The most effective E Ink tablets for 2025

[ad_1] I’m a longtime lover of pen and paper, so E Ink tablets have been intriguing to me ever since they began changing into extra extensively out there. After having a whole lot of half-filled notebooks through the years, I, sooner or later, turned to digital instruments as a substitute as a result of it was simply simpler to retailer all the pieces on my cellphone or laptop computer so I at all times had my most essential info at my fingertips.

E-Ink tablets appear to offer the very best of each worlds: the tactile satisfaction of normal notebooks with most of the conveniences present in digital instruments, plus easy-on-the-eyes E-Ink screens. These units have come a good distance lately — now you will discover them in a number of sizes, some have colour E Ink screens and others double as full-blow ereaders with entry to book shops and your native library’s choices. I’ve examined out near a dozen E Ink tablets over the previous few years to see how effectively they work, how handy they are surely and that are the very best tablets utilizing E Ink screens out there in the present day.

Editor's observe (September 2025): Amazon introduced a revamped household of Kindle Scribe E Ink tablets. The Kindle Scribe 3 is thinner and lighter than its predecessor with sooner page-turning and writing experiences. The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is the primary full-color addition to the lineup, with a pen that may assist writing in 10 colours and highlighting in 5 completely different shades. Each new Scribe tablets can be out there within the US "later this 12 months." You may learn our Kindle Scribe Colorsoft arms on to get a primary look, however we'll replace this information as soon as we have had the possibility to check out each new E Ink tablets.

Desk of contents Greatest E Ink tablets for 2025 <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/hB_eTHagn1WWGQjgjd38xg--~B/aD00Mjc7dz03NjA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-04/1883d670-dac1-11ed-bb6e-b90868a92087" loading="lazy" height="427" width="760"/> reMarkable

The most recent reMarkable pill isn’t topping our record as a result of it’s probably the most full-featured and even most fascinating writing pill we examined. Relatively, it supplies the very best mixture of options folks will discover helpful in an e-paper machine like this.

We’ll get into all of them, however first, it’s value mentioning construct high quality. The reMarkable 2 weighs lower than one pound and is among the sleekest E Ink tablets we tried. It has a ten.3-inch monochrome digital paper show that’s surrounded by beige-colored bezels, with the chunkiest portion on the backside edge the place you’d naturally grip it. There’s a slim silver bezel on the left facet, which attaches to equipment just like the folio case and the brand new Sort Folio keyboard. Hats off to reMarkable for making an E Ink pill that feels proper at dwelling with all your different fancy devices.

Let’s begin with the writing and studying experiences on the reMarkable 2, each of that are nice. From the get go, scribbling, doodling and writing was a breeze. I examined out the Marker Plus, which has a built-in eraser, however each it and the usual Marker are tilt- and stress delicate pens, and require no batteries or charging. I noticed principally no lag between my urgent down onto the reMarkable 2’s display screen and features displaying up. The latency was so low that it felt the closest to precise pen-and-paper. However I'll say that this isn't distinctive amongst our high picks on this information – nearly the entire E Ink tablets I examined bought this very essential function proper.

In relation to studying, the reMarkable 2 helps PDFs and ePUBs, and you may add information to the machine by logging into your reMarkable account on desktop or by way of the companion cellular app in your cellphone. You can too pair your Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Dropbox account together with your reMarkable account and entry information that means as effectively. That must be ok for anybody who, say, reads plenty of educational papers or evaluations many paperwork for work. It’ll be tougher for individuals who buy their ebooks from on-line marketplaces just like the Kindle or Kobo shops, however there are different choices for these.

One other enjoyable solution to get paperwork onto the reMarkable 2 is by way of the Learn with reMarkable extension for Google Chrome. After putting in it and pairing your reMarkable account, you’ll have the ability to ship articles you discover on-line on to your reMarkable 2 so you possibly can verify them out later. You may even customise these information to be despatched as textual content solely, which is able to allow you to change their format immediately in your reMarkable, or as a PDF file. No matter which you select, you’ll have the ability to mark up these articles as you'd every other file on the E Ink pill.

I used this extension so much and I loved studying longform articles on the reMarkable 2 greater than on my iPhone. Having the ability to underline, spotlight and in any other case mark up these tales was extra of a bonus than a necessity for me, however for others who glean sources from on-line supplies can be higher off for it.

Total, it’s fairly straightforward to get information onto the reMarkable 2 and it's doable to entry them elsewhere when you might not have the ability to whip out the E Ink pill. These with a reMarkable Join subscription can have the very best expertise, and it’s a pleasant perk that you just get a one-year membership if you purchase one. The $3-per-month (or $30-per-year) subscription supplies the flexibility to edit present notes and take new ones from anyplace utilizing the desktop and cellular apps, plus limitless cloud storage and syncing.

