have been a topic, I know that this really isn't a technical review but given how much of information is being stored on these devices and lots of recent high profile hacks it's definitely worth considering.
Good points. Have you got any links to the stories about the hacks? I wasn't aware!
Very well done, thanks. I always appreciate reviews where a wide variety of strengths and weaknesses are considered.
Thanks so much, definitely what I'm going for, detailed and evaluative!
I think I’m going the remarkable route. I forward all my notes to my Evernote for organizing and search anyways but I hate using Evernote to type my notes - this way is more natural and what’s nice is I can title my subject lines in such a way that when I send them direct to Evernote , Evernote will automatically organize my notes to the correct notebook
Incredibly helpful! Really appreciated the systematic way you've compared them and left us with everything we need to make the right decision for ourselves - thanks!
Glad it was useful to you. Let me know what you go for and how you find it!
Lovely review. Really unbiased in my opinion….but slight criticism that you didn’t take the remarkable connect fee into account to use some of the more simple tools it has. Which would have brought it in as one of the more expensive of the lot. I’m going to go with the supernote though. The fact they aren’t trying to tie you into a subscription and the functions that you’ve described makes it the clear winner. Thanks.
Yes, surprised by this too. Remarkable absolutely does not win based on price. That subscription model is really required if you plan to do anything more than store drawings locally on your device, and over the long run, that makes this tablet sooo much more expensive. And you know it's only going to cost more over time. Their model is based on recurring fees paid by customers, rather than accessories and add-ons, and while it may be a decent model for the company (fiscally), it sucks for the consumer. Just too much.
Phenomenal review!! I came into the space because of a recommendation from a friend for the remarkable 2. After looking at the Amazon Scribe and then the supernote a6x. I'm leaning towards the supernote 👌!!
Great review. I was leaning toward a Supernote and this pretty much confirmed it.
Thanks fo a useful review - it confirm what I suspected, that the Boox is the only device which can support Google Sheets. This is important - I do registration at an outdoor event, and a spreadsheet is the ideal tool. We tried an iPad but in bright sunslight it is unreadable. I realised that an e-ink tablet was the best way to go - and the Boox not only works in bright sunlight but also has amazing battery life, and does not need a permanent wifi connection. You can record data offline and it will synchronise autmatically when next connected to the internet.
I needed to buy a Boox just to confirm this works as advertised. I'm surprised that not more is made of this feature - it's a really wonderful way of recording data out of doors.
Thanks, that's a really very interesting use case. The Bigme B1 Pro Max plus colour would also work great for spreadsheets. I think colour eink is going to be great if you need to use full Android apps. Especially the office ones.
I'm hopeful we'll see a Note Air 2 Colour soon. That would be amazing.
Great reviews,really appreciate your detailed comparison. I believe the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 will be my next tablet. If I had to guess I'd say you prefer the A5.
Great job! I don't think you'll be disappointed! I'd be happy with any of these three, but all for different reasons!
I had been hesitating between Supernote A5X and Boox Note Air 2 before watching your review. Now I am confused about which one to chose. Now, I need to toss a coin to decide. 😂
Thank you for such a great review!
Great review. Thank you for taking the time to be so thorough in your assessments. I have chosen to stick with my Mobiscribe Origin... It blends the Boox and Supernote for me (by adding a 3rd party app store).
I purchased the original BOOX Note Air and find myself not using it because it is just too much. I chose it for its additional things but that was a mistake. It isn’t near an iPad for content and to me only ok for note taking. These things should be used for what they are and not more. Notes, writing, sketching, reading that is their power not apps and tablet type of things. The Note Air is painfully bogged down if you try anything beyond notes. It is also just way too complex. With that said, I really dislike the Note Air. I’ve ordered the Supernote A5X and hoping it works better. Great review!
Agreed! I think I want an iPad and an eink tablet in my life, however if I didn't want to own and use two devices I could see myself leaning towards boox.
