Which One Wins? reMarkable vs. iPad for Creatives, Students, and Minimalists

Why you can trust this guide 

When it comes to refurbished electronic devices, Back Market is one of the industry’s leading sources and authorities on the market. Thanks to the skilled technicians and the solid reputation the company has built, you’ll be able to choose from a wide range of trusted products that have gone through extensive testing and quality control and offer up a much better price tag than new models. 

The goal of this guide is to give you all of the information you need, based on our experience, to decide which tablet works best for you. Once you’ve made your choice, Back Market’s certified professionals and strict testing methods provide the foundation for your peace of mind when buying one of these products. Each product goes through rigorous testing and quality checks to make sure it’s reliable and fairly priced, so you can always trust the product you’re getting. 

“I bought the ‘my phone’ from Back Market and I have had it for almost a month now and there have been no problems! There are no scratches on the front glass. The cameras work excellent, there are no scratches on the back. They use genuine refurbished parts.”

-Ben H 

reMarkable vs. iPad: How do they fare? 

We’ll be comparing three iPad models to the reMarkable tablets, highlighting key differences in specs and features to help you make the best choice for your needs.  

Main specifications 

The core specs of the iPad and the reMarkable 2 show you the level of performance and capabilities each product has based on the tasks required. Through a glance at these specs, you can decide which tablet works best for you and your needs. The iPads have better processing power, but slightly fewer capabilities when it comes to note-taking and writing. You’ll also find the battery performance of the reMarkable to be far superior to the iPads. 

​​​​​Apple iPad 10.9 (2022)   

• Display: 10.9-inch Liquid Retina IPS; 2360 × 1640 px (264 ppi); True Tone; 500 nits max brightness; 60Hz refresh rate 

• Chip: A14 Bionic (6-core CPU: 2×3.1GHz Firestorm + 4×1.82GHz Icestorm; 4-core GPU; 16-core Neural Engine) 

• Memory (RAM): 4GB LPDDR4X RAM 

• Storage: 64GB or 256GB flash storage 

• Battery: 28.6 Wh (≈7606mAh); up to 10 hours web/video playback 

• Rear camera: 12MP ƒ/1.8 with 4K video 

• Front camera: 12MP Center Stage ƒ/2.4; 1080p video recording 

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax); Bluetooth 5.2; USB-C (USB 2.0 speeds); optional 5G NR/LTE on cellular models 

• Dimensions: 9.79 × 7.06 × 0.28 in 

• Weight: 16.82 oz (Wi-Fi), 16.96 oz (cellular) 

• Operating system: Shipped with iPadOS 16.1; upgradable to latest iPadOS versions 

• Stylus support: Apple Pencil (USB-C) and 1st Gen via USB-C ↔ Lightning adapter                                               

Apple iPad Air (M3) 

• Display: 13-inch Liquid Retina IPS, 2732 × 2048 px at 264 ppi; P3 wide color; True Tone; 600 nits max brightness; laminated, anti-reflective 

• Chip: Apple M3 (8-core CPU: 4 performance + 4 efficiency; 9-core GPU; 16-core Neural Engine); 8GB RAM 

• Memory (RAM): 8GB LPDDR5 

• Storage: 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB 

• Battery: ​​36.59 Wh; up to 10 hours web/video playback 

• Rear camera: 12MP ƒ/1.8; 4K video; smart HDR 4 

• Front camera: 12MP Center Stage ƒ/2.0; 4K video; smart HDR 4 

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C (USB 3); optional sub-6GHz 5G & Gigabit LTE; eSIM 

• Dimensions: 11.05 × 8.46 × 0.24 in 

• Weight: 21.73 oz 

• Operating system: ​​iPadOS 18 

• Stylus support: Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil (USB-C), hover gestures 

Apple iPad Pro (M4) 

• Display: 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR Tandem OLED, 2752 × 2064 px at 264 ppi; ProMotion 10 to 120Hz; P3; True Tone; oleophobic; 1000 nits SDR, 1600 nits HDR; 2 000 000:1 contrast; nano-texture option 

• Chip and memory (RAM): 

  • 256GB and 512GB models: M4 with 9-core CPU (3 performance + 6 efficiency), 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 8GB RAM 

  • 1TB and 2TB models: M4 with 10-core CPU (4 performance + 6 efficiency), 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 16GB RAM 

• Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB 

• Battery: ​​38.99 Wh; up to 10 hours web/video playback 

• Cameras and sensors: Rear: 12MP ƒ/1.8 + LiDAR; ​​Front: TrueDepth 12MP Center Stage ƒ/2; Face ID; four-mic array; four-speaker audio 

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Thunderbolt / USB 4; sub-6GHz 5G & Gigabit LTE; eSIM 

• Dimensions: 11.09 × 8.48 × 0.20 in 

• Weight: 20.41 oz (Wi-Fi), 20.54 oz (cellular) 

• Operating system: ​​iPadOS 18.5 (latest OS released on 12 May, previous OS is 17.5) 

• Stylus support: Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil (USB-C), hover gestures 

reMarkable 1 

• Display: 10.3-inch monochrome E Ink (Carta) electronic paper, 1872 × 1404 px (226 ppi); no backlight 

• Chip: 1GHz single-core ARM A9 CPU 

• Memory (RAM): 512MB DDR3L RAM 

• Storage: 8GB internal (≈6.5GB usable) 

• Battery: 3000mAh; up to two weeks of typical use 

• Cameras: None 

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz); Micro USB 2.0; no Bluetooth 

• Dimensions: 6.97 × 10.08 × 0.26 in 

• Weight: 12.35 oz 

• Operating system: Codex (Linux-based) optimized for E Ink 

• Stylus support: Passive “Marker” stylus (battery-free) with 2048 pressure levels 

reMarkable 2  

• Display: 10.3-inch second-gen CANVAS E Ink Carta; 1872 × 1404 px (226 dpi); multi-point capacitive touch; no backlight 

• Chip: 1.2GHz dual-core ARM 

• Memory (RAM): 1GB LPDDR3 

• Storage: 8GB internal (≈100,000 pages) 

• Battery: 3000mAh Li-ion; USB-C charging; up to two weeks typical use 

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz), USB-C, accessory port 

• Weight: 14.23 oz 

• Operating system: reMarkable OS (Codex, Linux-based) 

• Stylus support: Marker (magnetic, no charging, tilt & pressure); Marker Plus adds eraser 

​reMarkable Paper Pro 

• Display: 11.8-inch Canvas Color E Ink (E Ink Gallery 3); 1872 × 1404 px (≈224 ppi); adjustable front light 

• Chip: 1.8GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU 

• Memory (RAM): 2GB LPDDR4 RAM 

• Storage: 64GB internal storage 

• Battery: 5,030 mAh; up to two weeks of use; charges from 0% to  90 % in about 90 min 

• Cameras: None 

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz and 5GHz); USB 2.0 Type-C port 

• Dimensions: 7.74 × 10.79 × 0.20 in 

• Weight: 18.52 oz 

• Operating system: Codex (Linux-based) 

• Stylus support: Active “Marker Plus” stylus with eraser tip and tilt sensing; charges via USB-C 

Benefits and features of each model 

The iPad 10.9 (2022) is a lovely blend of top performance capabilities with a modern look and feel and plenty of processing power. Its 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, A14 Bionic chip, and up to 10 hours of battery life suit streaming, casual gaming, and everyday administrative tasks. The USB-C port means you have extra connectivity options, and the support for Apple Pencil makes note-taking a lot easier.   

“iPad 10th gen is still an excellent device, I have one myself and I also have it on iPadOS 18 and it runs great.”

-Reddit user 

The iPad Air M3 comes with a bright 13-inch Liquid Retina screen and a powerful processing system to help you with a range of tasks. It's light enough to lug around wherever you go, and the 10-hour battery life is ideal for working on the go. The Apple Pencil Pro adds an extra dimension to your note-taking or sketching. 

“If this is your first iPad, I recommend the iPad Air M3. I just bought it and it is perfect, even some will say that it does not have 120 Hz, this is not noticeable.”

-Reddit user 

With the iPad Pro, you'll have access to a Tandem OLED Ultra Retina XDR display with ProMotion technology (an adaptable 10 to 120Hz screen refresh rate), an M4 chip with up to a 10-core CPU/GPU, and up to 16GB of RAM. Its Thunderbolt port, Face ID, and four-speaker audio setup are perfect for professionals, artists, and media enthusiasts who are hell-bent on top-tier performance. 