That mentioned, I stored most of my testing native on the reMarkable 2 itself and was impressed by its capacity to be a digital pocket book with out a steep studying curve. You may create completely different notebooks and “fast sheets” to prepare your handwritten notes, and folders to make sense of imported information. You’ll discover eight completely different brush sorts with which to mark up paperwork and take notes, together with customizable line thicknesses and “colours” (which simply present up as shades on the pill itself). You may even kind wherever you need in a doc, and the reMarkable 2 can translate handwritten notes into machine-readable textual content with shocking accuracy.

It was no shock that the reMarkable 2 ended up having the very best mixture of options, together with a comparatively low studying curve. The corporate was one of many first on the scene with a really viable E Ink pill again in 2017, and so they’ve been refining the expertise ever since. However that comes at a price – the reMarkable 2 isn’t the most costly E Ink pill we examined, however it’s not low-cost both. The pill will set you again $399 with the usual Marker, or $449 for a bundle with the Marker Plus. You would get a Tenth-gen iPad and the USB-C Apple Pencil for across the identical value and also you’d have a extra versatile duo, purely primarily based on the capabilities of iOS.

However you’re most likely not contemplating an iPad for a selected purpose, whether or not that’s your love for E Ink or the sensation of pen-to-paper writing, otherwise you merely desire a extra distraction-free expertise. Should you’re in search of an E Ink pill that won't take ages to get used to, gives a stellar writing expertise and makes it comparatively easy to entry notes elsewhere, the reMarkable 2 is your finest wager.

Professionals Nice studying and writing experienceGoogle Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox supportEasy to make use of Cons Marker prices extraExpensiveUnlimited cloud storage comes with a subscription value $399 at reMarkable <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/BXidpe5zdCim1NH7sT4qSA--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-09/6cb76560-801d-11ef-b5e3-533d6987f52d" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Engadget

li]:list-decimal [&_ol]:space-y-6 [&_ul>li]:list-disc [&_ul]:space-y-6"> Learn our full reMarkable Paper Professional evaluation

ReMarkable upped the ante in principally each means with the Paper Professional, with out sacrificing something we cherished in regards to the reMarkable 2. Each my colleague Dan Cooper and I examined out the brand new machine and you may learn his full reMarkable Paper Professional evaluation right here, which works in-depth into the Paper Professional’s achievements and shortcomings. In my testing, I used to be most impressed by the refined design, sooner response instances and small joys that got here from having a brand new colour show.

The $629 Paper Professional has an 11.8-inch show, which is barely bigger and taller than that of the reMarkable 2. It’s not cumbersome, although, and with its 5.1mm thickness, it will get actually near the legal-pad pocket book dimension I personally love. It feels fairly premium by itself, particularly with the brand new grooved edges, and even with its Folio protector, it stays fairly svelte. The reMarkable 2 actually isn’t an ogre by comparability, however the “professional” within the Paper Professional’s identify is well-deserved.

Contained in the reMarkable Paper Professional is a 1.8GHz quad-core Cortex A53 processor, 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage — all of that are specs which were bumped up from the reMarkable 2. It really makes a distinction within the efficiency of the brand new mannequin. The Professional feels zippier than the reMarkable 2: web page refreshes are faster, actions and transitions are extra clean and pen latency is barely 12ms (nearly undetectable in my expertise).

The place you see the gears working most frequently is in the usage of colour. The Paper Professional’s display screen makes use of a modified model of E Ink’s Gallery 3 expertise referred to as Canvas Coloration, which is able to producing 20,000 colours that may layer on high of one another (suppose if you spotlight a line greater than as soon as utilizing two completely different colours over each other). You may really see the pixels turning from a typical black colour to the colour of your selecting if you’re scribbling in a observe, which isn’t a foul factor as a result of the display screen doesn’t lag or freeze due to this — write at your individual velocity and the machine will up and produce the appropriate colours as you go alongside.

As for software program, you’re getting the identical expertise as you'd with the reMarkable 2, which is to remain a reasonably streamlined interface that makes it straightforward to prepare all your paperwork, notes and different studying and writing materials. The reMarkable 2 supplied one of the approachable software program experiences in an E Ink pill, and that continues right here on the Paper Professional. These units prioritize a distraction-free setting — or on the very least, a lower-distraction zone — and I recognize how reMarkable has stored its units’ interface easy and easy.

Arguably the most important caveat to any reMarkable pill stays the month-to-month Connection subscription — an optionally available $3 month-to-month or $30 yearly service that gives limitless cloud storage, machine syncing and the flexibility to create and edit notes in reMarkable cellular apps. Energy customers will doubtless discover it worthwhile to pay for Join, however the Paper Professional’s 64GB of inner storage could be sufficient for others who wish to maintain it easy (and maintain all of their exercise to the Paper Professional itself). New machine house owners get a 100-day free trial, so it’s straightforward sufficient to offer Join a shot after which cancel when you don’t end up utilizing all of its perks.

