[extreme_orang]

ps. I also own a Boox Note Air, and the remarkable quite simply blows it away. When I bought the Boox I loved it, but after getting the Remarkable there really is no competition. I do like the Boox for its novelty value, running weird things on an e-ink display, but I don't use it for notes or reading anymore.

[krono]

The lack of screenlighting has long been the only thing holding me back.

I so hope they're not ruining their next device with anti-customisation and aggressive subscription or partner service marketing.

[AlanYx]

I thought I wanted a frontlight too, but after trying a number of these types of devices and purchasing three of them (Remarkable 2, Kobo Elipsa, and Fujitsu Quaderno Gen 2), I'm convinced that the compromises aren't worth it for a notetaking-focused device. (For an e-reader, it's a different story.)

With a frontlight layer, there's a greater gap between the pen and the e-ink layer, and it makes more of a difference than you'd think in terms of pen feel. (Even the Remarkable 2 isn't that great here because the non-frontlit protective layer feels thicker than it needs to be; Fujitsu did a super job with the Quaderno Gen 2; the pen feels like it's actually in contact with the e-ink surface.) There's also a subtle loss of contrast with the additional frontlight layer.

As much as a clip-on reading light feels hokey, I think it's a better compromise for when you need to read in the dark.

[krono]

Perhaps the convenience of having one device function as both a notebook and all-round e-reader is not worth the trade-offs you mention.

My 2013 Kobo Aura HD (still in perfect condition!) is a standard item in my bag, and still sees daily use as a bedtime reader. Having Calibre automatically sync reading positions between devices would allow me to leave it at home. Problem solved :)

[amcoastal]

Can you elaborate why? I'm stuck between the two as a purchasing decision. I value the android apps but if the writing and reading experience is way low I may skip out on boox

[rchaud]

I have a Boox Note Air and frankly every review puts Remarkable above it ONLY on the writing experience.

For my use, I have had zero issues with the Boox pen or screen latency. Boox is superior on multiple fronts when it comes to overall usefulness, as it's running Android, so I can use exactly the file explorer I want (Solid Explorer). The PDF formatting options, such as increasing ink darkness and contrast levels make things like color magazines a lot easier to see and read.

The frontlit screen is such an obvious feature that I'm shocked that RM2 still does not have it. Boox does.

[salamandersauce]

If reading anything other than PDFs is important the Boox is a better choice. Remarkable lags super far behind in ePub support, AFAIK it converts an ePub to PDF and then displays that. A large book will take a very long time to adjust the font size or other formatting because of that. General rendering support seems poor and it doesn't support any DRM scheme or library system so you're stuck stripping DRM off books and monkeying around with their app to get it onto the device. Boox of course can just run the Kindle or Libby Android apps.

Main thing people like about the Remarkable is writing feel which mainly comes down to the surface and the pen nib. You can literally use the RM pen and nibs on the Boox Air and a matte screen protector. MyDeepGuide on YouTube has recommendations on how to get a better feel on the Boox Note Air.

[anon2020dot00]

I'd recommend MyDeepGuide on YouTube for e-ink device reviews; the channel has pretty comprehensive comparisons

[extreme_orang]

They are both very good. I really liked the flexibility of the Boox.

The remarkable does have a superior screen writing feel by far. That was much more important to me in the end.

I won’t lie, I miss the Boox ability to customise the UI and install tons of things.

But I find the simple on/off notes and reading with remarkable just works for me.