I actually have a soft spot in my heart for e-ink tablets. When the push these days is for products to be increasingly expensive do-it-all devices — many foldables cost more than a laptop — e-ink devices buck the trend, keeping things simple and cheap(er). They can also be more pleasant to look at if you’ve spent the rest of your day staring at bright LCD and OLED screens, like me.

It’s with a heavy heart, then, that I admit that most people should buy an iPad instead. There’s probably one reason that immediately leaps to mind, but even the features that products like the Kindle Scribe and reMarkable Paper Pro concentrate on are often better tackled on Apple’s tablets.

Brand

Apple

Storage

256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB

How iPads trounce e-ink tablets

More than just flexibility and performance

E-ink tablets are built around three core functions: reading, notetaking, and sketching. There are some related features that are useful, such as calendars and document signing, but ultimately those are variations on a theme. iPads, meanwhile, are built to be viable laptop replacements — so once you’re done reading a book or scribbling meeting items, you can actually get substantial work done, whether that means producing articles, editing a spreadsheet, or handling pro-grade photo and video editing. And once that’s finished, you can watch video, listen to music, and play meatier games like Resident Evil instead of quick hits like a crossword puzzle.

You’re probably aware of that. What you might not have considered is that iPads remain superior even when it comes to those core e-ink specialties. Unless you’re using one of Boox’s Android-based models, e-ink tablets are likely to lock you into proprietary tools, or ask you to import all your outside content, then export any edits. And even if you spring for color e-ink, you’ll still get a better reading and drawing experience with LCD or OLED screens. Those produce broader and more vibrant colors, not to mention improved contrast and resolution.

iPads bring extra power to bear in all areas, really. Though you might have to pay for them, there are notetaking and illustration apps on the App Store that mop the floor with what you’ll find on an e-ink tablet, simply because they have access to more RAM, more storage, and faster processors. You can use iPad apps like Photoshop, Procreate, or Pixelmator for commercial-grade image work — whereas anything you do on an e-ink tablet will probably just be the seed for projects elsewhere.

Even the accessory ecosystems are better. If you choose an e-ink tablet, you have to pick the right brand just to get both a keyboard case and a pressure-sensitive stylus, since you’ll almost always be stuck with first-party options. With iPads, there’s a plethora of third-party accessories aimed at different purposes, price levels, and styles, and that’s before you consider gear that’s meaningless with e-ink devices, like external displays and SSDs. Good luck finding a rugged outdoor case for a camping trip with your reMarkable tablet.

When should you get an e-ink tablet, then?

Threading the needle

If you spend hours every day reading or taking handwritten notes, the physical comfort of e-ink devices might make them worth it. Even a state-of-the-art iPad will weigh more and increase your eye strain, limiting how much time you can realistically spend with it, especially at night. An iPad is hardly well-suited to reading in bed — it requires two hands, and its light messes with your circadian rhythm.

Another perk is battery life. iPads are typically rated for just 10 hours of active use, and at most several days of standby time. Conversely, it’s not hard for an e-ink tablet to last a week or longer with daily activity, and multiple weeks when use is sporadic. This can make e-ink the winner for long trips, or simply if you’re the sort of person who forgets to charge things. There’s no point in owning an iPad if it’s always empty when you need it.

I should shoot down another supposed pro of e-ink devices, though: removing distractions. That only works if you already have a calm mind. If you’re prone to losing focus, you’ll find other ways to be dragged away, such as your phone or TV. I learned that lesson the hard way, despite my best intentions.