Supernote Nomad Review

Design and Build

Like previous incarnations of the Supernote, the A6X2 has a plastic chassis, which makes it extremely lightweight, and “not cold” to the touch (as opposed to tablets that have a metallic casing). The plastic shell also adds a little more flexibility to the tablet – of course, you can’t bend it very much, but it does not feel as hard or rigid as some other e-ink tablets I have reviewed.

On the rear side are two indents containing strong magnets that securely attach the tablet to the folio. Just below the top magnet are three copper pins that I don’t think are used for anything – perhaps they will be used in future for the connection of a keyboard or other peripheral.

On the left and right bezels are touch-sensitive side-swipe bars (which I will go into more detail later). And on the top edge is the power button (on the right) and the USB-C port (on the left), which is used both to recharge the battery and for data transfer. The power button has a shiny silver colouring and is almost flush with edge.

The location of the USB port on the top edge (rather than the left or bottom edges) is, in my opinion, the perfect placement because it means that the USB cable does not need to be looped around. What I mean by this is that my USB cable runs from the far side of my desk towards where I am seated. With the A6X2, the cable and port are aligned, whereas with most other tablets, I have a sort of u-turn in the cable…..a picture will probably explain what I mean a little better:

It may seem like a small point but, for me, the top-edge USB port feels less clumsy, more natural, and much neater because the cable is not running along the bottom and side of the tablet.

There’s no audible rattling or creaking from the chassis, which indicates a solid build. The corners are slightly rounded, and the rear panel can slide off to access the battery, motherboard, and MicroSD card slot.

It is worth noting that the review unit I received was the version with the white rear panel, which easily slides off (once you get the knack). There is also a crystal version that has a transparent rear cover, that does have a visual appeal to some users, however, removal of the panel is not quite as easy – there are several screws that need to be removed first.

Overall, I think the Supernote Nomad has a thoughtful design that focuses on sustainability and increases the longevity of their products. The modular design also means that there is an opportunity for users to create their own custom DIY shells in the future. It is not as thin as other devices on the market, and whilst it may not look quite as elegant as tablets such as the reMarkable 2, it does have a unique charm. To me, it feels like pad of paper, rather than a hard slate.

Hardware Specs

Under the bonnet is a Rockchip RK3066 quad-core processor with a clock speed of 1.8GHz.

There’s also 4Gb RAM and 32Gb of storage capacity (which can be extended up to 2Tb, using the MicroSD card slot).

Using the Geekbench 6 CPU Benchmark app, the NA3C scored 198 in the single-core test, and 493 in the multi-core test.

Compared to other Android tablets (particularly Boox and Bigme), CPU benchmark results are lower with the A6X2.

However, one should not read too much into the benchmark results for this particular e-ink tablet. When using the native apps, everything performs well. I only provide this benchmark so that performance comparisons can be made between Android tablets for the purpose of running third-party apps. Supernote devices are designed for reading, annotation, note-taking, and the handful of other apps that are provided by Ratta. Although it is possible to sideload other apps onto a Supernote, this is not what it was designed for (and not recommended because they are tricky, void warranty, and do not perform very well). If third-party apps are a must-have, a Supernote is not for you – perhaps look at getting a Boox instead.

Screen

The Carta screen is 7.8″ (around A6-sized) and black-and-white/monochrome. It is flush with bezels.

It has a resolution of 1404 x 1872 (300PPI).

There are touchscreen capabilities, and a Wacom EMR layer (so any Wacom-compatible stylus will work fine with it).

And there is “paper-like” screen protector, which makes writing with stylus feel slightly rougher and grainier, instead of a glass-like texture. This film is called FeelWrite2 (previously FeelWrite), and also has self-healing properties that prevent the hard ceramic nibs of Supernote styluses from scratching the screen (this is why Supernote styluses are not recommended for use with other brands of e-ink tablet).

