I would maybe look into the Boox note air 3c, it’s running on android so downloading pdfs would be easier. I personally find downloading class notes and lack of colour an irritation point.

Hey, have you considered the supernote A5x ? It is a great device to annotate and you have more options when it comes to import/export. I have both, remarkable is great to mimick a blank page but to organize knowledge and reading, supernote feels better to me.

Especially because you can automatically search your handwriting as it recognizes it in the background. Eye strain is an important factor, so you’re really right considering a eink machine !

Boox sells e ink devices that can access the internet, use Android apps (is Zotero on Android?), have front lights, and have excellent PDF reading software. Remarkable’s tactile writing experience is a skootch better, but it’s not a great reader and it doesn’t have a ton of internet access — more of a digital notebook.

I wouldn’t recommend the iPad for writing, it feels horrible bc of the slippery glass and I also didn’t like the feel of the Apple Pencil 2, using it for a longer time made my hand hurt.

I have a Remarkable 2 but will switch to Boox Note Air 3C soon bc the Boox has colour and a frontlight and runs on Android. However, writing on the Remarkable feels amazing and I only have to charge it once every two weeks. So if you don’t need a colour screen or frontlight and are happy with a device that’s only for taking notes and nothing else, the Remarkable definitely seems like a good choice.

I wouldn’t recommend ipad. Look at onyx boox as well, then decide.

Don’t know anything about Zotero but if you can print to PDF on your computer, you can read and annotate it on the rM2. There are also browser extensions available that might help.

I’ve never written on an iPad but I have on a Surface tablet and I would recommend the rM2 easily over that experience. That was with a $100 Microsoft Pen too… The rM2 actually lives up to its promise of feeling like paper. It’s not just the textured screen, it’s that plus the response time and intelligent design.

I opted out of the competitors because I wanted a device that I wouldn’t have to think about. I wanted a device I could set next to my laptop for 8-10 hours per day and just be ready for me to jot down, take notes, sketch a chart, etc., etc. and be able to easily recall those notes at any time. I got what I needed to the letter, and it works great for all that and so much more I won’t go into as this is getting long already. I highly recommend if you are serious about wanting a good writing focus tool.

I will +1 the other posts suggesting the ONYX BOOX. I had a rM2 and now have a Boox Tab Ultra (as well as a Mac and iPad pro). I posted an extensive review in this group between the Boox and the rM a few months back (probably searchable).

For just notetaking the rM would work for you 100%; but your mention of ereader needs and Zotero puts your use case closer to mine. I don’t use Zotero, and don’t see an Android client app for it (yet), but can say that ereading/markup on the Boox tab ultra is better for me than when I had the rM.

I love my R2. I’ve had problems printing PDFs with my markups in the past but these issues have since been resolved. I also spring for the cloud service. I use it daily so figure it’s worth the $8 a month. My thinking is BETTER with the R2. Writing long hand is different than typing and if you are needing to think better the R2 is the way to go.

Hi,

So I switched from an iPad + pen to a reMarkable 1 some years ago and have never thought of going back. I use my remarkable on a daily basis for taking meeting notes, markup of design papers and other documents.

On my Mac’s (MBP and MAc Pro desktop) I am able to send documents to my reMarkable via the RMAPI interface or the reMarkable app without any issues and if I have a document or web page that I want on my reMarkable I just print the item. The rmapi will allow you to create a printer that will permit you to print to your reMarkable.