I'm considering the remarkable for some other reasons than you might think. I'm a very techy person, a developer actually. But I'm also prone to AD(H)D. The device is so limited, the only think I can do is take notes OR read a book, that seems perfect.
Well as a side note. I think the Remarkable (1 at least) is hackable .. there is a whole community around hacking the thing and making new features for it
there's a whole discord server for this, if u need it reply
@@gabri2692 ok
@@gabri2692 I would be interested
Your comments on drawing was extremely helpful for me because I tend to draw a lot in note taking. Thanks for pointing this out.
My pleasure, glad the video was useful! I think it's an important distinction! These devices are great tools for thought, so it's important to match the way you think to the tool!
I believe millennials like myself would prefer the boox note air as all the bells and whistles on it are pretty intuitive to learn for us, but I would see how it would overwhelm someone not used to the plethora of features it offers. I think the only question I have now from watching your video is how well the battery life is on each device and whether it can last longer than a week of use.
Great video btw 👍
Thanks bud! I totally be agree with you. The battery life in the boox is the one that will vary the most, because you can use it in so many different ways. But all these devices have excellent battery life, (boox included, especially if you turh off WiFi and stick to the core more taking apps!)
Well the millennials at my job rarely show up to work so I’m guessing they don’t need any of these devices
Terrific review, excellent length / depth / presentation speed. Thank you very much!
Thanks so much, subs for more!
Thanks for the review it was really helpful, and I ended up purchasing the Note Air 2 thanks to this video. My thoughts are although it has all these extra features they are not that great eg Onenote or marking up word documents is sluggish and onenote sync saves your notes as a pdf, not a vector-written page. However, being able to read my files from Onedrive is very handy. With that said though the native note-taking app is brilliant, and the paper feel is fantastic. I actually prefer writing on it to normal paper and having the ability to have several notebooks to organise my notes is where it adds value. My overall view now having this for a couple of weeks is if you keep it simple and use it for what it's designed for ie taking notes you will be very happy with it. For anything else, you probably be disappointed.
Thanks so much, you've got the nail on the head there I think.
I agree there is something just top drawer about writing on the screen with the Note Air 2!
I agree! For anything else you probably want to get an IPad
This is the longest I’ve ever sat through a review. I watched it all and appreciated it very much. I’m techie. I use an iPad an a Surface Pro, both, with their respective pens to work and take notes-but they’re both not great at writing. So, What I really need is OneNote integration. Boox sounds closest, yet I think you’re saying they won’t update it. I’d have to purchase a new one at some point. So in reality, Supernote may end up with an update which will make it the best. Perhaps it’s best to hold off until one of them is clearly good at it? Until I know, I just keep using that other tech product: Rocketbook 😆
Yeah One Note is still not really useable on boox. It's getting closer, but it's still a workaround! They excel at being a digital notebook, but not at everything, so you have to want a digital notebook primarily, otherwise you are still better off with the iPad!
Bought the Remarkable 2. Wanted simplistic note taking with a premium device. The folio and the enhanced pen work for me as a senior professional. Great review!
Thanks so much, they definitely fit the bill in boardroom meetings!
Stop by and let me know how you get in with it after a bit!
Thanks for the review. Maybe I missed this but what's the comprison on battery life among the three?
I really appreciate your reviews, they feel really unbiased and objective!
I'd been eyeing the Remarkable for a few years now and finally decided I wanted to get one. Though, I always do my research before purchasing a product and was drawn to the Supernote. I stumbled upon your videos and they really solidified my decision to get the Supernote! An added bonus is the Supernote is opening a distribution center in France, so the import fees won't be so much an issue.
As someone with ADHD, the features of the Supernote are just unbeatable, the Boox is nifty, but I need something that wont distract me and instead promote productivity.
I'd have to say you'd go with the Supernote, especially considering you have the LAMY pen (I have the fountain version and use it daily, they make great pens)
They do make great pens and are doing lots of collaborations now!
