Six months on: Why the reMarkable Paper Pro Move still feels perfect and pointless

The reMarkable Paper Pro Move has been one of those devices that feels unnecessary until you start using it. Then, it quietly becomes part of your daily routine.

It's not trying to replace your laptop or tablet, nor is it designed to be overly flashy or versatile. Instead, it's designed for something most modern tech products forget: focus.

In a world where attention is a currency, this 7.3-inch digital notebook gives you the space to think, write and breathe again.

But why would you use this over pen and paper? After six months of use, here's why.

NOTE: Prices are accurate at the time of publishing.

reMarkable Paper Pro Move at a glance...

Get yours $779

Pros: Satisfying writing experience, beautiful and sleek design, quality accessories, great templates and organisation capability, synced notes

Cons: Pricey upfront (and requires a $5/month subscription for full features), slight lag when navigating menus, e-ink flicker takes time to get used to

Who it's for: Creatives, professionals, writers and journalers who love handwriting and want a calm, distraction-free digital workspace

Six months on, here's how it fits into my life

The reMarkable Paper Pro Move has become quite the companion to my morning routine. On a slow morning, it'll be one of the first things I reach for after making my cup of coffee. I'll open one of the built-in to-do templates, jot down a few tasks, and carry on with my day.

It's also small and discreet enough to take to a cafe, and that's something I love. Sitting there, journaling without the glare of a screen... It's a rare, calm feeling. The pen also glides across the display with a soft hiss – exactly like using a pencil on paper. Months on, the pencil tip remains sharp. If you're worried about it going blunt, reMarkable also offers extra tips in its package.

So, yes. It's safe to say the writing experience is excellent. No lag, just fluid motion and a satisfying resistance that makes the handwriting feel human. The colour display also looks natural and slightly pastel, and the range of pen tools gives plenty of freedom to switch between writing, sketching and annotating.

The display also has a brilliantly soft backlight that you can toggle and adjust accordingly. Sometimes, in the dead of night, I'd be sitting down by the kitchen table, journaling some thoughts away without wincing away my eyes from the harsh light of, say, a phone.

At work, the notebook has been equally valuable. Most mornings, I've used it to plan my schedule, outline my meetings or jot down other important thoughts. Everything is synced instantly over Wi-Fi, and I've built a folder system that mirrors how I think – personal, academic and work. It's like carrying three notebooks in one.

It has also been more than a productivity tool. I've used it a few times to write short notes for my deaf grandma, zooming in so she could read them easily before I erased them and wrote something new. It's small moments like these that sum up what reMarkable gets right: keeping it human.

A fantastic writing experience and design

A standout of the reMarkable Paper Pro Move is how it feels, as mentioned. The pen glides across the display, and when you're done with the stylus, it attaches magnetically and charges on the side.

Pair it with a book folio cover, and it becomes a real ritual: open it, and the notebook wakes. Close it, and it goes to sleep.

The design is also gorgeous – sitting at a slim 6.5mm thickness and weighing 230g, with subtle grooves and proportions similar to an actual notebook.

The 7.3-inch Canvas Colour display is also crisp and matte, with a good resolution and an adjustable backlight that isn't jarring – it's great for relaxed, late-night sessions.

The notebook runs on a powerful enough processor and 64GB internal storage – plenty for thousands of notes, but there is a way to get unlimited storage (more on that later).

Battery life is reasonable, too. I manage to squeeze up to a week of active use, but it charges quickly via USB-C, and the auto-sleep helps it conserve power.

A reMarkable ecosystem

What makes the device more than just a digital notebook is its ecosystem.

The Connection subscription adds tools that complement your experience, from unlimited cloud storage to Slack integration, editing on other devices, and access to other exclusive reMarkable method templates. Though at $4.99/month, it's not an unreasonable ask, it's still a subscription fee to be aware of.

Even without it, your experience is still seamless. You can import PDFs, view your work through the reMarkable app on your laptop or phone, and share your screen. Plus, it now has Miro connectivity, so if you're someone who works on that platform, you can sync a whiteboard up!

Pros and cons

Here's what I really liked

The reMarkable Paper Pro Move inspires you to optimise and digitise your life through writing and planning, all the while being distraction-free. The pen-to-page feels fantastic, the syncing ecosystem is intuitive, and the physical design and hardware are elegant and seamless.

It's great for journaling, to-do lists, sketching ideas, and planning projects. Especially if you're the kind of person who thrives using pen and paper. The Connection subscription, combined with the marker plus (which has a working eraser) and folio accessories, really combine to complete the experience as well.

Overall, the device proved itself to be versatile in both expected and unexpected ways, and there were no glaring issues I struggled with in my six months of use.

Not without its flaws

For all its charm, it's not without its flaws. I have to preface this is a novelty, and that is the biggest downside.

At a $779 base price, $70 extra for the marker plus, and a $99 minimum for the folio cover, it is undeniably a hefty investment. You have to be committed to get value out of this device (and that's not even including the optional Connect subscription).

The battery could also be a bit longer (while not a major issue), navigating menus could be smoothed out further, and the flicker during page transitions, while normal, is annoying if you have never used an e-ink device before.

Another irk is the aspect ratio of the notebook itself. While just barely pocketable, it feels a little too slim to act as a full-size notebook. I got used to it, but if it were a bit wider, it would be the perfect device for me.

One final note, although not much of a flaw, but just something to be mindful of: keeping it clean. If I've forgotten about the notebook in my bag for a day or two, it does tend to get a bit dirty. I noticed the display picking up a few tiny nicks and scratches, possibly caused by dirt and debris rolling around in my bag. Functionally, it all works fine, and writing is about 98 per cent smooth, but it is something to be aware of (like all screens).

So what's the final verdict?

The reMarkable Paper Pro Move is not trying to impress everyone; rather, it's trying to slow you down. It's a minimalist's dream in a distracting world.

Yes, it's expensive. Yes, sure, you could just use pen and paper (rendering the device pointless). But I think it's one of the few gadgets that is worth it in the long run, thanks to its design, feel, features and ecosystem.

If you love writing, thinking, or planning on paper, and are ready to be committed to using the device, this might just be one of the most satisfying purchases of the year.

Get yours here!

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