A very powerful factor to recollect when you’re contemplating a reMarkable pill is that, primarily based on our testing, each the reMarkable 2 and reMarkable Paper Professional are strong units. The Paper Professional actually earned its “professional” moniker because of noticeable enhancements the corporate made, however these don't negate how good of a tool the reMarkable 2 nonetheless is. However when you’ve bought the money and wish to put money into a luxurious E Ink pill expertise, the Paper Professional is the best way to go.

Professionals Coloration is a welcome and helpful additionBacklight permits you to work in darkish environmentsVastly improved efficiency $629 at reMarkable <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/UTjlk3xoe16JnZLoo8V7Vg--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-04/1fe41ce0-dac1-11ed-9dbb-05fcc2f5ad4e" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Photograph by Cherlynn Low / Engadget

li]:list-decimal [&_ol]:space-y-6 [&_ul>li]:list-disc [&_ul]:space-y-6"> Display dimension: 10.2-inch | Battery life: Months | Community connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Capability: As much as 64GB | Included stylus: Sure | Supported file sorts: AZW3, AZW, TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively and extra

You actually have two choices on this house: the Amazon Kindle Scribe and the Kobo Elipsa 2E. The Scribe edged out the Elipsa 2E purely due to its low-latency pen-and-screen mixture. The Elipsa has its deserves, which we’ll get into in a bit, however it simply couldn’t compete with the Scribe when it got here to a seamless and clean handwriting expertise.

We already gave the Kindle Scribe the complete evaluation remedy and examined out the newest Kindle Scribe, which contains extra AI options. As talked about, there’s little to no latency when writing on the Scribe with its companion pen. Because of the newest software program replace, you even have extra brush sorts to select from now, together with fountain pen, marker and pencil, which add to the allure. Like different E Ink tablets, the Scribe makes it straightforward to create a number of notebooks, and you may add pages to them and alter up their templates if you want.

As an e-reader, the Scribe shines not solely because of its 10.2-inch touchscreen with auto-adjusting entrance lights, but additionally as a result of you've gotten Amazon’s total book retailer at your fingertips. Should you get most of your studying materials from Amazon or subscribe to Kindle Limitless, you’ll have the ability to leap proper into all your titles immediately on the Scribe simply as you'd on a tool just like the Kindle Paperwhite. As well as, the Scribe can hook up with Audible by way of Bluetooth for audiobook listening. It’s additionally straightforward to get ebooks out of your native library and skim them on a Kindle. This can be essential not just for voracious readers, however particularly for college students who purchase or hire digital textbooks and those that eat books commonly for analysis functions.

I thought of college students so much when utilizing the Scribe. I began school in 2009, two years after the primary Kindle was launched and one 12 months earlier than the primary iPad got here out. Getting textbooks digitally actually wasn’t an choice for me – however I can perceive the enchantment a note-taking machine just like the Kindle Scribe would have for college students. It’s arguably even higher than a typical Kindle due to its larger display screen dimension, which is able to make it much less tiring to stare at for lengthy intervals of time. Including the flexibility to take handwritten notes when you’re finding out is icing on the cake.

Nevertheless, Amazon’s execution of e book notes will not be my favourite. You can not make annotations within the margins of Kindle ebooks. As an alternative you press and maintain the pen’s tip on the display screen to focus on textual content or add a observe to a specific phrase or phrase. Should you do the latter, a window pops up on the underside half of the display screen the place you possibly can both take a handwritten observe or kind a textual content observe utilizing the Scribe’s mildly irritating and sluggish on-screen keyboard.

Amazon rectified this a bit with a software program replace that permits for direct on-page writing in sure Kindle books. The Kindle Retailer now has a piece that showcases "Write-on Books," which is at the moment largely made up of journals and recreation books that function puzzles like crosswords and sudoku. That is actually a step in the appropriate path, however it means you continue to will not have the ability to mark up your favourite fiction and non-fiction books till they assist the brand new function.

That is the place I give a nod to the Kobo Elipsa 2E, the place you possibly can write notes within the margins, underline, circle and in any other case mark up your studying materials. It’s a extra pure (and enjoyable) expertise because it mimics what you’d do when you had been studying a bodily e book. It’s a disgrace that the latency on the Elipsa was only a hair extra noticeable than that of the Scribe. If it weren’t for that, it may need crushed Amazon’s machine right here.

What that further little bit of latency interprets to in follow is handwriting that may come out only a bit messier, and that will increase precipitously the sooner you write. However that additionally signifies that you’ll discover this probably the most when taking notes longhand on the Elipsa; when you’re primarily utilizing an E Ink pill to mark up paperwork, it gained’t have an effect on you as a lot.

Regardless of that, I did like the best way Kobo executed notebooks on the Elipsa. You may have a typical pocket book the place you possibly can write and scribble away, or an “superior” pocket book that helps handwriting-to-text conversion and inserting issues like diagrams and formulation. Textual content conversion is definitely fairly correct, too, even when coping with a few of my ugliest handwriting. Kobo additionally has a reasonably sizable book market, so it’s actually a good choice if you wish to keep away from the Amazon ecosystem.

