I tested ReMarkable's 'cheap' Paper Pure tablet, and it hardly feels like a downgrade

pros and cons

Pros

• High-contrast monochrome display
• Fantastic penning experience
• Acceptable trade-offs for the price
• Bundled with folio and Marker Plus for $50 more

Cons

• Some flex and wobble
• No backlight
• Occasional lag
• No achromatic folio

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ReMarkable has carved retired a niche for itself with its premium integer insubstantial tablets, a distraction-free ethos, and a devoted following. Devices similar the Paper Pro connection a polished acquisition but bid a precocious price: arsenic overmuch arsenic $800 erstwhile bundled with accessories. 

Sensing a displacement successful the wind, the marque has conscionable (wisely) announced a new, accessible merchandise to its lineup: the ReMarkable Paper Pure -- a simplified tablet that clones the brand's luxe integer insubstantial show exertion but strips distant immoderate of the high-end features to support the terms down to an accessible $399. 

Also: I tested the ReMarkable Paper Pro, and can't spell backmost to 'real' paper

For that price, you get the tablet and the Marker Basic (ReMarkable's entry-level stylus). For $449, you get the tablet, Marker Plus, and the folio carrying lawsuit -- a measurement up successful hardware and features for astir $50 more. Either way, you're looking astatine a premium integer insubstantial tablet for a competitory price.

The ReMarkable Paper Pure measures 7.4 x 8.9 inches and weighs 0.79 pounds, with a 10.3-inch show (compared to 11.8 inches connected the Paper Pro and 7.3 connected the Paper Move). It ditches the colour E ink show for achromatic and achromatic and does distant with backlight. The effect is simply a integer insubstantial tablet that looks a batch similar an Amazon Kindle Scribe oregon a Boox Note Max (but cheaper than both).  

The carnal plan similarities present are nary coincidence. Where ReMarkable's different tablets person unsocial forms, the Paper Pure speaks a much generalist connection that's instantly recognizable to a broader user base. 

Also: My favourite E Ink tablet has a worthy successor - with upgrades successful originative ways

Despite this caller carnal approach, however, the Paper Pure is inactive precise overmuch a Remarkable merchandise with a absorption connected distraction-free work, ideation untethered from notifications, and a streamlined acceptable of features. Most crucially, this means being locked into ReMarkable's ecosystem, with nary entree to Google's Play Store oregon third-party apps. However, if you're a fan, you'll cognize that's precisely the point. 

All astir the experience 

Like the different ReMarkable tablets, the Paper Pure is simply a note-taking, idea-sketching, writer's imagination travel true. All different features travel 2nd to the Paper Pure's absorption connected putting pen to "paper", and its smooth, earthy penning acquisition is inactive 1 of the champion you tin get. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

The black-and-white show connected the Paper Pure is high-contrast, with a whiter, smoother solid surface alternatively than the rough-textured beige connected the Paper Pro. The achromatic E ink is affluent and heavy black, with silky-smooth lines and zero pixelation. Even zooming into your handwriting to the max reveals creaseless lines and crisp edges. 

For sketching, taking notes, and organizing content, the Paper Pure offers a simplified -- but nary little enjoyable experience. The show is surely connected par with the Paper Pro and whitethorn adjacent beryllium preferred by immoderate users for its higher contrast. No backlight evidently means you won't beryllium capable to usage this instrumentality successful the dark, but connected the flip side, it looks large successful agleam light. 

Also: I tested the Kindle Scribe 2 for months, and it bushed my ReMarkable successful respective ways

The grippable borderline connected the near broadside makes it casual to hold, and the pen firmly snaps to the close broadside with beardown magnets that automatically complaint it erstwhile connected. On the back, the grey textured integrative doesn't consciousness inexpensive per se, but it's surely a departure from the Pro. 