Thanks for the feedback, I'm sure you'll love the supernote!
That removal of distractions is actually a really nice point I hadn't considered. As a techie I'd normally be looking at the BOOX but now I have things to consider....
@@AlanMillerFencepost that's right, you have to weigh up what you really want it for. For example if you're just going to continue managing email on your laptop or phone for example, does your eink tablet need to do that!? Or can it be a more focused place?
the ADHD consideration is real. The boox can do everything, which means that even if it isn't optimized I'll still end up using it for distraction rather than having dedicated tech. I don't need another tablet/android device. I need an eReader that I can annotate and take notes with.
I was thinking about the remarkable but the subscription model for handwriting to text conversion functionality dropped them out of the rank for me. I'll be going with the Supernote as well.
Thank you for this thorough review. I go through reams of printer paper taking notes every day. Eventually I just throw them out. Years ago I tried digital pens with the special paper notebooks without success. I'm going to give the Supernote a try.
Yes, I liked the look of those pens too, but just seemed like such a faff! Had a wacom slate things well, and loved it at first, but soon found it had quirks which made it hard to use
When it comes to ease of use I think Onyx being more difficult is more dependant on how use to tablet adjacent tech the individual is. For older generations it's more common for them to lose patience and give up instead of peaking around. Middle aged generations have had to adjust more thus becoming more used to having to learn how tech works. Younger generations growing up using tech on top of it's more typical requirement in day to day life often makes higher tech easier at times than lower tech due to the expectation.
Not sure that I agree. I am 60 and adopting the Note Air 2 was very easy. It does lots of things the others can’t. Keeps me focused and I can share documents take notes and it’s very easy to use. My wife received an early Valentines day present with a Note Air 2 this week and after 24 hours she is already an expert.
I feel like I want something that feels less tech-like, because I am trying to escape from all this technology in my face. I never liked planners and calendars because they were always very impractical to me. I wanted something for note taking and found the rocketbook, and even got their planner as well, but the problem there is that I still need to put in extra work to go erase pages and let them dry, or if I make a mistake on there, I cannot just erase it as easily as I need to do it with the use of water, which can smudge my other letters or even lines of words. So something like the supernote to me feels great
Thank you for this review. I missed Ctrl+F (search) in my traditional paper notebook and wished technology would someday make it possible. When I saw the Surface Pro, I thought the time had come. Unfortunately, it proved to be wrong. The Pen on the surface was like walking on an icy slippery surface. So I dismissed my search for a digital writing pad. The reading part of me was also looking for the Kindle. However, I was not able to settle with any of the Amazon Kindle they have on sale yet. I had heard about Remarkable but I dismissed it when I realized it needs a subscription to send the handwritten notes to email, and that it cannot display Kindle books. Finally today I found the device that I need. It is the Boox Note Air 2. I think this will not only replace my paper notebook, but it will also replace my laptop in the meetings as I should be able to screencast to the big screen. And then the native Kindle app is downloadable from the Play store.
Great review and comparison. I have tested the remarkable 2 for 4 week and finally send it back, based on some problems with the software delays / wait times. Now I use the Air Note 2 for 2 months and happy that I have changed. Software is more complex, but key is for me the background lights (which allows me to use this in the night as eBook reader), the speed of the hardware / software (no more wait times from 10-30 seconds where you afraid that the Tablett is crashed), the flexibility with software apps / extension and the quality of the hardware.
Thanks so much for the interesting reflections! The background lights are really helpful if you're using it as the main reader!
Hi Roland, how was the return process?
