Let me start with a small confession: I generally haven't been much of a note taker. I have the dangerous mindset of "I'll remember that later", so I try to take as few notes as possible. That being said, I've tried a few different note-taking apps, most notably OneNote for longer notes and Apple Notes for shorter notes on my Mac.

Recently, though, I got my first review unit of a proper note-taking tablet, the ReMarkable Paper Pro, and I've found a whole new appreciation for this kind of device. While they are pricy, it's easy to see now why this hardware exists, and if you're looking for a way to take notes efficiently, I'd say you really should try one of these devices. Here are a few reasons why tablets like the ReMarkable models are better for note-taking than any app you might download on your phone, tablet, or PC.

4 Distraction-free

Less is... still less, but for a good reason

One thing that might give you pause with a device like the ReMarkable Paper Pro is the fact that it's pretty much only a note-taking device (though you can use it as an e-reader too). There are no apps, a web browser, or anything else you can do, and that can be jarring at first, but it's actually a positive.

When I take notes or write on my ReMarkable, I find myself staying way more focused on that task. When I try to write something down on my PC or phone, I'm always tempted to go back to the home screen and look at my usual distractions, whether it's YouTube or something else. The fact that your notes live on a dedicated device and you need to grab your phone or something else separately if you want to get distracted really does help.

I know many will argue that "you should just have self-control" or something along these lines, but these self-imposed restrictions are common for a reason. It really does help those who get distracted more easily.

3 They work great in most lighting

E Ink makes a difference

One thing that these note-taking tablets do that makes a huge difference is use very different types of displays. E Ink is a technology that displays content by physically moving particles that cause the display to show the desired color, but the important bit here is that no built-in light is required for the resulting image to be visible. Because these are proper ink particles, you can simply see them just as you see the ink from a pen on a piece of paper.

What that means is you can use these note-taking tablets in any condition where you'd use a paper notebook. The screen is perfectly readable outside in the sun — in fact, strong light makes the screen even easier to read, so whether you're outside, in a bright office room, or in more cozy indoor lighting, you can clearly see the screen and take your notes without having to worry about screen brightness or anything of the sort.

This also makes reading back your notes much more comfortable. A typical screen emits blue light which can wear down your eyes and make it harder to fall asleep if you're looking at your device late at night. Because E Ink relies much more on the surrounding light, you can read far more comfortably and promote a healthier lifestyle for yourself.

2 Better battery life

Don't worry about charging up

As great as the battery life on your phone or tablet might be, using it all day to take notes is going to ensure it's probably going to be dead by the end of the day. There are multiple reasons for that, but the two biggest ones are what we've already mentioned above. For one thing, your phone or tablet likely has a lot more going on because of all the installed apps and the fact that they use the internet or cellular network for a lot more things.

Then there's the fact that a typical LCD or OLED display uses a ton more power compared to an E Ink display. Typical displays require a backlight to be visible at all, and they'll need to be brighter and use more power depending on where you're using them. What's more, most displays will likely be refreshing their content 60 times per second (at 60Hz), and sometimes higher depending on the refresh rate of your device. At best, you're likely still looking at one refresh per second.

E Ink displays don't need to be refreshed unless new content is being added. Once the ink particles move into the right position to display a given image, no energy is required to keep them there, meaning your E Ink tablet uses almost no power when you're just reading things back, or you leave it idle. This results in extrmely long battery life by comparison with a more multi-purpose device, meaning you don't have to worry about not being able to take notes because your phone is dead.

1 The writing feel

It's surreal how good it is

Finally, it truly can't be understated how much of a difference the writing feel makes when you're taking notes. I've tried handwriting on typical tablets and 2-in-1 laptops many times in the past, and yes, I got somewhat used to it, but it was never natural. It never feels like I'm just writing as I normally would on a piece of paper, because the smooth glass surface just doesn't feel right.

Tablets like the ReMarkable Paper Pro completely change that. I was honestly taken aback when I first got mine and started writing on it; it felt like I was doing something wrong, carving into the display or something. But after the first few minutes, it becomes so incredibly obvious how much more natural it feels to write on this rougher surface. When I write on the Paper Pro, I feel much more accurate and faster because it just feels natural to write on it compared to a hard, smooth glass surface.

My understanding is there are different tiers of to this. The Paper Pro is meant to feel more like using a pencil on paper, while a standard ReMarkable model would feel more like using a pen on paper, so I'm coming from the higher end of the spectrum here. But to me, it's a night and day difference between this and a typical display, and it really does matter.

Note-taking tablets make sense

Is it worth spending hundreds of dollars on a device that can only take notes? That's hard to say. It is a single-purpose device, and not a cheap one, when you can get much more multi-purpose alternatives for around the same price, so it's clearly not for everyone. But if note-taking is important to you and you have the budget to accommodate a more premium investment, the ReMarkable tablets truly do make a difference. It's something you can't get by just downloading an app, and it's clear that the hardware is crafted to offer a very specific experience, which works incredibly well. At the very least, I recommend giving one a chance.