The Sony Digital Paper DPT-CP1 has been available for three years and sets the gold standard for viewing and editing PDF files. The split-screen view is robust and ideal for taking notes. The Remarkable 2 started shipping to people who pre-ordered in April and this device can not only view / edit PDFs, but EPUB ebooks as well. The drawing app is one of the best in the business, with its overlay system and handwriting engine.
The DPT-Cp1 has an E-Ink Carta display with a resolution of 1872 × 1404 with 227 PPI. It has a capacitive layer for interactions with the touchscreen and also one for the stylus for taking notes and writing on PDF files.
Under the hood is a 64-bit Marvell IAP 140 quad-core IoT application processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, WIFI and Bluetooth 4.2. The dimensions are 174.2 × 243.5 × 5.9mm and it weighs approximately 240g.
The Remarkable 2 features a 10.3 inch E INK screen with Canvas 2.0 technology for better refresh system when viewing PDF files or reading eBooks. It has improved, contrast, ensuring that it gives great writing and reading experience.The resolution is the same as the original with 1872 × 1404 with 226 PPI, it also has multi-point capacitive touch. The screen has a latency of 21ms, which is very ideal.
Under the hood is a 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. Remarkable essentially doubled the processor and RAM compared to the original, but kept the internal storage the same. Additionally, the company decided to forgo a Micro USB port and embrace USC-C instead, which should appeal to the voice minority who hate having multiple cables.
Drawing or editing PDF files is highly dependent on the software, but also on the stylus. Sony has a stylus, which must be recharged via USB. It also doesn’t have pressure sensitivity, but the pen is very well designed. It is brushed aluminum and is heavy, with good weight. The default Noteworthy pen is not that great, has a sandpaper-like feel and is made of plastic. The premium Marker Plus is much better, but costs $ 99. It is made of aluminum, its eraser button weighs more than the DPT stylus, it does not need to be charged either. The two companies offer different types of tips, but Remarkable does not yet sell the tips separately.
I think the Remarkable 2 offers good value for money. It sells for $ 399, during the pre-order period, and the price is expected to increase by around $ 100 by the end. It offers a great drawing experience, but the $ 500 DPT-CP1 offers a better PDF experience because more content can fit on the screen at any time. It also has a more advanced rendering engine. You can place 2 pages of the same document on either side of the screen, or even a note-taking app on one side and a PDF on the other.
This comparison video will give you an idea of the industrial design of Digital Paper and Remarkable 2. We take a look at the user interface, drawing, and note-taking experience. If you don’t know which one is best for your workflow, this video will answer those questions.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for ten years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post, and The New York Times.