@@alrak562 it took some time and more attempts with our German post office, based on tax and declaration discussion, but this was not the failure of remarkable. For all additional questions / Requirements from the post man I got very fast support / answers from remarkable. Now I use my Boox Air nearly 5 month and still very happy. The remarkable is a little bit more stylish but the technique from boox and the Android system is far ahead of the time remarkable
Hi. Can u help me with some info, please? If u want?
question 1: how does an ink tablet cope with 1000+ pages pdfs books with images and 2 columns of small text (med student)?
can I jump fast from page 25 to page 1025 for example? I need this a lot. How fast it can be in searching words in documents?
q2: can I see detailed images like an anatomy atlas details?
q3: does it support power points? Word documents? I have a lot of courses like this. Also taking notes on them?
I am asking this because I also can't invest in a very very expensive product.
Thank you! Very helpful for making a choice. The Remarkable put me off because of the subscription. I found the Note Air 2 too comprehensive and complex. Through this video I learned about the Supernote which is actually the best option considering the features I am looking for. Now the challenge to get it in Europe. But I will sort that out.
Glad I could help! I don't think you'll be dissapointed!
Thanks for this video! I have bad adhd and a variety of sensory issues and am trying to figure out how best to distribute my disabled student grant - I think one of these could be a lifesaver for me but still not sure which one best provides both a lack of distraction and the capacity to easily organise very sporadic and scribbled notes!
First of all, I wish you all the best with your studies!
I have used RM2 and Supernote (switched from RM2 to SN). It's not straightforward to compare the level of distractions between the two, one reason because everyone's different in that respect.
Regarding level of distractions:
- RM2 has less features and buttons, which makes it a more simplistic device in terms of GUI, something that can help reduce distractions, BUT:
- It lacks organizational efficacy (no bookmarks, no titles, no keywords). You'd basically have to locate your notes via file names and overview (looking at all pages in order to see based on large handwriting). My experience is that whenever I had to switch between many notes, it would be harder than in the Supernote. You still can place files in the favorites category, and you also have a "recent" category. But that you also have with the Supernote. So, yeah, simpler designs can also equal to more friction, which, at least for me, led to more distractions.
- If you like to read and/or write anywhere else than your desk, then you *might* get distracted by how fragile RM2 feels. Let's say that you take the device in order to read somewhere outside. Thoughts of the device cracking while in your bag, or being dropped will probably jump into your thoughs and generate anxiety. SN is quite the oposite. It is made of plastic and the Ratta team has even drop-tested it and still worked!
- Supernote does have a bit more complicated GUI, but it is still very minimalistic compared to a Tabled, Android Phone and Computer. you'll just have a bit more buttons and just a bit of slower page turning (I don't know if that sounds distracting)
- In general, Supernote is far more efficient with respect to note organization than RM2. THis is the reason that I returned the RM2. I take a lot of notes and hate to search them as if it's another paper notebook
I think that it is a quite personalized thing. I'd suggest to think back to what distracts you while you study, read and write and then try to link those sources of distraction to a set of characteristics.
Thanks for comment and you've got a really great answer here too! Great advice, both are great devices, I don't think you'd be disappointed with either!
@@Gaib_al_lisan That was an awesome reply. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond so thoroughly. That's really helped me too! Now if only I could find a way to get a Supernote! Lockdown seems to have ruined their supply chain at the moment.
@@byleighart My pleasure! It's a new type of tech and it does make a difference to many people (including me) what tools we use.
Regarding the supply chain, I suggest you visited the Reddit community (Supernote), since there's quite a few people who are selling their Supernote.
If you live in Europe, gorrilascribe distributes it (idk if they've run out, possibly not)
I'm a "Techie" with over 8 IT certifications. I absolutely love my Remarkable for how well its does exactly what I need it to do. I can definitely make 20 suggestions off the top of my head for improvements but certain things like a backlight would also reduce the things I like about it like long battery life and weight. I do think they were to skimpy on the internal storage for the price though and I have to "Hack" to get my books on there but I'm very satisfied with it and it just works. Theres something to be said for that because everything else feels Janky compared to it. If your sole purpose is writing and taking notes then it really cant be beat cant believe you gave it a 0 on writing feel? Yeah its overpriced but its really a premium product and I love it!
