We’re going to compare the reMarkable 2 vs Supernote, and while both the Supernote and the Remarkable are top-of-the-line devices for digital note-taking, each one excels in a particular area.
However, if your focus is more on the visual side of note-taking and you’ll be creating a lot of sketches and drawings, then the Remarkable 2 may be the better option. Its more advanced drawing tools and a wider variety of options make it a standout choice for artists and designers.
I used them both for quite a while…
Note: There are several other reMarkable 2 alternatives to consider (listed my favorite first)
In this post, we’ll be exploring the advantages and drawbacks of two popular digital note-taking devices, the Supernote and the Remarkable 2. We’ll take a closer look at their design, screen quality, writing experience, user interface, and other essential aspects, highlighting the unique strengths and weaknesses of each device.
Related: Kindle Scribe Vs Remarkable 2 – Is the Kindle scribe really a better e-paper tablet?
What are the main differences between the reMarkable 2 and SuperNote?
| Feature | Supernote A5X/A6X | reMarkable 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Display Size | A5: 10.3″, A6: 7.8″ | 10.3″ |
| Stylus | Hard ceramic nib, never wears out | Wearable stylus |
| Writing Latency | Almost identical to reMarkable 2 | Comparable to the Apple Pencil 2 |
| Battery Life | 3800 mAh battery (A6x), 2900 mAh battery (A5x) – However, battery lasted me about a week | 3,000 mAh – lasts up to two weeks |
| Design | Slightly thicker, more solid | Thin and sleek |
| Community Engagement | Active and responsive | Vast, but less straightforward |
| PDF Support | Efficient handling of smaller sizes | Efficient handling of most sizes |
| Subscription Model | None | Required for syncing |
| Additional Features | Hardware slide feature | Sketching and layering |
The Supernote is committed to providing more of what users want. However, the device’s pen and brush tools are not as good as the Remarkable, and it lacks some advanced artistic features
The Supernote can feel more like an Android device, offering advanced capabilities – but requiring time and effort to fully grasp…while the Remarkable resembles an Apple device, being more streamlined and user-friendly from the start. -Larry F, owner of both devices
Related: 15 Best e-ink Tablets for Reading, Note Taking, and Annotation
- When deciding on an e-ink tablet, there’s always going to be a small trade-off. A good way to view which device is better for your use case is whether you value Intuitiveness over a more complex, advanced device e-paper tablet.
- Compared to the reMarkable 2, the Supernote stylus is superior due to its hard ceramic nib that doesn’t wear out, while the reMarkable stylus has been reported to wear out rapidly.
- There are hacks for the reMarkable 2 to make it more customizable – custom templates, lock screens and more (Some users prefer this – see: reMarkable 2 custom templates for more on this).
- The Remarkable tablet is designed to replace paper with some additional features such as handwriting recognition and screen sharing. The device is ideal for both writing and sketching with its excellent pen and brush tools that utilize pressure and tilt sensitivity.
- The SuperNote has an organizing system with tables of contents, and searchable keywords make it mimic that of a genuine notebook.
Related: 7 Best Remarkable Alternatives (E-ink Paper Tablets)
reMarkable 2 vs SuperNote – Hands on Comparison
The ReMarkable 2 and the Supernote are both digital notepads with their own unique features and advantages. The ReMarkable 2 has a more elegant and higher quality feel with a glass/metal finish, while the Supernote has a plastic finish.
The writing experience on the ReMarkable 2 is more comfortable, natural, and it has mor eadvanced writing tools with more options – making it more suitable for drawing. (See our post: Is the reMarkable 2 good for drawing?
The user interface/file browser is also more well thought out and simplified on the reMarkable – and it has the invaluable tags feature.
On the other hand, the Supernote has nicer pens with ceramic nibs that are easier to write large amounts of text with, and it has better reader features like Digest and indexing of annotations. The ability to side load any other Android app like Wikipedia and the native mail app are also added advantages.
Additionally, the notes features such as linking between pages/documents, titles/keywords/stars, and native handwriting to text conversion/export are also commendable.
