reMarkable 2 vs Rocketbook: Which Is the Superior Digital Notetaking Device?

Digital notetaking has rapidly grown in popularity thanks to devices that blend analog sensibilities with digital convenience. Two of the most well-regarded options on the market are the reMarkable 2 and Rocketbook. But they each offer distinct approaches to digitizing handwritten notes.

In this in-depth comparison guide, we‘ll analyze the core features and capabilities of the reMarkable 2 versus the Rocketbook to help you determine which device better matches your needs and budget.

At a Glance: reMarkable 2 vs Rocketbook

Before we dive into an in-depth, feature-by-feature analysis, here is a high-level overview of how the reMarkable 2 and Rocketbook compare:

As you can see, the reMarkable 2 features display technology for a paper-like writing experience, while the Rocketbook relies on traditional pens and erasable paper. The reMarkable 2 also offers more advanced on-device features for organizing, editing and exporting notes.

Now let‘s analyze some of these key differences in greater detail.

Display Technology: E Ink vs Erasable Paper

One of the standout features of the reMarkable 2 is its CANVAS display technology. It uses an E Ink display with 226 DPI resolution and a paper-like texture. This helps replicate the natural feeling of writing on paper, aided by the reMarkable Marker‘s precision pressure sensitivity. There is also a high-friction surface to avoid sliding.

In short, the reMarkable 2 aims to emulate paper‘s look, feel and handling characteristics as closely as possible while still enabling digital note capture.

The Rocketbook, on the other hand, takes a different approach by using traditional pens, pencils and paper. However, its notebooks utilize a special type of erasable paper that allows full pages to be cleared and reused up to five times.

The tradeoff is that the Rocketbook lacks the slick E Ink display of the reMarkable 2. So your writing experience remains analog. However, there is the added flexibility of using any normal writing instrument instead of a proprietary digital stylus.

Writing and Drawing: Natural or Restricted?

The reMarkable 2 also stands apart with its Marker stylus, which aims to replicate an authentic pen-on-paper feel. Its pressure sensitivity can detect over 4,000 levels of force. This allows for precise control of line variation in drawing and writing alike.

The stylus also incorporates tilt support to further augment writing accuracy. Strokes gracefully thin out at steep angles, just as you‘d expect with traditional pens. Marker tips wear over time just like actual pens, so spare tips are included.

All of these elements combine to make writing or sketching on the reMarkable 2 feel extremely natural. It brings digital handwriting close to actual pen and paper writing. markings.

By comparison, the Rocketbook relies solely on Pilot‘s erasable FriXion pens. While these mimic gel pens reasonably well, they restrict you from using other writing instruments like pencils or fountain pens. And there is no support for tilt or pressure sensitivity when writing in notebooks.

So if a natural writing experience is important to you, the reMarkable 2 certainly holds the edge. It brings fine control to digital handwriting.

Note Organization and Editing Tools

When it comes to proprietary software features, the reMarkable 2 once again outshines the Rocketbook.

The reMarkable 2 offers robust tools for organizing digital notes directly on the tablet itself:

• Create customized notebooks and sections
• Five paper style templates
• OCR text conversion
• Note export to various file formats

This enables complex yet flexible note organization schemes. And it facilitates efficient searching or exporting notes to other apps.

The Rocketbook instead focuses heavily on quick physical note capture. To augment handwritten pages, you must scan them using the Rocketbook app. This app does enable you to:

• Upload scanned pages to cloud storage services
• Transcribe handwriting to editable text
• Tag notebook pages

But advanced features for structuring, customizing and navigating notes reside primarily with the reMarkable 2 device itself.

If your priority is advanced digital note organization, the reMarkable 2 is the superior pick. But if easy analog capture plus basic digitization meets your needs, Rocketbook remains a handy option.

Connectivity and Syncing Notes

When it comes to getting digital copies of written notes onto other devices, connectivity plays an integral role.

Here the reMarkable 2 includes Wi-Fi and USB-C built into the tablet itself. This offers multiple options for wireless transfers or convenient physical connections to computers. reMarkable also operates its own cloud service called reMarkable Sync for storing an online backup of tablet notes.

With integrated connectivity, syncing notes from the reMarkable 2 to other apps and locations is straightforward. This aids collaboration across devices.

By comparison, the Rocketbook relies solely on the companion mobile app plus associated cloud services for digitizing analog pages. While this aids portability, it forces an extra step before your written notes become available elsewhere.

