Like everything, there’s usually one or two things that have a monopoly on the whole market, for example, LEGO for building blocks and Spotify for the best music streaming services, and two e-notebooks competing for that top spot are the Amazon Kindle Scribe and reMarkable 2. But which one would the RadioTimes.com Technology team recommend?
As smart notebooks boast a variety of features such as writing notes directly onto PDFs or e-books, importing Microsoft Office files and articles from the internet, and acting as a diary, tablet, laptop and notebook in one sleek device, e-notebooks can be a bit on the pricey side.
A Guide to Choosing the Best E-Notebook Tablet for Your Needs
When it comes to comparing products, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and PS5 vs PS5 Slim, and even streaming services like Spotify vs Apple Music, you can rest assured that the Technology team investigates every detail. We’ve compared the Kindle Scribe and reMarkable 2’s design and features, taking into account important elements such as battery life, backlight, weight, writing style and more, to ensure you make an informed decision.
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What does the Kindle Scribe do?
There are seven different types of Kindles: the original Kindle, Kindle Oasis, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, Kindle Kids, Kindle Paperwhite Kids and Kindle Scribe.
It’s important to be aware that the Kindle Scribe has all of the features of a Kindle except with the added benefit of a digital journal; not only can you enjoy e-books, but you can journal, write, sketch, and take notes on the move, too.
The Kindle Scribe is the only Kindle that includes a digital notebook and pen — with the notebook kept completely separate from the e-reader to avoid distraction — and its large front-lit display is two times larger than that of the Kindle Paperwhite.
The pen can be transformed from a calligraphy pen, a marker, pencil or highlighter depending on your desired outcome, and all writing tools feature enhanced pressure and tilt capabilities.
reMarkable is a Norwegian tech brand which offers two products: the (now discontinued) reMarkable 1 and its predecessor, the reMarkable 2, as well as accessories for the e-notebooks. The reMarkable 2 rivals the Kindle Scribe; replace paper notebooks with one stylish e-notebook which keeps everything you need, such as handwritten notes, to-do lists, PDFs, and e-books all neatly organised in one place.
So how do these two tablets fare against one another?
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The reMarkable 2 costs £379 with Marker and £419 with Marker Plus, the Marker Plus comes with a built-in eraser, whereas the standard Marker doesn’t.
The Kindle Scribe starts at £329.99 for 16 GB with the Basic Pen and £359.99 with the Premium Pen, £379.99 for 34 GB with the Premium Pen, and £409.99 for 64 GB with the Premium Pen.
The great thing about traditional notebooks is that they’re lightweight and easy to transport — two characteristics you probably wouldn’t want to sacrifice when you upgrade to an e-notebook. At just 4.7mm in thickness and 403.5g, the reMarkable is incredibly lightweight and thin enough to transport anywhere. The Kindle Scribe comes in slightly bigger and heavier at 5.8mm in thickness and 433g.
The reMarkable 2 offers no backlight, and its reasoning for this is that it reduces glare and eye strain. However, if you’re planning on working in low-light conditions, this might be counterproductive. The Kindle Scribe comes with a large display and lighting options, including an adjustable warm light and an auto-adjusting front light. You can also choose the most comfortable text size to you with the Kindle Scribe.
The reMarkable 2 offers a 10.3-inch monochrome digital paper display with a 226 DPI resolution.
In comparison, the Kindle Scribe has a slightly smaller 10.2-inch display with a higher-resolution 300 PPI glare-free, front-lit display.
One of the key specifications you’ll be looking for when purchasing an e-notebook is the pen. After all, the feeling of pen-to-paper when getting down your thoughts is what a lot of people appreciate. The reMarkable 2 offers a Marker and a Type Folio, and, just like a normal pen, you will get a virtually-instant response on the page. Plus, the reMarkable 2 offers a textured surface, just like that of paper. To edit your notes, simply use tools such as undo, move and layers to structure your words. I
n comparison to the reMarkable 2, the Kindle Scribe offers a nifty shortcut which allows the pen to switch between a pen and an eraser; if you flip the pen upside down, the function will change. Unfortunately, the reMarkable 2 doesn’t offer this shortcut.