A quieter ecosystem

ReMarkable's ecosystem is constricted to its ain UI and nary third-party apps. I'm a large instrumentality of its intuitive browser-based portal that bridges the spread betwixt the tablet and the extracurricular world. It's precise limited, however, and doesn't person the app enactment of the Google Play Store oregon the immense EBook room of the Kindle. Yeah. And it's refreshing. 

There is an optional Connect subscription, which, each things considered, is affordable. It costs $3.99 a period oregon $39 a year, opening up a fistful of astute integrations and unlimited unreality storage. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

You surely don't person to subscribe, arsenic the device's halfway functionalities aren't locked down a paywall, but the integrations are convenient. For example, the Send to Slack and Send to Miro features let for one-tap shares to connected accounts -- a indispensable for anyone utilizing those platforms. 

One of the champion caller features, however, is not tied to the subscription. You tin present screen-share your ReMarkable to immoderate machine by simply opening a browser model -- allowing for a universal, no-fuss mode to contiguous what's connected the tablet and sketch oregon gully successful existent time. It's awesome however seamless this works aft conscionable a fewer taps. 

Also: This Kindle astir replaced my Remarkable tablet with conscionable the show itself - but there's more

Similarly, you tin stock sketches oregon notes from your ReMarkable with others successful aggregate formats. You've got the integrations I conscionable mentioned, alongside Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, oregon the enactment to simply make a unsocial URL that navigates to the sketch. You tin adjacent acceptable permissions to the URL, oregon delete it erstwhile you're done sharing. 

The trade-offs

ReMarkable succeeded successful porting the champion features of its premium tablets to a much accessible device, but aft spending much clip with the Pure, its humble hardware became evident successful definite situations. 

It's powered by a 1.7 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A55 processor, compared to the 1.8 GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 successful the Pro. Additionally, the Pure comes with 32GB of section storage, compared to 64GB connected the Move and Pro. All 3 models person 2GB of RAM, but the Pure uses LPDDR3, which means little information transportation rates. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Writing connected the Pure is astir flawless, but determination is immoderate lag, particularly erstwhile penning quickly. But it's not problematic and, astatine nary constituent during my testing, detracted from the experience. Similarly, the tablet's carnal signifier is overmuch little important than the Paper Pro oregon the Move. It's thinner and lighter, and it has immoderate flex successful its body. On definite surfaces, the tablet does not prevarication wholly flat, with a millimeter oregon 2 of wobble.

Besides the hardware, the biggest trade-offs code idiosyncratic expectations. The Paper Pure's instantly recognizable carnal signifier means that it volition beryllium considered by a wider array of consumers, not conscionable niche enthusiasts. Many of those consumers volition request to recognize that this instrumentality is not an e-reader with a one-tap room of thousands of titles astatine your disposal, and determination is nary browser oregon app store. 

Also: I recovered an E Ink tablet worthy of replacing my Remarkable, and it's connected sale

You surely tin import e-book files successful EPUB format via the mobile oregon desktop app, oregon connected the website done your Connect account. It's not difficult, but it is manual. The Paper Pure is overmuch much geared toward work, with integrations to your ain accounts and a robust room of templates and forms. In that sense, it's designed to get you to do, not consume. 

ZDNET's buying advice

The ReMarkable Paper Pure delivers the premium integer insubstantial acquisition astatine a much affordable price. The achromatic and achromatic show is hardly a downgrade, adjacent if there's nary backlight, and the pen to "paper" penning acquisition remains top-tier. The tablet's somewhat much humble hardware occasionally becomes evident, and contempt its lightweight form, it doesn't consciousness flimsy. 

Also: Kindle Scribe vs. ReMarkable Paper Pro: I've utilized some E Ink tablets, and this 1 wins

The terms volition inactive beryllium considered precocious for some, and that's understandable. But successful the integer insubstantial tablet market, it's competitive. Consider Amazon's Kindle Scribe, which besides starts astatine $399, but has 16GB of section retention and pairs with Amazon's Kindle Unlimited subscription for $12 a month. 

The ReMarkable Paper Pure is disposable to bid now, with devices shipping successful aboriginal June.