There is no frontlight, which has the advantage of making text and pen strokes feel closer to the surface of the screen. With frontlit screens, there is slight gap between the surface and the eink impressions, as if it is slightly beneath the screen. Of course, the drawback of not having a frontlight is that an external light source is required.

Overall, the screen is pretty decent.

Writing feel

During my first impressions, I noted that the tactile writing feel of the A6X2 Nomad felt a bit too rough and scratchy following the introduction of Supernote’s FeelWrite2 screen protector that has been designed to provide a more paper-like experience.

I couldn’t decide if I preferred the rougher FeelWrite2 screen protector to the smoother and less grainy original FeelWrite. Don’t get me wrong – it is very pleasant and maintains the high precision and accuracy of mark-making that I’ve come to expect from Supernote. And I’m sure that a rougher and more paper-like feel will be welcomed by users that intend to make full use of the new Atelier drawing app (see below).

But, for me, I guess I just really enjoyed the original screen protector. Whereas my A5X felt like I was writing on a pad of soft premium paper, the A6X2 Nomad felt more like a single sheet of paper on a hard wooden desk. And the hard ceramic nib compounded the rigidity of the experience.

However, this was my experience ‘straight-out-of-the-box‘. After continued use for a couple of days, the screen surface became a little softer and easier to write on. This is because the screen protector is malleable (or ‘self-healing’, as Ratta describes it). Basically, when you write, it creates tiny imperceptible indentations in the screen, which pop back into shape of their own accord. It seems that by doing a fair bit of writing, the screen protector gets ‘primed’ (for want of a better word) and the writing experience improves.

So, out-of-the-box, I didn’t really like the tactile feel of writing on the A6X2 but after a few days of use this improved immensely. And this was not simply me becoming more familiar with the tablet – the texture did actually change and became smoother. However (if I’m completely honest) I do still slightly prefer the texture of the original screen protector that does not have the textured feel.

SIDENOTE: I’m pretty sure that I had a similar experience with my A5X. So, my advice would be that if you buy a Supernote and do not like the initial tactile feel of writing on it, use it for a few days before you decide if it’s right for you or not because I do feel that the experience becomes more refined with usage.

There is a slightly higher level of friction when writing on the Nomad than I’ve experienced with any other e-ink tablet, and this (for me) was a huge positive. With other brands, I sometimes feel like stylus glides a but too freely. This, combined with the ultra-fine, and hard point of the Supernote stylus nib also provides a higher level of writing precision than I am used to.

Another point worth noting is that other styluses with soft plastic nibs felt really nice on the new FeelWrite 2 screen protector of the A6X2. The styluses for the Kindle Scribe, reMarkable 2, and Boox offered a more pencil-on-paper feel than pen-n-paper feel of the Supernote styluses. But, of course, if you use these styluses, they do not have a clip to fit in the pen loop of the folio and you will need to change the nibs from time to time as they wear down.

There is very little perceived lag when writing – as you move the stylus over the screen, the strokes appear almost immediately.

Within the native note-taking app, there is pressure sensitivity (but no tilt-sensitivity)

Overall, the tactile feel of writing on a Supernote tablet is one of the best I have experienced. It just feels so natural and pleasant, but is very also very unique and can be quite subjective.

Hardware features

As well as the underlying hardware specs, the A6X2 has some additional hardware features that make the tablet more versatile.

As standard for most e-ink tablets, there’s support for both Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity. As well as connecting headphones, Bluetooth can also be used to connect other peripherals, such as third-party keyboards. However, I find there is a little too much lag between pressing a key and the text appearing on the screen when using a Bluetooth keyboard on Supernote tablets.

For further connectivity, the USB-C port can be used for transferring files between the Supernote and your computer/laptop. In addition, there’s a MicroSD card slot, which can be used for additional storage capacity.

There’s a G-Sensor for automatically reorienting the screen between landscape/portrait when you rotate it physically.

But the most unique hardware feature are the touch-sensitive dual side-swipe bars (on the left and right bezels). Because these are hardware-based and off-screen (rather than on-screen software) they can be activated no matter which app you are using at a particular time.