Thank you for a fair and balanced comparison.
My pleasure! That's been my aim!
Like so many others, I appreciate your unbiased approach as well as your effective descriptions. Cheers!
So glad to help bud!
I’d be interested in a comparison of battery life. Also, I always see very large text being written on a page - that’s easy to do, but how well do they perform with small text i.e. writing a full page of text, not just a few bullet points. Finally, does hand writing get enhanced in any way? … I currently use GoodNotes on a large iPad Pro and the fountain pen appears to smooth my writing which makes it much more readable. Finally, can you search hand written text?
I commented earlier… please forgive me for not sharing all my thoughts. This is a really well put together comparison. I agree that these 3 are the ones to compare. Thank you. It was really helpful for me, and solidified my decision to go with the Note Air 2. I’m going to guess based on clues I picked up watching your video that your pick is the Note Air 2 as well.
Haha, interesting because everyone picks a different one of the three that I would choose! Hopefully that means I've done a good job of being objective?!
Glad to help and glad you liked the video!
I know what I would like, hint I love my Max3. Great to listen to your evaluations.
Hahaha, I've guessed! Yeah, I do love the larger devices as well. I just think most people are priced out of them!
I'll have a comparison of the Papyr and Max Lumi at some point soon!
@@KitBetts-Masters Good news, I am really looking forward to that one
Your summary on the remarkable device did it for me. £557 total with pen and the premium cover. I am diving in. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Glad to help. Let me know how you get on with it!
Great video. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I personally think you would buy Supernote out of the three 😉. I've ordered a Supernote A5X and I can't wait to get my hands on it. I'm a design engineer and I'll be using the device to record design ideas and design feedback.
I can neither confirm nor deny! Hehe, thanks for comment, I hope you enjoy it, and make sure to let me be know. Did you order HoM pen? And which folio?
@@KitBetts-Masters Yes I did order HoM pen AND a standard one just in case I lose my HoM pen 😁. I went with grey canvas folio. Keep up your content. It's a joy to watch.
@@maz1980s thanks so much, their pens are great!
Thank you so much for that in depth review/comparison!
My Pleasure, glad you found it useful.
Thank you so much for the review, I am really stuck between the Remarkable 2 and the SuperNote. I believe they are both great devices and I love the simplicity of the Remarkable 2 being just a replacement for pencil and paper. That being said the ease of syncing and organizing notebooks on the SuperNote is a plus. One of my questions is how often do you replace the nibs on the remarkable? I know the SuperNote have the forever nib so I would have to take the replacement of these nibs as a pro or con between the two.
As for what device I think you would choose I think for you and being a teacher the SuperNote seems to be the one that has all the features you need with out the extras that would be distracting.
Thanks again for the video
I agree with this. I am stuck between the two. I don't need the Note Air but still want a bit more functionality than the Remarkable but the price is better. I don't want to have to change the Kindle books to epub when i want to read, but having more availability might distract me. It's a difficult decision.
I also agree on which one he would pick.
Great comparison. As a technical professional for more than 25years I assure you that the last thing I need is something technical. I’m getting the remarkable. 100%. I study, I write notes. I’ve got computers and iPads to waste time with.
Thanks so much to you, please do let us know how you find the device and if it meets your needs!
How do the three devices compare in terms of handwriting recognition? I purchased a note air 2 last November and have been disappointed with the hand writing recognition. I have heard that for some reason this capability has actually gone downhill a little bit in boox devices recently. What is your experience?
RM and SN are really accurate. It's great that you can do it offline on SN though, not much experience with it on boox yet, but I think I'll make a dedicated comparison video for that!
So glad I watched this video. Seeing the features from three different pads is awesome. It allows for more firm decision making.
