The reMarkable 2 is a $299 E Ink tablet designed to offer a paper-like reading and writing experience thanks to its 10.3 inch greyscale display and support for a pressure-sensitive pen with tilt detection and a high-friction marker tip.
But while handwriting is great for jotting quick notes, annotating documents, or drawing pictures, it’s hard to beat a keyboard for long form writing. Enter the new remarkable Type Folio keyboard. It’s available now as an optional $199 accessory.
While that price is in keeping with premium tablet keyboards from Apple and other keyboards, it does seem a little steep when you consider that the Type Folio costs two thirds as much as the reMarkable 2 itself.
But the accessory effectively transforms a device that was originally designed for reading, handwriting, and drawing into a portable typewriter that you can easily use to compose longer documents with a nearly distraction-free writing experience. And when you look at it that way, the reMarkable 2 + Type Folio keyboard is priced competitively with other E Ink typing devices like the Freewrite Traveler, while offering a more versatile experience thanks to the 2-in-1 tablet design.
Keep in mind that reMarkable’s “marker” pens are sold separately though, so you’ll have to tack an extra $79 to $129 onto the price to get the full tablet + keyboard + pen experience.
The Type Folio is the first keyboard officially supported by the reMarkable 2, and it’s designed specifically for the tablet.
The Type Folio keyboard connects to the reMarkable 2 via magnets and can be adjusted two one of two positions: a “traditional typing position” or a “near-flat position” that makes it easy to stop typing for a moment, pick up your pen, and start jotting a handwritten note without the need to adjust the keyboard position.
It doesn’t have any batteries and doesn’t need to be charged or wirelessly paired with the tablet. The Type Folio should just work when connected.
The keyboard features 1.3mm key travel, supports six language layouts (US English, UK English, German, Spanish, French, and Nordic), and comes in “Ink Black” and “Sepia Brown” color options.
It has an artificial leather exterior and the Type Folio keyboard measures 246 x 198 x 6.6mm (9.7″ x 7.8″ x 0.3″) and weighs 453 grams (about a pound).
The reMarkable 2, meanwhile, has a 10.3 inch, 1872 x 1404 pixel E Ink Carta display with support for multi-point capacitive touch input, a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of LDDR3 memory, 8GB of storage, and a custom Linux-based operating system.
I would smash this POS with a hammer and even pay 50 cents to do so. I don’t ever want to use one or see one
Is this the only keyboard that works with the remarkable or do bluetooth keyboards work? (I doubt there are 3rd party keyboards that use the magnetic connectors for a wired connection…)
If bluetooth keyboards don’t work, I can see some splurging on this, if they DO work, many will just opt for that.
Nope. Up until recently there was no support for any physical keyboards at all, although some folks hacked them together with USB-to-pogo pin adapters.
https://www.reddit.com/r/RemarkableTablet/comments/j9g1d5/rm2_with_an_external_keyboard_accessory_port_usage/
But it seems like the Bluetooth module isn’t physically connected:
https://github.com/ddvk/remarkable-hacks/issues/122
Well, that sucks for consumers but works for them as a business model of making sure customers buy from them and use their software. Fits right along with their new subscription model (one reason I am not tempted to buy their device.) I think I would prefer an onyx or boox device, similar total price when accessories are included or maybe a tad cheaper but more versatile.