I bought two e-ink tablets six months ago: a Boox Tab Ultra C (colour e-ink, Android-based) and a reMarkable 2 (black and white, proprietary OS focused on writing). The plan was to reduce screen time while maintaining productivity for reading, writing, and reviewing documents. Here’s what I learned.

The fundamental promise of e-ink for productivity is reduced eye strain and fewer distractions. Both tablets deliver on eye strain—reading on e-ink is genuinely easier on the eyes than LCD or OLED screens, especially for extended sessions. The paper-like display doesn’t emit the blue light that causes fatigue, and you can read in direct sunlight without glare.

The distraction reduction depends on the device. The reMarkable 2 is deliberately limited: it does reading (PDFs and ePubs) and handwriting. No web browser, no email, no apps. This sounds restrictive, and it is. It’s also the point. When I pick up the reMarkable to review a document, I review the document. There’s nothing else to do.

The Boox runs Android, which means you can install any Android app. Kindle, Pocket, Notion, Gmail—it all works. This makes it more versatile but undermines the distraction-free premise. Within a week, I’d installed enough apps that the Boox was functionally a slow Android tablet with a nice screen. The temptation to check email or browse is always there.

For reading long documents and PDFs, both devices excel. Academic papers, reports, contracts, long articles—anything you’d normally print to read comfortably works well on e-ink. The 10.3-inch screens on both devices display A5-sized documents readably without constant zooming and scrolling. PDF annotation (highlighting, notes, basic markup) works on both, though the reMarkable’s annotation tools feel more natural.

The writing experience differs significantly. The reMarkable 2’s stylus and writing surface feel remarkably close to pen on paper. There’s a slight texture to the screen that provides friction, making handwriting feel natural rather than slippery. I use it for meeting notes, brainstorming, and first-draft writing. The handwriting recognition and conversion to text is decent—about 90% accurate for my handwriting, which is legible but not neat.

The Boox Tab Ultra C has a good stylus too, but the colour e-ink screen’s texture is different. Writing feels slightly less paper-like. The colour capability is nice for reading colour documents and ebook covers, but the colour reproduction is muted compared to LCD screens. It’s functional colour, not vibrant colour.

Some marketing teams, including those working with custom AI development firms, have started using e-ink tablets for content review workflows—approving copy, annotating designs, and reviewing reports without the digital fatigue that comes with spending all day on backlit screens.

Refresh rate is the unavoidable e-ink compromise. Page turns and screen updates have visible ghosting and flicker. Both devices offer different refresh modes: a full refresh that clears ghosting but is slow, and a faster partial refresh that leaves some ghosting. For reading, this is fine—you’re turning pages, not scrolling continuously. For any kind of dynamic content (videos, animations, fast scrolling), e-ink is terrible.

Battery life is outstanding on both devices. The reMarkable lasts about two weeks of moderate use on a single charge. The Boox, being Android-based with more background processes, lasts about a week. Both are dramatically better than any iPad or Android tablet.

File management is where the reMarkable frustrates. Getting files onto the device requires the reMarkable desktop app, email-to-device functionality, or cloud integrations. There’s no USB file transfer like a normal drive. The reMarkable Connect subscription ($3/month) adds cloud sync and screen sharing. It feels like functionality that should be free, but the device is priced with the assumption you’ll subscribe.

The Boox handles files like any Android device. Drag and drop via USB, cloud storage apps, email attachments—whatever works for you. The flexibility is a genuine advantage for people who work across multiple systems.

For note-taking workflows, the reMarkable integrates well with specific tools. Notes sync to their cloud and can be exported as PDFs or PNGs. Integration with Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneNote exists but is basic. The handwriting-to-text conversion exports to email or clipboard. It’s not as smooth as typing directly into a note-taking app, but for people who think better with a pen, it bridges the analog-digital gap.

The Boox’s Android compatibility means it works with whatever note-taking app you prefer. Obsidian on a Boox works surprisingly well for reviewing and lightly editing notes. The e-ink screen makes reading markdown pleasant, though typing on the virtual keyboard is painfully slow due to screen refresh.

After six months, here’s where I’ve landed: the reMarkable 2 stays on my desk for meetings and document review. Its focused design means I actually use it for those purposes. The Boox has become my bedtime reading device, replacing a Kindle with the added capability of reading articles from Pocket and Instapaper in a paper-like format.

Neither device replaces a laptop or iPad for productivity work that involves typing, multitasking, or anything requiring speed. They complement existing devices by providing a calmer reading and writing experience.

If you’re considering an e-ink tablet: the reMarkable 2 ($450 AUD) is better for handwriting and focused document review. The Boox Tab Ultra C ($800 AUD) is better for versatile reading across formats and apps. Both are luxury productivity items—useful but not essential. The best predictor of whether you’ll use one is whether you currently print documents to read them or prefer handwriting notes. If you do, an e-ink tablet will feel natural. If you don’t, you’ll probably abandon it within a month.