So the reMarkable 2 once again appears preferable for fast, streamlined digital note distribution and backup.

Battery Life: 2 Weeks vs Occasional Recharging

Battery life plays a substantial role in responsiveness and convenience. Here the reMarkable 2‘s use of low-power E Ink gives it a significant edge.

On average, the reMarkable 2 can run for two weeks on a single charge. Standby battery life is roughly a month before topping up is required. Given E Ink only draws power when screen contents change, battery demands remain extremely low during normal writing and sketching use.

By comparison, the Rocketbook relies on zero internal batteries. But you must periodically recharge your smartphone after intensive scanning and app usage sessions. And should you need to add handwritten notes while traveling without your Rocketbook on hand, you‘ll be reliant on less capable notebook substitutes.

So when it comes to all-day, on-the-go notetaking without power worries, the reMarkable 2 is vastly superior. For mobile professionals or students, this could be a major deciding factor.

Cost Considerations: Premium vs Budget Buy

As you might expect given its advanced engineering, the reMarkable 2 commands a premium price tag. The base model with a Marker stylus, sleeve case and USB accessory retails for $399. Upgrades like the Fineliner stylus and folio case can push its cost to $499+ and beyond.

For comparison, most Rocketbook notebooks cost between $15 to $35. And other than an occasional FriXion pen replacement ($5 to $10), there is no recurring spend needed.

Clearly if budget is your primary concern, Rocketbook remains an affordable means of reducing paper waste via reusable pages. But the reMarkable 2 justifies its higher pricing with vastly superior digital writing and drawing capabilities.

So weigh your budget against performance needs here. Casual notetakers can save with Rocketbook. But professionals, creatives and avid journalers gain extensive benefits from the reMarkable 2 that set it apart from traditional paper and common tablets.

7 Key Differences at a Glance

To recap the major distinctions between the reMarkable 2 and Rocketbook, here are 7 key differentiators side-by-side:

Which Device Is the Right Choice?

With such stark differences between these two popular digital writing platforms, how do you know which one best fits your needs?

Choose the reMarkable 2 If You Want:

• A responsive E Ink canvas that truly mimics paper
• Extremely natural writing experience with pen-like precision
• Tons of advanced tools for organizing, editing and exporting notes
• The freedom to write for weeks without charging
• A premium device built specifically for notetaking

Choose Rocketbook If You:

• Don‘t mind sticking to traditional notebooks
• Want basic paper reuse and scan digitizing
• Prefer to organize notes primarily via mobile app
• Have cost concerns or only casual needs
• Appreciate the portability of oldschool notebooks

So in summary:

The reMarkable 2 shines for professionals, creatives and notetaking devotees thanks to its perfectly tuned writing experience and best-in-class feature set.

But the Rocketbook remains a handy, eco-friendly choice for cost-conscious folks who want to easily digitize some handwritten material without going fully digital.

Hopefully this detailed feature comparison helps you decide which device best suits your personal or professional needs! Both gadgets minimize paper waste while streamlining handwritten information transfers to digital formats.

reMarkable 2 vs Rocketbook: Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about how the reMarkable 2 and Rocketbook compare:

Can the reMarkable 2 convert handwriting into editable text?
Yes. reMarkable 2 tablets include a handwriting recognition engine. It can analyze writing on the page and convert it into selectable text.

Does the Rocketbook app offer text transcription too?
Indeed. Rocketbook‘s mobile apps for iOS and Android devices can automatically scan notebook pages and attempt to recognize handwritten sentences, rendering them as editable digital text through optical character recognition algorithms.

What types of pens can I use with Rocketbook?
You must use FriXion‘s erasable gel ink pens. These incorporate thermochromic ink that clears from specially coated Rocketbook pages when heated to 140-150 degrees Fahrenheit, such as by a damp cloth wipe.

How does the reMarkable 2‘s battery life compare to an iPad?
The iPad range must be recharged every day or two with average use. The low-energy e-paper display on the reMarkable 2 enables up to two weeks of battery runtime between charges instead.

Can I organize notes into digital folders with the Rocketbook app?
Yes. You can create serveral levels folders within your chosen cloud storage provider, such as Dropbox, Google Drive or Evernote. Rocketbook scans can then be sorted into these folders as desireed for quick recollection.

I hope this guide has helped demystify these nifty but quite different handwriting-focused gadgets. Please don‘t hesitate to ask any other questions about the ideal device for your paperless note capture needs.