reMarkable Paper Pro: 1st impression

Introduction

This is an article summarizing my impressions after purchasing an E Ink tablet called the reMarkable Paper Pro. Although I have used E Ink tablets before, this is my first time using the reMarkable, as I have not purchased any of their previous models. In conclusion, I think it’s a good device, and I plan to use it as my main note-taking device going forward. Also, I’m a user from the Japanese-speaking region. I understand that there are constraints regarding Japanese language support for this product, and I am using it with that understanding.

What did I intend to use it for?

My main intended use is as an “electronic paper” for when I need to think about something. Other intended uses include reading EPUB books like those from O’Reilly, viewing and annotating PDFs, and so on.

1st impressions about reMarkable Paper Pro

• The device does’nt come with Japanese fonts installed by default, but you can install fonts to enable Japanese font display. The steps for this are described later.
• Checking the device’s pre-installed certifications, it appears to have obtained technical certification in Japan, so it should work with wireless LAN and other features in Japan without any issues.
• One of the selling points of this product is that it uses a color E Ink display. From the perspective of an E Ink tablet, the color quality is relatively good.When using the pen, what you write is redrawn after you finish writing to reflect the color, which feels a bit strange at first, but you get used to it.
• The pen is an active stylus, so the latency is low and very good. According to the official website, the writing latency is 12ms. You hardly notice any delay. While the pen needs to be charged, you can attach it to the right side of the tablet with a magnet to charge it, so you likely won’t need to worry much about the battery running out.
• By using the “Connect” cloud service, you can sync data with reMarkable’s proprietary cloud and mirror the tablet’s screen to your PC. It’s free for the first 100 days after purchase, but paid after that. I went ahead and subscribed to the annual plan, assuming I’ll continue using it.
• I find the tagging feature interesting. You can tag individual pages of EPUBs and PDFs, so you can tag relevant pages as needed and then refer back to the tag list later.
• There’s a Chrome extension called “Read on reMarkable” that allows you to send web pages to your reMarkable. It seems useful for reading articles and similar content.
• You can integrate with Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox, so you can access necessary files from these cloud storage services. Note that you need to set up the integration from the My reMarkable website (by logging in on reMarkable’s site), not from the tablet itself.

Japanese language is not support(as of 9/28/2024)

As of 9/28/2024, Japanese language is not supported out of the box. Menus and other interface elements are all in English or other languages by default. To handle Japanese folder names, file names, EPUB content, etc., you need to install Japanese fonts. “Installing” just means creating a designated directory and placing the font files there. The steps are as follows (after putting the reMarkable Paper Pro into Developer Mode, you’ll need to use SSH, SCP, etc. Having basic Linux knowledge will help with the process smoothly). I followed the steps from “reMarkable 2に日本語フォントを入れる” and referred to the package contents from “Easily Install Chinese, Japanese, or Korean Fonts” for some of the commands.

1. Put the reMarkable Paper Pro into Developer Mode (as of version 3.14.3.0, you need to do a software recovery to go back to normal mode from Developer Mode)
2. Access the reMarkable Paper Pro via SSH or SFTP

• Host: 10.11.99.1
• User: root
• Password: Check under “Settings -> General -> Help -> About -> Copyrights and licenses -> General Information” on the device

3. Install Japanese fonts

• Create the directory /home/root/.local/share/fonts/ttf/takao
• Download “TakaoFonts_00303.01.zip” from the Takao Fonts site
• Extract and copy TakaoPGothic.ttf to /home/root/.local/share/fonts/ttf/takao

4. Run “systemctl reset-failed xochitl && systemctl restart xochitl”

Since it’s Linux-based, you can use basic commands like fc to check the font installation status, for example.

My usage approach

I’ve settled into an approach of creating separate folders for different use cases and storing notes and EPUBs in each. Ongoing data goes into Favorites, and I mainly work from the Favorites tab. I’m still getting used to features like tagging, so I plan to optimize my usage approach going forward. The official reMarkable YouTube channel is helpful for understanding the features.

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Purchasing details

Purchase method I purchased directly from the reMarkable official website, which ships to Japan. No need to use a forwarding service — just enter your Japanese address in English.

What I purchased

• reMarkable Paper Pro device
• Book Folio
• Marker Plus

I wanted the Type Folio as well, but it doesn’t support Japanese input, so I skipped it for now. I’d like to get it if/when the tablet supports Japanese input.

From purchase to delivery

• Purchased from reMarkable official site on 9/6/2024
• No updates for a while, then got an email on 9/18/2024 saying it would be delivered around 10/8/2024
• Received shipping notification on 9/23/2024, estimated delivery by 9/27/2024
• Arrived at local distribution center on 9/24/2024, so I requested earlier delivery
• Received on 9/25/2024

Looks like it was shipped from Hong Kong.

Overall impressions

The product matches my intended use cases, so I’m satisfied. I plan to continue using it as my main handwriting tablet. It has a high level of polish as an “electronic paper” device, with an excellent user experience. However, considering the price and capabilities, it may not be a recommendation for everyone. If you want more flexibility from an E Ink tablet, the BOOX series from Onyx could be an option. Being Android-based, it can run various apps, so it’s a strong contender if you want to do more with an E Ink tablet. The Kindle Scribe could also be an option if the Kindle is central to your use case. My plan is to use the reMarkable Paper Pro for handwritten notes, reading, and focused thinking.

Hopes for the future

I’m very pleased that this device supports Japanese language. Specifically, being able to use Japanese fonts for on-device displays, handwriting recognition, and Japanese input on the screen keyboard/Type Folio. Since this product is available for shipping to Japan, it would be great if Japanese fonts were installed by default. I look forward to seeing improvements in this area going forward.