I really want to root for the remarkable… but
I need a back light! Plus better cloud systems to transfer your notes to and from various devices. (Most important) Color coding is huge for me as a student. Annotating is the foundation of taking notes. I think searchable notes is vital... as well as more compartmentalized filing options. (That’s the bare minimum of improvement for a $500 device) also the replacement of marker tips freaks me out.
I don’t like the boggling of notifications using tablets for notes. I really want for my electronic notebook to completely replace the need to buy notebooks and I have so many notebooks for so many different things! With the occasional use of my trusty yellow legal pad and passion planner.
I’d add that more thought into the planner sector of a notebook wouldn’t hurt. I would love for them to add a scan feature to transport your paper written notes and voice notes it would really take it to the next level… my cherry on top. I think that the subscription is a slap in the face honestly, however for that price + subscription I will just stick with my galaxy tab for now.
I really hope they take feedback from consumers who actual want this product to work! Looking forward to Remarkable 3... super note looks enticing though! 😅
A really fine review, thanks! Could you also tell something about zooming while taking notes. This is a great feature e.g. for mind-mapping. Smaller notes could be added subsequently without altering the big picture. Useful in this context could also be a function to move selected parts of a picture. Is this possible?
This was the best unbiased, detailed review of the three tablets and you have mede it much easier for me to decide which one to get. I am mainly wanting the device for writing so it is Supernote A5X for me. Thanks!
Brilliant! enjoy is definitely the writers choice!
Thank you for a great review! It helped me realise which one suits my needs the most.
However, I do want to correct you - Supernote A5 X costs 415 dollars with no pen or folio, which comes down to 305 pounds, whereas the reMarkable costs 399 euros, which comes down to 332 pounds (minus the discount you get if you get Connect) - therefore, the difference between the two is just over £20 in favour of Supernote A5 X.
However, as you said, Supernote doesn't ship to the UK so paying extra fees should be taken into account. But all in all, they both have basically the same price.
It's not just the shipping fees that need to be considered, it's the VAT and duty charges that are levied when something comes into the UK. Also remember when comparing dollar and pound sterling prices that UK prices always include sales tax (VAT) whereas US prices don't and that will be added on at the point of purchase. That makes it a little harder to do simple price checks.
The fact that u put the conclusions in the beginning and even have a separate video for it is amazing well done you are a great man
Lols, an idea I stole. Channel called TL:DR review I think!
I was down to buying an RM the other day; then I found out they changed to a subscription model with many useful features behind it. I can't get behind that.
Oura Ring did the same thing, and they have lost me and many others.
I'll be going with a Supernote now. Plenty of features, frequent updates, supposed good customer service, fewer distractions than Boox. I just wish it looked as nice as a RM.
Good point about Ring. Time will tell whether it was a good move by RM but at the minute it seems like bad PR!
The supernote does look good though, and the folios really make them feel premium!
Was thinking the same thing, too many features hidden behind the subscription, bad decision on RM's part.
@@KitBetts-Masters Do you have any experience with the basic canvas folio for Supernote? How it looks and feels and holds up over time? I would absolutely purchase a premium option, but personally am not comfortable with leather. Thanks.
@@zach2763 yeah, I have the canvas on the A6X and I think it's great. I think I'm right in saying that it is synthetic leather by the way, but I could be wrong!
@@zach2763 I have the canvas folio on my A5X . It’s very good, I found it doesn’t get too dirty and is nice and feels professional. The tab that holds the pen I think could be stronger, but really not bad.
I was going to buy the remarkable 2 but after this video I bought the Super note! Super excited to get it and start playing around! Thanks for the awesome video 😊
Thanks so much, let me know how you find it!
Thank you for your review. I was impressed by the "text to speech", and translation capabilities demonstrated by the Boox Air, a tablet you felt was too complicated for people who just wanted to read books on the thinnest device like Remarkable. Such folks might insist on a multitasking device like the iPad which will still attract simple users because iPad comes with great sounds,visions and the unlimited Internet....