Related: 7 Best reMarkable 2 templates (+ custom templates)
Advantages of reMarkable 2
The ReMarkable 2 has better hardware quality, a “whiter” and higher contrast screen, and a more pleasurable writing experience. Its leather case is significantly higher quality, and it has tiny rubber grips on the back to prevent it from sliding around.
It also has better writing tools, more gestures, a more well-thought-out user interface and file browser, and an invaluable tags features.
Related: 10 Best Tablets for Reading PDF files [Buyers Guide
Here’s what we liked about the reMarkable 2 (pros):
- Elegant, high-quality hardware design
- “Whiter” screen with better contrast
- Pleasurable writing experience
- Better writing tools, particularly for drawing
- Gestures for quick actions
- Well-designed user interface and file browser
- Tags feature for organization
- Infinite vertical canvas for notes
- Automatic sync
- Open/Linux system with root access
Related: Fire HD vs Kindle Paperwhite: Which is Better for Reading?
Advantages of Supernote A5X/A6X:
Related: Supernote A5X A6X Review
The Supernote has nicer pens with ceramic nibs that never wear out, better reader features like Digest and indexing of annotations, and a Kindle. It also has a better USB access to transfer files, and it is easier to add custom templates and screen savers.
Related: Best Tablets for Web Browsing & Reading
Here’s what we liked about the SuperNote (pros):
- Nicer pens with ceramic nibs that never wear out
- Better reader features, including Digest and indexing of annotations
- Kindle App and ability to side load other Android apps
- Native mail app for file sharing
- More note features, such as linking between pages/documents and native handwriting to text conversion/export
- Easier USB access for file transfer
- Word doc and txt support
- Swipe-to-refresh screen at any time
- Easier to add custom templates and screen savers
- Good customer service and support from Ratta
Related: 11 Best Digital NotePads
Drawbacks of the reMarkable 2
In terms of cons, the ReMarkable 2 has a slightly darker screen, while the Supernote has a less intuitive slide mechanism instead of a magnet to hold the device in the case. The ReMarkable 2, however, has tiny little rubber grips on the back to prevent it from sliding around.
Related: Best Amazon Fire HD Tablets for Reading
- Lower quality case compared to Supernote
- Limited grip outside of the case
- Slightly fewer reader features than Supernote
- No Kindle App or ability to side load other Android apps without modification
- Fewer note features compared to Supernote
- More difficult USB access to transfer files
- Limited support and customer service compared to Supernote
Related: 7 Best Digital Writing Pads For Online Teaching & Whiteboards
Drawbacks of the Supernote A5x/A6x
One drawback of the Supernote is its plastic build quality, which some users may find less premium than the ReMarkable’s glass and metal construction. However I really liked the notebook style feel to it – the build is subjective in this regard; but reMarkable did feel more premium all-around.
Related: Boox Note air 2 Plus vs ReMarkable 2
Here’s some drawbacks we found while testing the SuperNote A5X & a6X:
- Plastic design feels less high-quality compared to ReMarkable 2
- Darker gray screen with slightly lower contrast
- Less pleasurable writing experience compared to ReMarkable 2
- Fewer writing tools, particularly for drawing (reMarkable has the edge vs Supernote on this one)
- Limited gestures for quick actions
- User interface and file browser are less well-designed compared to ReMarkable 2
- No tags feature for organization
- Limited vertical space for notes
- No automatic sync
Related: MobiScribe wave vs Supernote: Which is better?
Design and Build
The Supernote comes in two sizes, A5 X and A6 X, with a soft film screen protector pre-installed. It has a quad-core Cortex-A35 processor with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.
The A5 X has a larger 10.3-inch E Ink display with a resolution of 1404×1872 and a 3800 mAh battery, while the A6 X has a smaller 7.8-inch E Ink display with a higher resolution of 1404×1872 and a smaller 2900 mAh battery. It also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and runs on an Android-based operating system called Chauvet.
Related: MobiScribe Wave Review – Is this e-paper tablet worth it?