Using the right bar, a swipe up refreshes the screen and a swipe down brings up the quick access menu. This customizable menu makes it very easy to flick between notebooks, documents and apps, making Supernote devices very quick and easy to navigate.

With the A6X2 Nomad, Supernote has introduced a second side swipe bar on the left bezel. A long press on this bar allows you to easily flick between the pages in your document or notebook and is much more efficient (less actions) than using the previous page preview option. It can be a little fiddly at first but with some practice it becomes much easier.

Another highlight of the left side-swipe bar is the ability to erase by resting two fingers on the bar and selecting the area that you wish to delete. This works a lot more accurately than the previous gesture, which required placing two fingers on the canvas and making a selection (because you had to place your fingers within a particular arc of the area you wished to delete and it wouldn’t always work). Using the side swipe bar, this worked every time for me (although you need to make sure there is a slight gap between your two fingers).

A swipe up and down on the left bar will carry out the undo and redo functions respectively. However, I’m not quite sure why Supernote decided that these would be the best functions to put behind these gestures. My reason for this is that the undo/redo buttons for notebooks are located on the toolbar that is adjacent to the left bevel side swipe bar. So, it is easier for me to tap the buttons than swipe the bar. I guess this may be for users that move or hide the toolbar.

One of the coolest things about the A6X2 is that it is the first e-ink tablet (to my knowledge) that allows users to replace the battery. This potentially extends the life of the tablet because if/when the battery dies, only the defective part will need to be changed rather than the whole tablet.

EU regulation states that all consumer electronics sold in the EU must have replaceable batteries by 2027. Ratta Supernote are well ahead of schedule with this requirement, however, they have always had a commitment to the sustainability of their products, so this is something that I probably would expect them to introduce whether they were legally required to or not.

The ability to change the battery is provided by the new modular design of the A6X2. You can unclip the rear panel to access the internal components. It is a little fiddly but, overall, the process is simple. In my unboxing, I drew attention to the difficulty I had unclipping the rear panel, however, this was my own fault for not following the instructions correctly – I was trying to unclip it from the wrong end (and I very nearly managed it!) It is actually the clips on the bottom edge of the rear panel that need to be released (if you spin it upside-down like the video shows, the bottom is then at the top). There are even indentations on this side, which you can use to easily prise off the clips with your fingernail.

Once the rear panel is removed, the battery can be removed by unplugging the connector and removing two screws. The process is really very simple.

The MicroSD slot is also accessible by removing the rear panel, and Ratta have informed me that the motherboard can also be replaced.

Overall, the Nomad does not have quite as many hardware features as other e-ink tablets (for example, there’s no speakers, microphone, fingerprint reader etc), but the ones they have chosen to include reinforce their vision of an analogue note-taking experience experience (e.g. more storage, connectivity etc.) In addition, the side-swipe bars are extremely useful for navigating between documents and notebooks, and performing other functions quickly and easily. The modular design also means that there is a focus on sustainability and longevity – and there is also an opportunity for users to create their own custom DIY shells in the future

Battery

The Nomad has a 2700mAh battery.

Comparatively-speaking, battery life is excellent.

The table below shows how much battery is depleted by performing certain operations for an hour.

Test (1hr)	A6X2 Nomad (% battery used)
Note-taking	2%
Reading	1%
Wifi On	+0%

So, you could expect to drain about 2% of the battery per hour when note-taking, and 1% per hour when reading. Having Wifi on or off doesn’t make much of a difference (but remember this test was only an hour long, so it may make a difference over longer periods).

I calculate typical battery life from these figures by assuming 3 hours of note-taking and 2 hours of reading each day, with the Wif turned on for 3 hours. NOTE: For tablets with a frontlight, I also factor in it being turned on medium for 2 hours, and on full for 2 hours.

For the Nomad, this works out at about 8% of battery use per day, which would give you 12.5 days of use before it needed to be recharged.