Professionals Fundamental pen included in costSeamlessly integrates with Kindle booksLow-latency writing expertise Cons Writing in margins restricted to sure booksInelegant pocket book expertise $300 at Amazon <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/f0mRbqZp4o1cgM0kzLrs3A--~B/aD03MDg7dz0xMjU5O2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-12/2345db30-b8a5-11ef-bb3b-084f0e8a61d0" loading="lazy" height="708" width="1259"/> Supernote

li]:list-decimal [&_ol]:space-y-6 [&_ul>li]:list-disc [&_ul]:space-y-6"> Display dimension: 7.8-inch | Battery life: Weeks | Community connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Capability: 32GB, expandable as much as 2TB with microSD card | Included stylus: No, further value | Supported file sorts: PDF, EPUB, Phrase, Textual content (.txt), PNG, JPG, Comedian e book archive (.cbz), FictionBook2 (.fb2) and OpenXPS (.xps)

Supernote impressed me with its X pill after I first examined it and now the corporate is on the X2 model. The A6 X2 mannequin has a 7.8-inch display screen, and the not too long ago launched Manta A5 X2 has a ten.7-inch show. I’ve tried each out at this level and the principle distinction, as one may count on, is display screen dimension.

However earlier than we get right into a comparability of the 2 Supernote units, let’s speak in regards to the upgrades the corporate made to each not too long ago. With the Nomad X2, the design has been tweaked in delicate methods from the unique Supernote I examined. You get the up to date FeelWrite 2 display screen protector expertise, which is a smoother, much less scratchy one than different E Ink tablets, and a plastic physique that’s fairly light-weight. There are twin sidebars, sections on each lengthy edges of the pill that, when swiped, convey up a menu, making this model simpler for right- and left-handed customers alike. The software program auto-rotates if you flip the display screen, too. On high of that, each the Nomad and Manta X2 units are user-repairable now with replaceable batteries and a microSD card slot, each of which you'll be able to see on the bottom of the pill because of its clear panel (there’s an opaque, white choice too that’s additionally simply as upgradeable however nowhere close to as futuristic wanting).

Unsurprisingly, that is nonetheless probably the most enjoyable I had utilizing any E Ink pill. Because of its assist of a spread of file codecs (PDF, ePUB, Phrase, PNG, JPG, and so on), you possibly can put loads of materials onto the X2 and do what you want with it. In my earlier experiments, I wished to see if I may deal with it nearly like a digital bullet journal, and that wasn’t arduous to do. There are built-in web page templates, however I used to be in a position to obtain day by day, weekly and month-to-month planner templates on-line, resize them and transfer them onto the X2 utilizing Android File Switch. The machine has a devoted “MyStyle” folder the place it can save you information you wish to use as templates. Probably the most troublesome half was ensuring I had the size proper whereas resizing the paperwork. As soon as saved in the appropriate folder, I may make a complete pocket book out of the templates I had gotten from the web without cost.

However you don’t should get that deep when you don’t wish to; Supernote’s software program comes with numerous built-in observe templates which are greater than appropriate for a spread of conditions and eventualities. The machine nonetheless has its personal app retailer, however it’s fairly sparse, save for the Kindle app (though, the very last thing I wished to do on the Supernote was learn) and the brand new Atelier portray app. The latter is described by the corporate as “skilled portray software program” that has numerous completely different brush choices, marker and spray instruments, 16 ranges of grayscale colour and the choice to export your creations as PSD information so you possibly can take them to the subsequent stage in Photoshop. It’s a enjoyable tackle a extra creative pocket book of types, and those that discover themselves desirous to separate their creative creations from their mostly-words notes will recognize the inclusion.

This machine actually shines as an E Ink pocket book and the corporate clearly put plenty of thought into “constructing a greater mousetrap,” so to talk. You may translate handwritten phrases into typed textual content, however you don’t have to do this to ensure that the software program to acknowledge your handwriting. There’s a key phrases function that permits you to principally bookmark essential phrases for fast entry later. All you should do is lasso the phrase, press the key phrase button and the pill’s software program will translate your writing into typed textual content. Then you possibly can add it as a key phrase and shortly leap again to it from the left-side pill of contents menu. Equally, you possibly can bookmark titles and add stars to pages which are essential, all of which provide help to leap between essential bits.

That mentioned, a Supernote machine is just like one from Onyx Boox in that it’s not going to carry your hand. It's a must to be able to mess around, mess with settings and usually tinker with it proper if you open the field, and a few can be simply wonderful doing that (like our personal weekend editor Cheyenne MacDonald). The software program isn’t as polished as that on units made by Amazon or Kobo, which ends up in an unavoidable studying curve. However pocket book nerds like myself can be thrilled with all that the Supernote Nomad has to supply.

