Supernote’s new E Ink tablet is upgradeable and repairable

Supernote has announced its new A5 X2 Manta E Ink tablet that could be a potential alternative to the reMarkable 2 for those wanting a larger screen and a device that can be easily upgraded and repaired. It’s available now for $459, something of a jump from the $379 reMarkable 2. The latter also includes a stylus, while the Supernote A5 X2 requires you to provide your own — or spend at least another $59 to buy one of the company’s pens (which, according to Supernote, don’t need charging and are fitted with ceramic tips that won’t wear down).

On the other hand, the new tablet is very fixable. A panel on the back of the Supernote A5 X2 can be removed without tools, giving quick access to some of the tablet’s internal components. This includes its 3,600mAh battery, which can be replaced when it loses capacity or stops charging, and the A5 X2’s motherboard, potentially allowing for performance improvements or new features down the road without having to replace the entire device. There’s also a microSD slot that can use a memory card to expand the A5 X2’s storage from 32GB up to 2TB.

The 10.7-inch 300 ppi E Ink screen on the Supernote A5 X2 is larger and has more resolution than the reMarkable 2’s 10.3-inch 266 ppi panel, but like the four-year-old reMarkable, the A5 X2 skips screen lighting for what the company calls an improved writing experience and a “true paper look in natural light.” That could be a tough sell when alternatives like the Amazon Kindle Scribe and the Kobo Elipsa 2E can be easily used in the dark. Even reMarkable now offers an E Ink tablet with an illuminated screen.

Powered by a 1.8GHz RK3566 quad-core processor, the Supernote A5 X2 runs a custom Android 11-based OS called Chauvet that supports features like two-finger gestures and offline handwriting recognition that can convert your notes to editable text. The tablet also has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, allowing documents to be synced through cloud-based services like Dropbox or Google Drive, or to be transferred directly to other devices wirelessly using an accompanying mobile app. For extra security, you can even plug a flash drive into the A5 X2’s USB-C charging port and transfer files manually.

Other features include touch-sensitive strips on the bezels on either side of the screen that can be used to scroll long document and a fabric loop for storing a stylus that can also be removed entirely.