12 Dec, 2024
Our favorite E Ink tablet just got bigger with the launch of the Supernote Manta
Supernote, Tablets

Summary

  • Supernote’s A5 X2 Manta E Ink tablet is finally available for $460 with impressive specs like a quad-core chip and 4GB RAM.
  • The Manta competes with the reMarkable Paper Pro, offering users a more open ecosystem and easier integration with outside services.
  • With an Android-based Chauvet OS, the Manta allows for sideloading apps, making it a productivity-friendly device amidst a busy year for E Ink devices.




Fewer groups of hardware enthusiasts (barring Switch 2 stans) have been waiting for the release of a product as avidly as Supernote fans have been waiting for the next-generation A5 X E Ink tablet. Supernote confirmed it was working on a follow-up all the way back in 2023, and at the time, it hinted at a March or April release. That date has been pushed back a number of times over 2024, leading some to despair that we wouldn’t see the A5 X2 until sometime in 2025. Despite these delays, Supernote has come through with a Christmas miracle because the new A5 X2 Manta is now available to order, and you can get it before Christmas!


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What’s inside the Manta

Respectable specs, but not the best

Thanks to a number of leaks and disclosures, there’s not a lot we didn’t already know about Supernote’s A5-sized writing tablet. The most important bits to know are that the price will start at $460 with a quad-core, 1.8GHz chip, 4GB of memory, 32GB of onboard storage (plus an SD card slot), and a 3,600mAh battery. Not bad.

The $460 price makes it a tad more expensive than its Kindle counterpart, the Scribe, which runs $390 for the 32GB model but doesn’t have the same horsepower with just a 1GHz chip and 1GB of RAM. Likewise, Kobo’s Elipsa 2E is just $350 and runs on the same chip the Scribe does. The Boox Go 10.3 is $380 and slightly more powerful with a 2.4GHz chip and 4GB of RAM.


All that is to say that there are cheaper options out there, and although Supernote likely would have no problem eating some of its market share, its real competition is the $580 reMarkable Paper Pro. Both the Manta and the Paper Pro are writing-first devices and devote significant engineering to creating a first-class writing feel. The two biggest differences between them are the display and the ecosystem.


The Paper Pro uses the latest full-color Gallery 3 technology from E Ink, while the Manta uses E Ink’s latest black and white display, the Carta 1300. Which one is better is strictly a matter of taste and necessity. Where the Manta will clearly dominate is its much more open ecosystem. The Paper Pro puts its best functionality behind a subscription paywall and doesn’t integrate with outside services. The Manta, on the other hand, will integrate with outside services from the likes of Google and Microsoft, meaning you can check your email and save documents to your cloud. Supernote also promises Kindle app integration, which will make reading much easier.

About that open ecosystem

Another major selling point for the Supernote is its Android-based operating system. Whereas the big players like Kindle and Kobo offer an in-house OS that can’t be changed except via an OTA firmware update from headquarters, smaller players like Supernote, Boox, and Bigme use an Android OS on their e-readers, which means they can install third-party apps.


Supernote uses a custom Android 11 build it calls Chauvet, and, compared to Boox or Bigme, it is not as permissive about which apps it will run. You probably won’t have the Google Play Store on your Manta as you would on a Boox device, but there are a number of apps that you can sideload, including the Aurora and F-Droid stores. In other words, as a productivity device, the Manta is going to be much easier to integrate into your workflow than a Kindle or Kobo.

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A great year for E Ink devices

There’s never been a better time to buy an e-reader

When it comes to e-readers, 2024 has been one of the busiest years in a while. This past spring, Kobo released its first color e-readers, with the Clara Colour undercutting the price of every color device on the market before or since. In the summer, Boox launched its Go line of e-readers, bringing its Android lineup to record low prices. Then this fall, reMarkable launched its new Paper Pro with E Ink’s cutting-edge Gallery 3 tech, just before Amazon released the much-anticipated Colorsoft along with a new generation of Paperwhites and Scribes.

It’s hard to think of a better end to this incredible year of devices than Supernote’s A5 X follow-up. Sure, dealing with what felt like interminable delays was disheartening, but as tech enthusiasts, we often see what happens when a product is rushed to market without thorough testing. So if the Manta lives up to its hype, the wait will have been worth it. We’re optimistic.