That mentioned, this isn’t the most costly E Ink pill on our record, however it would set you again $329 or extra: $329 for the Nomad A6 X2 or $505 for the Manta X2, and $89 (or extra) for an accompanying pen. Which dimension you select will finally depend upon private choice. The Nomad, as its identify suggests, is the extra transportable of the 2 and feels extra like interacting with a paperback e book (albeit a really skinny one), whereas the Manta provides you noticeably extra display screen actual property. If you understand you’ll do plenty of writing on this machine, think about your handwriting sizer — those that default to cursive or large, crazy print could discover a extra spacious companion within the Manta.

Professionals Wonderful writing experienceTons of pocket book customization optionsGood handwriting recognition Cons Pen comes at an added costNo backlight $329 at Supernote <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/u3SmEu5Jn1oI4Q1D.3gnpQ--~B/aD01NjI7dz0xMDAwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-12/8eb18d10-b8a5-11ef-ba9e-fbcbbf19ad05" loading="lazy" height="562" width="1000"/> Onyx Boox

li]:list-decimal [&_ol]:space-y-6 [&_ul>li]:list-disc [&_ul]:space-y-6"> Display dimension: 10.3-inch | Battery life: Weeks | Community connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Capability: 64GB | Included stylus: Sure | Supported file sorts: PDF, PPT, EPUB, TXT, DJVU, HTML, RTF, FB2, DOC, MOBI, CHM, PNG, JPG, TIFF, BMP

Onxy continues to iterate on its lineup of E Ink tablets with the Word Air4 C, a pill that appears and feels nearly an identical to the Air3 C, however now it’s barely much less weighty (actually 10g lighter than its predecessor), consists of two further gigabytes of RAM and runs Android 13.

I skilled little to no latency when writing on the Boox Word Air and I used to be pleased with the variety of brush choices it has within the Pocket book app. Because of the colour E Ink show, now you possibly can even add and save a couple of completely different brushes with coloured ink, line thickness and different specifics and shortly swap between them. That is significantly helpful on a colour E Ink pill like this as a result of it can save you, say, black, pink and blue brushes to make use of to distinguish several types of notes and switching amongst them is tremendous fast. You can too now add completely different shapes to notes and fill them in with colour; I made one thing that resembled a sticky observe utilizing a easy sq. stuffed in with yellow. Probably the most visible learners amongst us will discover options like this very useful.

Just like the Supernote A6 X2, this pill comes with a bunch of web page templates you should use for note-taking (together with some colour choices now as effectively), or you possibly can herald your individual PDFs and different paperwork to make use of as templates. There’s an “AI recognition” function that interprets an entire web page’s handwriting into typed textual content, and it’s really fairly correct. (Although, it did persistently confuse my “&” for a capital A). I additionally appreciated you could add other forms of fabric to your notes, together with internet pages and voice recordings, and share notes as PDFs or PNGs by way of e-mail, Google Drive and different companies. Options like these make sure that, with this partially analog machine, you don’t miss out on a few of the conveniences {that a} true digital pocket book system would have.

The actual fact stays that Boox’s total Word sequence is what you’d get when you eliminated a few of the notebook-specific options from the Supernote A6 X2 and added in a extra full model of Android. Boox makes numerous fascinating E Ink units and the Boox Word Air is the one which finest compares to the others on our record because of its 10.3-inch show. They're E Ink Android tablets, so which means you possibly can really obtain Android apps from the Google Play Retailer like Kindle, Kobo and others. There’s even an internet browser, and sure, you possibly can watch movies on this factor, too.

After all, simply because you are able to do all of that doesn’t imply you must. E Ink screens are really finest for studying and writing, so I didn’t spend a lot time binge watching YouTube on Boox’s machine – however I used to be comfortable that I had the liberty to take action. Actually, the utility of Android is available in with the app retailer and I count on that most individuals will use it to obtain all of their favourite studying and writing apps. Very like a typical pill, this can be a fantastic choice for anybody that will get their studying materials from a bunch of various locations — and since you possibly can manually switch paperwork out of your pc to the machine, too, it’s far-and-away probably the most versatile choice on our record.

And, importantly, Boox tablets normally provide an fascinating worth proposition. A Boox Word Air4 C bundle with the pill, a typical pen and a folio case is available in at $529, placing it on the upper finish of the value spectrum among the many units we examined. However contemplating it’s a full Android pill, that doesn’t appear absurd. Those that wish to keep away from distractions more often than not whereas nonetheless accessing e-mail and an internet browser may gravitate in the direction of a tool like this.