In contrast, the reMarkable 2 is known for its paper-like feel and thin design. It has an 8GB internal storage, 1GB LPDDR3 SDRAM, and a 1.2 GHz dual-core ARM processor.
The device has a 10.3-inch E Ink display with a resolution of 1872×1404, and it runs on a custom Linux-based operating system called Codex. It does not have a backlight and external memory cards are not supported.
The battery is rechargeable and lasts up to two weeks, and it is charged via USB-C. While both devices offer a distraction-free experience and a paper-like feel, the reMarkable 2 has a sleeker design and slightly better battery life.
Display & Screen
Both devices offer excellent paper-like displays, with the supernote offering a higher pixel density and backlight feature, while the remarkable 2 offers a new display technology that enhances the paper-like feel.
The remarkable 2 and supernote both use E Ink displays, which provide a paper-like feel and reduce eye strain. The supernote offers two size options: a 10.3-inch screen and a smaller 7.8-inch screen, with a higher pixel density of 300 PPI, while the remarkable 2 only offers the 10.3-inch screen with a pixel density of 226 PPI.
However, the remarkable 2 offers a remarkable new display technology, which provides a more paper-like texture when writing or drawing. The supernote comes with a pre-installed FeelWrite soft film screen protector, while the remarkable 2 does not come with a screen protector.
Both devices come with palm rejection technology, which allows users to rest their hand on the screen while writing or drawing. But…as mentioned – the remarkable 2 does not have a backlight, which can be an issue in low light conditions, while the supernote has a backlight feature (this can be a big decision for some who write often).
Related: Best Apps to Convert Handwriting to Text
Not too noticable but the supernote also has a higher contrast ratio and darker text compared to the remarkable 2 (this is just preference).
Hardware & performance
The hardware and performance of the reMarkable 2 and the Supernote are quite different.
Mentioned earlier – The reMarkable 2 boasts a 1.2 GHz dual-core ARM processor with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage, which is capable of handling PDF and ePUB file formats.
….also, the Supernote has a PX30 quad-core Cortex-A35 processor with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage, and it runs on an Android-based operating system. While the Supernote offers more RAM and storage, the reMarkable 2’s processor is faster and its storage is adequate for most note-taking needs.
Additionally, the reMarkable 2 has palm rejection technology, which prevents accidental marks when resting your hand on the screen while writing, a feature that the Supernote lacks.
Comparison Table: reMarkable 2 vs SuperNote a5x
| Feature | ReMarkable 2 | Supernote |
| Writing feel | More pleasurable | Nicer pens |
| Screen quality | “Whiter” with better contrast | Darker gray with less contrast |
| Hardware | More elegant and higher quality (glass/metal vs plastic) | Less elegant with plastic hardware |
| Case quality | Significantly higher quality with a magnet-based mechanism | Lower quality with a slide mechanism |
| Writing tools | Better options, far better for drawing | Ceramic nib pens are more resilient to wearing out and easier for large texts |
| User interface | More well thought out and simplified | Minimalist feel |
| Tags feature | Invaluable | N/A |
Our thoughts when reviewing the two e-paper tablets
The Supernote uses a modified Android OS that offers massive integration potential, including Kindle, email, calendar, Dropbox, and Microsoft Word integration. This is ideal for those who are daily users, but can not fulfill the advanced features reMarkable and even the BOOX Note Air2 have.
They are both very capable of loading large PDF files smoothly and quickly, making them ideal for legal and business-related work. Overall – the Supernote stylus is better than the reMarkable 2 because it comes with a hard ceramic nibbed stylus that never wears out, whereas the reMarkable stylus wears out quite quickly – giving the supernote a objective edge, slight, but still a benefit.
That being said, the SuperNote is one of the better remarkable 2 alternatives… however:
I found the reMarkable 2 has a simpler, more user-friendly interface, a sleeker design, and better note-taking and annotation features. Both devices are durable and have excellent battery life, but the Supernote has more community engagement and support – which is better for you depends on whether you value simplicity or advanced features.