The reMarkable 2 allows you to easily import Microsoft Office files, PowerPoint presentations and web articles, and you can read the web articles via the Read on reMarkable extension. You can integrate the e-notebook with Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive and more. In terms of organisation, you can sort your notes and documents with folders and tags, write directly onto PDFs — a handy tool we wish we had as students! — and instantly convert handwritten notes into typed text. Your reMarkable 2 comes with a free one-year Connect trial, which offers unlimited Cloud storage, too.
To get into the nitty gritty of the reMarkable 2: the tablet comes with a 1.2 GHz dual core ARM processor, 1 GB RAM and 8 GB internal storage. In comparison, the Kindle Scribe has a 1 GHz Mediatek processor, 1 GB RAM and up to 64 GB on-device storage.
With the Kindle Scribe, you can import and mark-up documents, for example, take notes directly onto PDFs and create sticky notes in Microsoft Word. These handwritten sticky notes are easy to create, simply tap on the page and begin writing, and sticky notes and highlighted passages are automatically organised by book, so you can come back to them easily. Note-taking can also happen in the form of lists and calendars, too, depending on your desired outcome.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the Kindle Scribe also allows you to access millions of titles in the Kindle Store.
The reMarkable 2 comes with a one-metre USB-A to USB-C charging cable, and offers up to two weeks of battery life.
To compare this to the Kindle Scribe, a single charge lasts up to three weeks based on half an hour of writing per day, with the wireless off and the light setting positioned at 13. The Kindle Scribe offers the longest battery life of any Kindle variation.
Put simply – no, the reMarkable 2 can’t replace a Kindle. This is because the Kindle Scribe still acts as an e-book as well as an e-notebook, whereas the reMarkable 2 organises notes.
No, you can’t read Kindle books on the reMarkable 2.
The Kindle Scribe offers an alternative to paperback (or hardback) books, as you can access millions of titles in the Kindle Store in one thin, transportable device. Although they’re divisive amongst the reading community — we can’t imagine giving up physical books and their inky smell completely! — they’re incredibly practical for scenarios such as long holidays where you’d like to take more than one title away with you, and for commuting, where your beloved paperback might get a bit battered in your bag.
While the reMarkable 2 is solely an organisational and note-taking device, if you’re looking for e-books to take with you on the go, there is a solution: you can save articles and upload them to the reMarkable 2 as a PDF.
Our verdict
When it comes to choosing between the Kindle Scribe and reMarkable 2, it will depend entirely on your intent of use.
If you’d like to use the e-notebook to solely organise and take notes, we’d recommend going for the reMarkable 2. The textured feel and the virtually-instant pen to tablet contact gives the feeling of writing in a notebook. You’re able to sync files with Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, and more, as well as import Microsoft Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and web articles with the Read on reMarkable extension. Plus, the Marker (the reMarkable 2’s dedicated pen) doesn’t require a battery, so you can write to your heart’s content until the tablet runs out of charge. The reMarkable 2 is clean and organised.
In comparison, the Kindle Scribe doesn’t offer Google Drive or Dropbox integrations, but you’re able to send notes straight to your inbox with a few taps.
However, if you’re looking for an e-book and an e-notebook combined, the Kindle Scribe is for you. The Kindle Scribe offers a backlight, too, so you’re able to work and read after dark. The Amazon tablet has a longer battery life — up to three weeks in comparison to the reMarkable 2’s up to two weeks — and more internal storage, too.
In terms of pricing, the Kindle Scribe starts at a cheaper price, from £329.99 with the Basic Pen and 16 GB storage, whereas the reMarkable 2 costs £379 with Marker and £419 with Marker Plus.
If you’re planning on purchasing a tablet for a loved one, take a look at the best tablets for older people.