Professionals Coloration E Ink displayRuns Android 13 with entry to Google Play StoreSupports some ways so as to add information to the deviceStylus included within the field Cons E Ink display screen hinders it from being video-consumption deviceNot as user-friendly as othersOn the costly facet $529 at Boox <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/CiLSYGVvQxrqNuA.sdpK_g--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-01/cf3ce490-d355-11ef-b3fa-1e6dd4616cc8" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Photograph by Valentina Palladino / Engadget

li]:list-decimal [&_ol]:space-y-6 [&_ul>li]:list-disc [&_ul]:space-y-6"> Display dimension: 13.3-inch | Battery life: Weeks | Community connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Capability: 128GB | Included stylus: Sure | Supported file sorts: PDF, PPT, EPUB, TXT, DJVU, HTML, RTF, FB2, DOC, MOBI, CHM, PNG, JPG, TIFF, BMP

Most E Ink tablets out there now max out at 10 or 11 inches in display screen dimension. However the newest mannequin from Boox, the Word Max, has a gloriously giant 13.3-inch Carta 1300 show. It’s not the one E Ink pill from Boox to get this large — the Tab X has the identical dimension display screen, albeit with a decrease dpi (207 vs the Word Max’s 300) — however it is among the few e-paper tablets with such a big show made by a longtime producer on this house.

Other than the luxurious show, the Word Max feels and works like every other pill within the Word sequence so get able to tinker with it if that is your first such Android-based machine. However I discovered the note-taking and doodling expertise to be exceptional on such a big e-paper show. I’m somebody who prefers giant notebooks (B5-sized and bigger, A4 or legal-pad sized most popular) so it’s not shocking that I used to be drawn to the Word Max.

One of many native Boox apps I significantly cherished utilizing on this large-format machine was Calendar Memo, which provides you a month-view calendar you could faucet into particular person days and take notes that correspond to that day. So for instance, you possibly can take work notes, journal, write down to-do lists and extra and return to these writings even after the day has handed simply by tapping on a selected day within the calendar. And when you use Boox’s native ereading app, the books and paperwork you learn on every day may also present up together with your notes, offering a useful log of your progress. Not solely did I discover it helpful to have all of that info in a single viewport because of the massive show, however I may additionally see myself utilizing the Calendar Memo app commonly to log the entire most essential issues I wish to bear in mind long-term for every day.

That mentioned, the Word Max doesn’t come low-cost: it’s $689 for the pill, plus the included cowl and stylus. Whereas it’s nice that Boox doesn’t make you pay further for these much-needed equipment, it’s nonetheless doubtless too cost-prohibitive for most individuals.

Professionals Sharp E Ink Carta 1300 displayLuxe 13.3-inch display screen sizeRuns Android 13 with entry to the Google Play StoreComes with an included stylus and canopy Cons No entrance lightNot as user-friendly as different optionsExpensive $689 at Boox <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/oF7kXxUALejE4B_i05nvYA--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-09/c93a8d30-880f-11f0-b71c-2dc3d9a5dca8" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Daniel Cooper for Engadget

Should you like the thought of the reMarkable Paper Professional however both need one thing smaller or cheaper (or each), the brand new Paper Professional Transfer was principally made for you. With its 7.3-inch Canvas Coloration show, it resembles a steno-pad model of the full-sized Paper Professional. It’s most comparable in dimension to the Supernote Nomad, however the Paper Professional Transfer is barely smaller in width and peak, which ought to permit it to slide into broad pockets extra simply.

The {hardware} is top-notch identical to the common Paper Professional, with strong, ridged edges and a luxe display screen that gives good suggestions if you write on it. Its marker attaches magnetically to the appropriate facet of the machine for charging and protected holding, and you may optionally get a folio case for the Paper Professional Transfer that may shield the display screen if you’re not utilizing it and safe the marker even additional.

Software program is an identical right here to the common Paper Professional as effectively, with a couple of new added options like a drag-and-drop toolbar, observe search and handwriting-to-text conversion that can be out there throughout different reMarkable tablets. As well as, you possibly can create all method of notebooks for handwritten textual content and add paperwork utilizing reMarkable’s cellular app and internet shopper. The machine helps PDFs and EPUB information, which limits issues a bit when you had been hoping to make use of this like a ereader. There are higher E Ink tablets for that objective; the Paper Professional Transfer, identical to the common pill, is finest for handwriting notes, marking up paperwork and the like. And because of its dimension, it’ll doubtless be a lot better for many who work on location or within the subject, moderately than at a desk.

The worth can also be a bit extra manageable than the full-sized Paper Professional. The Transfer will run you $449 when paired with its normal marker, however if you'd like the upgraded marker and wish to add the folio case into the combination, be ready to spend extra. Nonetheless, $449 is a greater beginning value than the common Paper Professional’s $629 flooring.

Professionals Compact sizeExcellent construct qualityGood battery life Cons On the costly facet for a small tabletNo keyboard folio choice; restricted to on-screen keyboard $449 at reMarkable <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/ZdNzfbhdjpI_OZKd.l4nkw--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-05/7eca44a0-147c-11ef-b773-5c89e7681433" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

li]:list-decimal [&_ol]:space-y-6 [&_ul>li]:list-disc [&_ul]:space-y-6"> Display dimension: 7-inch | Battery life: As much as 40 days | Community connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Capability: 32GB | Included stylus: No | Supported file sorts: EPUB, EPUB3, FlePub, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR, Kobo audiobooks

The Kobo Libra Color not solely provides colour to its display screen but additionally stylus assist. Meaning you possibly can spotlight textual content, write within the margins of e-books and create notebooks. The low-latency, feature-rich stylus, plus integration with Dropbox and Google Drive, make the Libra Color a surprisingly efficient E Ink pill. In the end, we nonetheless suppose the Kindle Scribe is your finest wager for a tablet-and-ereader combo, because of the extra expansive Kindle library and the bigger, ten-inch display screen — however Kobo’s newest deserves a point out.