This makes it one of the best e-ink tablets in terms of battery life.

Accessories

The Nomad arrived with a folio, and stylus.

Stylus

The Nomad ships with the Supernote’s own Push-Up Pen stylus.

It has a hard plastic shell that is an off-white colour, with a transparent cone at the nib-end. There is a button on the top for clicking the pen nib in and out of the shaft. And there is a clip at the top-end of the shaft for hooking it over the folio loop. It is not magnetic and does not snap to the side of the tablet. For me, personally, I much prefer the pen-loop method of stylus storage because I find it more secure, and it reduces the weight of the tablet (due to not needing heavy magnets).

Whilst it does its primary job (writing) pretty well, I must admit that I don’t really like using it all that much.

First off is the colour. It has a sort of yellow-white hue which looks totally mismatched with the whiteness of the tablet and the folio. It’s not the colour per-se that I dislike, but the way it contrasts with the rest of the product. It just seems like they aren’t supposed to be together – as if I’ve lost the original pen and had to replace it with the first compatible pen that i found.

My second critique is the push button at the top of the shaft that retracts (and protracts) the nib of the stylus. It wobbles around slightly within the housing of the stylus so that when you are writing there is a slight rattling sound. This may not be an issue for some, but was an annoyance for me. I had a similar issue with the LAMY Safari Pen, which can switch between a stylus and an ink (real ink) pen. For me, the unnecessary moving parts detract from the writing experience rather than improve it.

And, finally, the retractable nib means that the push-up pen has no lid like the original standard pen and Heart of Metal Pens, and the clip (to attach to the folio loop) is built into the single-unit body. For some, this will be preferable because there are users that have lost pens that have fallen out of the lid during transit. But, personally (as someone that has fortunately not lost a pen this way), I really like having a lid. The main reason for this is that when the pen is in the folio’s loop, I can simply pull downwards on the pen to release it from the lid and start writing. I find it slightly more cumbersome to remove the whole pen from the loop in an upward motion.

Reading back over my critiques of the push-up pen, I appreciate that my views may come across as overly-fastidious, however, these are some of the things that I really loved about the unique design of Supernote’s previous pens and I feel a little like the new pen is somewhat of a backward step.

However, in the interests of fairness, the push-up pen does feel rather nice to hold, writes okay, appears to be very durable, and uses Ratta Supernote’s awesome ceramic nib that never needs to be replaced.

Overall, the Push-Up Pen includes several awesome tried-and-tested innovations of the Supernote brand, including the hard Never-Replace ceramic nib, precise writing experience, and pen-loop storage. And for this, it must be given credit. However, in my opinion, it is nowhere near as nice to use as its predecessors.

Folio

Previous Supernote tablets attached to their folios using a plastic runner that slid into a groove in the rear panel.

Perhaps due to the new modular design, Ratta Supernote has moved to a magnetic attachment, which I was initially somewhat concerned about. Other e-ink manufacturers that have a magnetic case design do hold the tablet in place fairly well for the most part, but dropping the case (or giving it a vigorous shake) can cause the tablet to fall out…which sort of negates the reason for having a protective case. I was afraid that Ratta may have gone down the same route.

But I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the A6X2 attaches to the folio very, very securely. No amount of vigorous shaking (or even dropping it onto a cushion) could dislodge it. It is the most secure tablet/folio connection using magnets that I’ve seen – once the tablet is in place, it really does not move at all! From what I can see, the use of strong magnets, along with the indentations on the rear of the tablet where the magnets are located ensure a strong binding.

The folio itself (white vegan leather) has a lovely leathery texture on the exterior and a softer suede-like material on the interior. I would not describe it as rugged but it is padded. This goes some way to ensuring that the device remains thin and light. On the right-hand side is a pen loop that has been securely stitched to the folio. The loop has a very slightly wider girth than previous versions, which may be a precursor to the release of a new Supernote Pen (Heart of Metal 3, perhaps?) but this is pure speculation on my part.

