ReMarkable 2 vs Kindle scribe: Our tech expert compares the digital notepads

Razor-thin and unbelievably lightweight, this device has a sleek design and joyously minimalist user interface. You can create separate notebooks, organise them into folders, and choose from templates such as ruled and graph paper, or to-do list checkboxes. You can export your doodles and notes as PDFs, or select your chicken scratches and convert them into editable text. You’ve also got effectively infinite writing space to work with – although, we doubt that spending on traditional notepads is making a serious dent in anyone’s bottom line.

Another clever use case is the ability to sign and annotate PDFs but, again, services such as Docusign and the broad acceptance of digital signatures make the feature less essential for everyday users. You can also PDF crosswords and puzzles

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Is all that enough to warrant the price? Probably not, but reMarkable seems to recognise it’s got a niche, super-premium product on its hands. This is a real statement gadget – an executive toy for serious notetakers. Whip one out during a meeting and it will never fail to attract attention.

This device is singularly focused on being a digital notepad, rather than a tablet or even an ebook reader. Although you can transfer epub book files to the device and convert web pages to PDF to read later, it’s a relatively fiddly process and, in the case of web pages, it doesn’t always work well. The optional keyboard folio case lets you type notes, too, but, by that point, you might as well be using a full laptop or a regular tablet.

Meanwhile, some weird shortcomings seem easy to fix. You can’t search your handwritten notes, so, unless you’re fastidious about organising your files, your important information can get buried somewhere on page 12 of notebook five. The handwriting-to-text conversion isn’t always accurate, particularly if you’ve got terrible handwriting, and usually requires some edits to tidy up. While the marker magnetically attaches to the tablet anywhere, it can’t be secured, so, it could easily become lost in a bag.

Priced at £429 with the marker plus, the device is also available for £389 with the standard marker.

I’m a little too attached to my beaten-up, water-damaged Moleskine to make the switch to the reMarkable 2 for good but, for those seeking a distraction-free writing experience and who value the feel of pen on paper, it’s a compelling proposition as well as a beautiful piece of technology.

This is the first Kindle you can write on (well, without ruining your device). It’s a large-screen ereader that doubles as a digital notepad, enabling you to annotate ebooks and documents, make handwritten notes, and even doodle in a dedicated sketchbook, all using the included stylus. 

Priced at £379.99 for the basic 16GB model, the Kindle scribe is significantly more expensive than Amazon’s other ereaders, such as the Kindle paperwhite (from £159.99, Amazon.co.uk) which has a higher-resolution screen and a smaller form factor better suited to reading on the go.

The scribe’s higher price tag is partly justified by the device’s premium design. Like the priciest Kindle oasis, the scribe features an asymmetric design, with one edge thicker than the other, which helps with grip and makes the device feel less bulky in hand, despite the larger screen size. 

The main draw here, however, is the inclusion of a stylus for note-taking. It’s a similar experience to using the reMarkable 2 but with some key differences. 

You can’t write directly onto ebooks from Amazon’s Kindle store. Instead, you add virtual sticky notes to individual pages. Tap on a highlighted passage of text in an ebook and you can scrawl your thoughts onto a digital notepad linked to that specific line of text. 

To experience the full potential of the scribe’s note-taking abilities, you can import your own compatible documents, such as PDFs or Word files, and doodle all over them. Like the reMarkable 2, that makes the Kindle scribe a great solution for signing documents in your own handwriting. Just email yourself the PDF, add your marks and email it back to yourself.

There are a few downsides to the Kindle scribe, though none of them are deal-breakers. The 10.2in screen is big and bright, but the 300PPI resolution is lower than that found on Amazon’s cheaper ereaders. That’s not a huge problem, since the lower resolution helps extend battery life (which is excellent – expect to get more than a month of use from a single charge), but text can look a little less crisp on the scribe, especially if you’re used to the pin-sharp text of the Kindle paperwhite or oasis.

The stylus is fractions of a second slower to respond than the reMarkable 2, meaning the illusion of writing on paper is slightly less convincing. Then again, this is partly because the Kindle scribe has an additional layer under the display, with front lighting for reading and writing in the dark, something the reMarkable 2 doesn’t have.

So, who is the Kindle scribe for? It’s not cheap, so casual readers are likely better served by one of Amazon’s cheaper ereaders but, if you’re a student or professional who reads and annotates a lot of documents, or if you’re simply looking for a more versatile ereader that doubles as a digital notepad, the Kindle scribe is a great option.