We have already discussed the PDF reading capabilities of the main e-readers on the market. While some offer a perfectly acceptable experience for those who only wish to read PDF documents, e Ink tablets are equipped with a stylus and aren’t limited to reading: they make it possible to annotate a document or to take notes. They can replace notebooks and be used as e-paper. Unlike consumer e-readers, which aren’t ideal for PDF files, most e Ink tablets are great for working on PDF documents. However, some are better at that task than others, and have very powerful features. For example, it is possible to mark pages as “favorites”, to easily export quotations, or to use various strategies (symbols, keywords…) to annotate your PDFs etc. Which model stands out from the crowd, which would better be avoided, and why? Let’s find out!
Contents hideE Ink tablets are rather versatile, but the companies producing them do not follow the same approach: some have opted for minimalist systems, based on a Linux kernel and a lightweight graphic interface (like the reMarkable 2, or the SuperNote A5), while others are based on modified versions of Android (like the various tablets offered by Onyx Boox). In the first case, the CPU and RAM are usually similar to those of consumer e-readers, with an added Wacom layer to make writing with a stylus possible; in the second case devices running Android often feature powerful CPUs, such as those found in smartphones and tablets. In both cases, the devices perform well, the former more minimalist ones running less complex / bloated software.
In both cases, these e-Ink device let you do much more than you can with simple e-reader and their 10 or 13″ screen size is more suited to the reading of academic papers or non-fiction books than devices with a 6 or 8 inch screen. In my experience, 10″ is a versatile screen size, great to read books as well as academic papers. It’s a great screen size as well to read most A4 documents (cropping the margins); A4 documents with no margins (multi-column articles for example) are more comfortably read on a 13.3″ device.
Onyx Boox e-Ink tablets are interesting because they’re based on high-performance hardware, and they’re versatile: they run Android, and you can install many different applications on them. In fact, on these e Ink tablets it is possible to install most Android applications available on the PlayStore, including those of the major book retailers (Amazon Kindle, Kobo, etc.) and it’s easy to read your DRM-protected books purchased from them on your e Ink tablet.
PDF support is really good, even when using the default reading apps. The applications supplied by the manufacturer, such as those for reading and annotating documents or for writing (as these devices are also digital notebooks), are perfectly suited for e-Ink and they offer all the functionalities needed on a reading and note taking device (PDF highlighting, which can then be exported to the document, use of different colors, etc.). While you can install almost all apps from the Playstore, most of them aren’t optimized for e-Ink: you can’t expect the same fluidity as on a tablet with an LCD screen, even if Boox provides a “fast mode” that optimizes screen refresh. For writing and reading, these are great device. They also can be used as an e-Ink typewriter, with a Bluetooth keyboard, and as some of them feature a color screen, like the 10″ Onyx Boox Note Air 3 C, these devices can be great for reading comic books.
Onyx also offers devices in a larger diagonal, close to A4 (letter format). The most recent of these is the Boox Tab X, and comes with a 13.3″ Mobius screen. 13.3″ e Ink devices are very interesting, as it is possible to read all A4 documents very comfortably, but also to split the screen in two, in order to read on one side and take notes on the other.
Thanks to its versatility, a 13″ e ink tablet like the Onyx Boox Tab X can be a very good choice for anyone looking for an e Ink device with a large screen, that can handle PDF documents as well as any other digital file, and which will also be great to take notes. When it comes to Onyx Boox devices, it is important to note that most older devices are stuck to the Android version they were sold with. For the time being, it seems that Onyx is not focusing on long-term software updates, but rather aims to bring new devices to the market on a fairly regular basis. This isn’t necessarily a problem if your use case is centered on the apps your device comes with, in offline mode, for example if you want to mostly read and annotate PDF files. It can, however, raise security issues if you plan to use the device to browse the Internet, or check and reply to your e-mails.
Despite this contestable choice – which might change, even though this seems unlikely -, these devices offer good value for the money, and are currently the only way to benefit from the latest technological advances (color screen, ability to install apps from the PlayStore, etc.).
Boyue Meebook e-readers are similar in hardware to older Onyx Boox e-readers. On the software side, we’re also on an Android based OS. But how does LikeBook devices compare to Boox ones? These devices are cheaper than the latest Onyx Boox models, they are decent, but their interface is slower: Onyx Boox devices are more pleasant to use. However, if you have a tight budget, they can get the job done at a great price: they are an option worth considering. If these devices aren’t the best at note taking, they can be interesting for reading and can be great PDF and ePubs reading tablets for those on a tight budget. With no customer support in English, it seems to me this choice can be a bit risky, but some customers are very happy with their devices.
The reMarkable 2, is totally different from what Onyx Boox offer. Not because it is created by a company from Europe rather than from China, but because this device is minimalist, and is aiming at providing the best writing experience. It is very well-designed and rather open: you can easily add documents, but you can also modify the software: the reMarkable 2 is hackable.
It’s a neat device, but its default PDF reader is rather limited, as we mention in our article dedicated the reMarkable 2. ReMarkable’s main focus has always been on the writing experience, that they are trying to make as paper-like as possible: writing on a document, be it a blank page or a PDF is very comfortable, but the device’s limitations when dealing with PDFs (no ability to change contrast, very limited navigation) make it far from being ideal for this task. It primarily is a digital notebook, designed for taking notes or drawing sketches, which can also be used to read PDFs. When you annotate a PDF document, annotations are saved as image layer on top of the PDF, there is no way to extract them easily once the document has been exported to a computer.