The folio also allows auto-sleep and auto-wake when the cover is closed/opened.

It is very difficult for me to find any fault with the folio at all. It is simple and effective.

If I was being pernickety, I might highlight the fact that there is no clasp to prevent the folio from falling open but this is something that I neither want nor need (I’m not a fan of the flap on Boox cases that just feels untidy to me, and I’ve never had an issue with folio opening unintentionally). Another small issue is the colour of the folio. Although the white looks really nice when new, I’m sure it will get grubby and less desirable over time – fortunately, there is also a dark blue version available.

Software

My review of this tablet should be read in conjunction with my review of the current firmware (see table below), which includes aspects such as the Operating System, User Interface, and Native Apps.

The hardware and software reviews have been separated because the firmware used at the time that this review was written may not be the same firmware being used currently. This could result in the review quickly becoming outdated. Also, as several tablets may use the same firmware, this would mean going back and updating every single tablet review from a particular manufacturer to account for the new firmware. By splitting them up, if there is a firmware update, I am able to make the updates on a single page.

Current versions of this brand’s firmware are shown in the table below, along with the tablets running them.

My rating	Firmware version	Tablets using this firmware
	3.24 (current version) Sep 2025	Supernote A5 X2 Manta Supernote A6 X2 Nomad Supernote A5 X Supernote A6 X
Older Ratta Supernote firmware versions may be found here

Brand

For some people, it is also worth considering the brand as whole, including aspects like customer service, ecosystem, values, and criticisms.

My full overview of the Ratta Supernote brand can be found here, but I have provided a summary below.

Final Verdict

As you’ve probably gathered, I’m already on the Supernote train because I use their products every day – I like the products, and I like the company that makes them.

However, I have tried to be as objective as possible in my review.

I’m really impressed with the new modular design that allows users to swap out the battery (and possibly other components) when they die. I also love how securely the tablet attaches to the folio via the magnets, the USB port being located on the top edge and the g-sensor that allows me to view PDFs with small text more clearly in landscape mode.

The additional side-swipe bar means that regular actions, such as page turning and erasing are easier (although I’m still not sure that undo/redo for a swipe up/down is the best use of this gesture).

I don’t really like the new push-up pen. Not only does the colour look inconsistent with the tablet and folio, but there is also a slight rattle when I write and I have to pull the whole pen out of the folio loop (rather than just pulling the pen out of the lid). I’ve put the push-up pen aside and gone back to using my white Heart of Metal Pen with the Nomad – not only does it look better (both in terms of colour and design) but it is also easier to pull out of the loop and nicer to write with.

I’m still in two minds about the tactile feel of the paper-like FeelWrite2 screen protector. At first I didn’t like it at all, but with continued use it became more pleasant to write on. The more I use it, the more I seem to like it, however, I must admit I still prefer the smoother feel of the original FeelWrite on my Supernote A5 X.

Having said all this, will I be swapping out my old reliable A5X for the newer (and very impressive) A6X2 Nomad on a permanent basis?

Sadly, the answer is no.

And it is not because of the drawbacks I mentioned above, such as the pen or the screen protector. I can easily change the stylus (as I have done) and the screen protector is growing on me. And with all of the new enhancements available on the Nomad (modular design, extra side-swipe bar, g-sensor etc.) it would make sense to upgrade.

But my A5X has something that the Nomad doesn’t – a 10.3″ screen.

And, for me, this is a very important differentiation because I just find the Nomad’s screen a bit too small to work with productively. It’s just a little too cramped for my style of long-form note-taking (although I’m sure it will be perfect for those that prefer this form factor).

I will certainly use it to access the notes that I make on my A5X and maybe even make a few short-form notes. But the A5X is going to remain my daily driver.

However, the A6X2 Nomad has really piqued my interest for the upcoming A5X2 (basically, a 10.3″ Nomad) that is on the horizon and should be released later this year.

This is something that I am very much looking forward to

Tablet Overview