The Libra Color is our present decide for a mannequin with buttons in our ereader information. It has a premium construct, loads of textual content customizations for snug studying and a crisp, warm-light, seven-inch show. The addition of colour provides curiosity to e book covers and allows you to spotlight textual content in 4 completely different hues. Kobo additionally caught a sooner processor within the machine, which makes waking from sleep, turning pages, navigating the menu and altering orientation zippy quick.

The Libra Color doesn’t include the Kobo stylus — one other level within the Scribe’s favor — however when you add the $70 accent, you’ll have the ability to spotlight textual content and scribble notes within the margins of any e book. You’ll additionally unlock entry to Kobo’s two kinds of notebooks: Fundamental, which helps you to draw, scribble and write freehand, and Superior, which might convert handwriting to typed textual content and allows you to add diagrams and sections.

The stylus gives three pen kinds, plus a brush and highlighter, and switching between them is fast with an unobtrusive menu. Because of the colour expertise, you possibly can write and attract ten colours and spotlight in 4. One of many few points I bumped into was with the highlighter button — it’s in a fantastic spot for spotlighting textual content on the fly, however that location can also be proper the place I relaxation my pointer finger, so I typically hit it whereas writing. However the utility of the built-in eraser balances out that irritation.

I observed a barely perceptible latency and good stress sensitivity, which is most evident utilizing the fountain pen. The faucet-to-convert function nearly at all times appropriately turned my bizarre printing-and-cursive-hybrid handwriting into kind, and importing notebooks to Dropbox or Google Drive took mere seconds. (You can too do hardwired, USB-C transfers to a pc.)

With the added value of the stylus, you’ll pay $300 for Kobo’s set, which remains to be $100 cheaper than the bottom mannequin of the newest Kindle Scribe. Should you don’t want a bigger display screen or entry to the a whole lot of Kindle titles you will have already bought, the Libra Color makes for an interesting ereader/E Ink pill different. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter

Professionals Coloration displayLow-latency stylus performanceCan write within the margins of any book Cons Smaller screenStylus prices further $229 at Kobo Are E Ink tablets value it? An E Ink pill can be a worthwhile buy to a really choose group of individuals. Should you choose the appear and feel of an e paper show to LCD panels discovered on conventional tablets, it makes plenty of sense. They’re additionally good choices for many who desire a extra paper-like writing expertise (though you will get that type of performance on an everyday pill with the appropriate display screen protector) or a extra distraction-free machine total.

The ultimate observe is vital right here. Many E Ink tablets don’t run on the identical working techniques as common tablets, so that you’re mechanically going to be restricted in what you are able to do. And even with people who do mean you can obtain conventional apps like Chrome, Instagram and Fb, E Ink tablets are usually not designed to provide the finest casual-browsing expertise. That is largely as a result of nature of E Ink shows, which have noticeable refreshes, an absence of vibrant colours and decrease image high quality than the panels you’ll discover on even the most cost effective iPad.

Arguably the most important purpose why you wouldn’t wish to go together with an iPad (all fashions of which assist stylus enter, a plethora of studying apps, and so on) is as a result of it’s a lot simpler to get distracted by e-mail, social media and different Web-related temptations.

What to search for in an E Ink pill Writing and latency Arguably a very powerful factor to contemplate when in search of an E Ink pill is the writing expertise. How good it's will rely so much on the show’s refresh fee (does it refresh after each time you set pen to “paper,” or at a unique common interval) and the stylus’ latency. A lot of the tablets I’ve examined have little to no latency, however some are actually higher than others. Lastly, you must double verify earlier than shopping for that your most popular E Ink pill comes with a stylus, or if you should buy one individually.

Studying How a lot will you be studying books, paperwork and different issues on this pill? E Ink tablets are available in many sizes, however most of them are typically bigger than your normal e-reader as a result of it makes writing a lot simpler. Having a bigger show isn’t a foul factor, however it may make holding it for lengthy intervals barely extra uncomfortable. (Most e-readers are roughly the scale of a paperback e book, supplying you with an analogous feeling to analog studying).

The supported file sorts for e-books may make an enormous distinction. It’s arduous to make a blanket assertion right here as a result of this varies a lot amongst E Ink tablets. The TL;DR is that you just’ll have a a lot better studying expertise when you go together with one made by an organization that already has a historical past in e-book gross sales (i.e. Amazon or Kobo). The entire titles you purchased by way of the Kindle or Kobo retailer ought to mechanically be out there to you in your Kindle or Kobo E Ink pill.