Reading ePub files, while totally possible to read those on a reMarkable, isn’t as nice as the one we can experience on a dedicated e-reader like the Kobo Elipsa, or the other devices mentioned on this page: no dictionary, hard to navigate through the book… in fact the ePub file is converted into a PDF before being opened by the tablet.
reMarkable devices – and this is their strong point, despite their clear limitations – are very open: they come with SSH and a root access; you can make changes to adapt them to your habits. A strong community of developers offers third-party applications, which are relatively easy to install thanks to a dedicated repository. Nevertheless, because of its limitations, the choice of reMarkable to use a glass-based Carta screen (that can break more easily than the Mobius screen found in most other 10″ devices) and the switch to a subscription-based model a couple of years ago, I clearly can’t recommend the reMarkable 2, except for a few specific use cases (drawing in particular).
Ratta is a chinese company that choose to follow a totally different path than the one followed by Onyx Boox and Boyue. They have two kinds of e-Ink tablets, the SuperNote A5, a minimalist device based on a stripped-down custom Linux-based OS, and the SuperNote A5X, running a custom OS based on Android.
In my opinion, the A5 is too limited and not worth it in 2024 in this price-range, but the A5X is a really interesting device, probably the best 10 inch e Ink tablet currently available. It is more minimalist than an 10 inch Boox tablet, anf less versatile, but it does a few things and does it really well. Ratta’s team seems committed to improving their software on the long run rather than producing (and selling) a new tablet every year. They are active on Reddit and try to take into account the advice of their customers.
The writing and drawing possibilities aren’t as sophisticated as what can be done with a reMarkable 2, and the OCR isn’t as powerful, but the device can work totally offline (even the OCR, while the OCR of the reMarkable is done on the “cloud” of a French company) which is great for privacy. It is really fast – and easy – to switch between a PDF and a Notebook, and Ratta uses a specific technology the their stylus: the nib last for the life of the device, and provide a great writing experience, similar to the one of a fountain pen.
The tablets offered by Fujitsu, under the name “Quaderno”, are well suited to PDF, and will be suitable for people who only want to work with this format. They were initially devices whose hardware came from Sony (exact same hardware as the Sony DPT-RP1). These devices have, both in 10 and 13.3 inches, an e Ink Carta 1250 screen, with improved contrast and speed, but what makes these devices shine for PDF reading and annotating is Fujitsu’s software. The Quaderno can only work on PDF files, but it does it very well. This is especially noticeable when you export your files : the highlighted parts, are real PDF annotations which makes it possible – for example – to use a software such as ZotFile to export your annotations to Zotero (Update: that’s now also possible with Boox and SuperNote devices).
Available in A5 (10″) or A4 (13.3″), the Quaderno is a great device for those looking for a device focusing on PDF and excelling at what it does. For a similar price, the tablets offered by Onyx are much more versatile, and they are easier to acquire given that they are easily available on Amazon stores worldwide, with the added possibility of a return if the device does not suit you. Sadly, Fujitsu Quaderno devices aren’t widely available yet and must be imported from Japan!
In 10-inch format, a Boox Note Air 3C can be a great choice, allowing you to benefit from the latest technological advances (color screen, powerful CPU). For those who want to be able to read and annotate all kinds of A4 documents with maximum comfort, or split their screen in two to take note on one side while reading on the other, a 13.3-inch device like the Boox Tab X, will be better
In both cases, it is unlikely that Onyx will provide software updates on the long run. That’s not a real problem if you’re happy with the functionalities the tablet come from and are OK to use it offline, but that’s something to bear in mind. For some users, more minimalist devices may be a wiser choice, such as the SuperNote A5X from the Chinese company Ratta. It offers many features while remaining minimalist, is very well built and the manufacturer has been providing updates for a long time and promises to keep doing so. This device is several years old though, it can be interesting to wait until they release the A5X2, which should happen soon…
Fujitsu’s Quaderno A5 Gen 2 and Quaderno A4 Gen 2 are solid references, although they aren’t as versatile as the devices mentioned earlier and are hard to buy outside of Japan. In 10″ or 13.3″, these devices are great to those who only want to work with PDFs.
The reMarkable 2, seems to me to be reserved for people looking for a device dedicated to sketching, and who intend to use their device in the office: the fragility of its Carta screen, the company’s policy of moving towards a subscription model and the PDF reading limitations of its software not making it the best digital ink device at a time when solid alternatives exist.
If all these devices seem too expensive, or too complex for your needs, then you’d be better off with a simple e-reader, that is also capable of reading PDFs. For some time now, the main e-reader manufacturers (Kobo, Amazon with its Kindle and Pocketbook) have been offering devices with diagonals of 8 to 10 inches that can be great for reading PDF documents. These devices offer good value for money and will get software updates for years. We compare the main models and their PDF reading capabilities in our article dedicated to the best e Ink devices for PDF reading.
Do you have any questions or experiences to share? Feel free to leave a comment below!
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