“The iPad Pro (M4) is the best device Apple has ever made.”

-Reddit user 

The reMarkable 1 debuts a 10.3-inch Carta E Ink display (1872 × 1404 px, 226 ppi) with a true “paper” feel and no backlight. It runs Linux-based Codex OS on a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU with 512MB of RAM and 8GB of storage, giving you up to two weeks of battery life. Its slim profile of 0.26 in and weight of 12.35 oz make it ultra-portable. The lightweight chassis and a passive Marker stylus appeal to dedicated note-takers, students, and researchers craving distraction-free writing. 

“It's been amazing. I feel dumb for not being more intentional around using it over the past few years.”

-Reddit user   

The reMarkable 2 comes with a 10.3-inch CANVAS E Ink display (226 ppi) with a tilt and pressure-sensitive Marker stylus for a true “paper” feel. Its Linux-based OS, two-week battery life, and distraction-free interface excel at note-taking and PDF annotation. The lightweight design and cloud sync suit dedicated writers and students.  

“Overall, I’m really happy with the reMarkable 2. It helps keep my work organized, and I don’t miss carrying around traditional notebooks.”

-Reddit user 

The reMarkable Paper Pro features an 11.8-inch Canvas Color E Ink display (1872 × 1404 px, ≈224 ppi) with an adjustable front light, enabling soft watercolor-style highlights on a nearly frameless panel. It pairs Codex OS with an active Marker Plus stylus (with eraser tip and tilt sensing) for precise annotations and sketching in muted color palettes. With 64GB of storage and USB-C connectivity, it handles large PDFs and other files seamlessly, while its two-week battery life ensures uninterrupted focus sessions. 

“I have a Paper Pro and I love it – I sold my iPad to get it and I have zero regrets (the writing experience is much better, the PDF reading experience is much better, etc.).”

-Reddit user 

Pros and cons 

Shopping tips 

When you’re out shopping for top-of-the-crop tablets and you’ve been through this guide on reMarkable vs. iPad, think about your budget and the features you need. If you’re a budding artist looking for the ideal digital sketch pad or notebook, the reMarkable options are the only way to go. If you’re looking for an all-rounder that you can stream on, take notes, and do basic work on, look at the iPad (2022). If you’re looking for a high-performance processor with photo editing capabilities, a long battery life, a large screen, and ample storage space, the iPad Pro or iPad Air models are ideal.    When it comes to affordability, refurbished options from Back Market are likely to save you an arm and a leg, and you’ll get to choose products in various conditions, from Good to Excellent and everything in between. Choose something that fits your budget that also comes with a guarantee. 

Benefits of buying refurbished tablets 

There are a boatload of reasons to buy refurbished models rather than newer models, especially if you’re concerned about budget or the environment. Refurbished options from Back Market all undergo rigorous testing and quality and performance checks to make sure they offer exactly what’s advertised, and they’re a lot cheaper than newer models, so you can shop within your budget. 

On the environmental side, refurbished devices are a more responsible decision because they reduce electronic waste, as well as CO2 emissions from factories creating new models.    Refurbished tablets from Back Market, like the iPad or reMarkable models, come with a30-day money-back guarantee and a 1-year warranty, so you can rest easy and know you won’t lose out if you aren’t happy with your device. 

Got an old device? Trade it in for even more benefits 

The Back Market Trade-in program is a game-changer. You can sell your old device for cash and use the money you get from it to reduce the price of your new refurbished iPad or reMarkable. The process is as easy as chips. You’ll get an offer straight away, and then you’ll ship off your device at no cost and have money transferred into your account once your device has been verified.  

Here’s a price comparison 

*Back Market prices taken at the date of publication – these are subject to change. 

Final thoughts   

When it comes to a choice between iPad and the reMarkable tablets, your decision ultimately comes down to what you’re trying to do. If you’re looking for a versatile machine with powerful processing and the ability to do a variety of tasks, the iPad range is an absolute must. On the other hand, if what you want is a tablet tailored to creativity and writing or sketching with minimal distractions, lightweight design, and exceptional battery life, jump on the reMarkable deals.    When you pick a refurbished model, you save a significant amount of money and play your part in reducing CO2 emissions and electronic waste. You’ll also be getting a premium machine with a 1-year warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re unhappy with the product.