Additionally with Kindle titles, particularly, since they're protected by DRM, it’s not essentially the very best thought to attempt to convey these titles over to a third-party machine. Until the pill runs an working system like Android that helps downloads for apps like Kindle and Kobo, you’ll be restricted to supported file sorts, like ePUB, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, PNG and others.

Search performance Most E Ink tablets have some on-device search options, however they'll differ extensively between fashions. You’ll wish to think about how essential it's to you to have the ability to search by means of all of your handwritten notes and markups. I observed in my testing that Amazon’s and Kobo’s E Ink tablets made it straightforward to refer again to notes made in books and information as a result of they mechanically save to the particular pages on which you took notes, made highlights and extra.

Looking out is much less standardized on E Ink tablets which have completely different supported file sorts, however their options may be fairly highly effective in their very own proper. For instance, a couple of units I examined supported textual content search in handwritten notes together with handwriting recognition, the latter of which lets you translate your scribbles into typed textual content.

Sharing and connectivity Whereas we established that E Ink tablets may be nice distraction-free units, most producers perceive that your notes and doodles aren’t created in a vacuum. You could wish to entry them elsewhere, and that requires some type of connectivity. The entire E Ink tablets I attempted have Wi-Fi assist, and a few assist cloud syncing, companion cellular apps and the flexibility to export notes by way of e-mail so you possibly can entry them elsewhere.

None of them, nevertheless, combine immediately with a digital observe taking system like Evernote or OneNote, so these units will at all times be considerably supplementary when you use apps like that, too. I’d argue that, when you already lean closely on apps like OneNote, a typical pill with a stylus and display screen protector could be the easiest way to go. In the end, you must take into consideration what it would be best to do with the paperwork you’ll work together with in your E Ink pill after the pill portion is finished.

Value E Ink tablets aren’t identified for being low-cost. They typically fall into the $300-$800 value vary, which is what you possibly can count on to pay for a strong common pill, too. A key think about value is dimension: cheaper units with E Ink shows are more likely to have smaller screens, and stylus assist isn’t as a lot of a given. Additionally, these sorts of units are usually thought-about e-readers due to their dimension and is probably not the very best for note-taking, doodling and the like.

E Ink tablets have gone up in value not too long ago. Supernote and Onyx Boox elevated costs, as did reMarkable. The previous mentioned it was attributable to "elevated prices,” and a reMarkable consultant confirmed this to Engadget and supplied the next assertion: "We commonly evaluation our pricing primarily based on market situations and operational prices. We have communicated an upcoming adjustment for the US market efficient in Might to offer transparency to our prospects. A number of components affect our pricing choices, together with provide chain dynamics and total operational prices in particular markets.”

Because of this, the reMarkable Paper Professional jumped from $579 to $629 (that is for the bundle with the usual Marker and no Folio). This is not nice, contemplating the Paper Professional was already on the costly facet of the spectrum for E Ink tablets. It is also value noting that Supernote and Onyx Boox have raised costs prior to now few months as effectively.

Different E Ink tablets we have examined Onyx Boox Tab X C The Boox Tab X C is a color-screened model of the Tab X, the corporate’s all-purpose e-paper Android pill. The Tab X C has a stunning 13.3-inch Kaleido 3 E Ink colour show, an octa-core processor, 6GB of RAM and it runs on Android 13, making it one of the highly effective tablets in Boox’s lineup. I’ve used the Tab X prior to now and this colour model runs equally, if not higher, and at 5.3mm thick, it’s impressively svelte even if you pair it with its folio keyboard case. As somebody who loves legal-pad sized issues to write down on, I additionally like how the Tab X C is most akin to A4-size paper. However at $820 for the bundle with the usual case (or a whopping $970 for the pill and its keyboard case), it’s actually solely finest for many who are able to go all-in on a premium E Ink pill.

Lenovo Sensible Paper Lenovo made a strong E Ink pill within the Sensible Paper, however it's too dear and too married to the corporate's companion cloud service to warrant a spot on our high picks record. The {hardware} is nice, however the software program is not as versatile as these of opponents just like the reMarkable 2. It has good Google Drive integration, however you will need to pair it with Lenovo's cloud service to essentially get probably the most use out of it — and within the UK, the service prices £9 per 30 days for 3 months, which is sort of costly.

Onyx Boox Tab Extremely The Boox Tab Extremely has plenty of the identical options we like within the Word Air 2 Plus, however it’s designed to be a real, all-purpose pill with an E Ink display screen. Working Android 11 and suitable with a magnetic keyboard case, you should use it like a typical 2-in-1 laptop computer, albeit a low-powered one. You may browse the net, verify e-mail and even watch YouTube movies on this factor — however that doesn’t imply you must. A normal 2-in-1 laptop computer with a extra responsive display screen and higher total efficiency can be a greater match for most individuals who even have the slightest want to have an all-in-one machine. Like the remainder of Onyx’s units, the Tab Extremely is particularly for many who put studying and eye consolation above all else.