So glad I watched your video. I am a software developer. I love to write my stuff.. because when I do, it means that it's final... process diagrams, etc... I can write all of it in a meeting. So, I'm looking to replace my notebooks. I really was hoping to see more 'app' support, using them with PDFs, Word, excel, exporting, using one note if it's available... etc... But I think I'm going to settle on the Air 2... mainly because it supports android based apps, basically, an android tablet with an e-ink display.
Thanks for useful comment! It does sound like it's the right one for you!
Such a helpful review! I'm stuck between the RM2 and the SN. I mostly want to use it to annotate documents, take notes, and I want to be able to stream the feed into a Zoom call. (The writing feel is also really important but I don't know how to know what the best fit is without trying them!) Are both the RM and SN able to do those things? If so, SN might win out because of organization and ebook abilities - but if only the RM can do those things, then I gotta go with them. Decisions, decisions!
SN can't currently share screen but that is in the pipeline. RM only shares to the web app, but you could then share that window. And you need the subscription. Boox probably has the most capacity for this, but don't be surprised if there are technical tweaks you have to go through to get it to work perfectly.
Good informative video, I would have loved to know how the devices connect with keyboard and how the feeling is if one wants to work alternating pen and keyboard.
Thank you for the content you giving!! 😁
Glad you are liking it!
Fantastic review and so helpful. Thank you. I am firmly decided on Supernote but need to figure out where to buy it beyond the UK.
Hiya, a company called GorillaScribe is the EU importer for them. Glad to have helped!
I just watched this comparison. Thanks for your very thorough comparison. As I mentioned in your other video, I am thinking about Quirklogic and Boox. This video is getting closer for me to get BOOX. However, my concern is that since it has so many functionalities and third-party applications, it may use up space and slow down latency and response. Is this something have BOOX users have experienced? Again, collaboration is the main reason why I want the QuirkLogic just in case I pursue teaching. For now, I want to purchase one for note-taking, daily journals.
Hiya, I haven't had any slowdown with boox, nope! They have way more power than they truely need. The quirklogic is great for teaching! I'm going to do a direct comparison between the max lumi and quirklogic Papyr soon!
The Boox firmware does take up quite a bit of space. So, on my 32GB Boox Leaf It's more like 21GB free space.
You can remove bloatware. Bootloader is unlocked by default and USB debugging is accessible in their firmware (or you can install a custom launcher to get into Android vanilla settings underneath when you need) so you can use adb to remove packages you don't want. It should in theory work I do that on my Samsungs without root. You can root the Boox though which makes that easier to mod how you want. I've seen reports on mobileread recently that removing the Onyx Books system app Email bricked their device but you've got root, turn it to user then uninstall maybe. MobileRead will sort you if you brick. There's custom recoveries there.
There's a function to freeze apps so I freeze most third party apps until I need them re: performance.
My Leaf is a bit laggy yeah, but apparently the Leaf is unusually slow compared to their others.
Boox does have USB-C OTG and reads a micosd with a cardreader. The problem there is getting around Android 10+ I'm yet to work out how to get the apps I want to read back from the card. I can download my library through apps onto the card but can't open it within the same library manager app. You can just access all your files via file explorer though. I've got a 256GB I plug in on my Leaf.
ReadEra Pro version will read and add your library to itself from OTG SD card reader so you can see thousands of books your books w/cover given Calibre Companion & Calibre Sync won't open from extSD BUT that rules out tags (sigh) and you need to have Paragon eFAT/NTFS app to mount it. Weeks I worked on this and that was the closest I could come to a solution. Pro tip.
What I mostly do though is use Calibre Sync which lets me see my library from cloud, so covers, all my series, tags, authors all the same filters but it's not on the device, you download the file you want from your library and then I use FolderSync to automatically move it over to Moon+ Reader (it seems to force you to select "Downloads" for the location but I wasn't having it). Pro Tip 2.