The Remarkable writing tablet has been on the market for almost a year now and they have only issued three small updates. If you use your device often, you might have noticed some degrading power issues. Remarkable has confirmed to Good e-Reader that they have just pushed out a new power management system.
In a recent changelog the company stated “We know battery life is something that deeply affects how people interact with and use their devices every day. We also know that this is an area that has potential for improvement. That’s why, for the last few months, our best engineers have been working to improve power management for the reMarkable tablet. In this new software update, we’ve have made significant advancements in how the different hardware components consume electricity. As a result, after installing this update, the stability and battery life predictability will be notably improved. In addition, these enhancements will also give most users (especially those who’ve experienced short battery life) an extra 40-50% of battery life to enjoy. In plain words, this means that the battery will not suddenly drop, or run out, and users will experience that the capacity of the battery capacity lasts as long as it should, every time.”
Other Changes
Improved reliability when charging with USB
The reMarkable will now check if it is actually charging and not only connected to a charger or a computer with USB. This implies that a device which is connected to USB, but does not charge, behaves as if no USB cable is connected when it reaches a low battery level and shuts down.
Increased predictability of the battery life
The remaining battery capacity is now predictable and linear.
Increased power reliability
We have added necessary reliability improvements to ensure the reMarkable works flawlessly during high load even when the remaining battery capacity is low.
Optimised operating voltage
We reduced the system voltage from 3.3V to 3.1V to squeeze out more battery time and to operate more components within their sweet-spot.
Fixed
- Due to uncontrolled shutdown or very low remaining battery on the device, the reMarkable would sometimes enter a state where the battery was drained completely, even if it was displayed as powered off.
- The fuel gauge, responsible for measuring and reporting battery information, was not correctly optimised for the reMarkable battery. This resulted in an unpredictable battery capacity.
- In addition to these changes, our team have made numerous bug fixes and adjustments to the overall battery performance, so that the device works for longer on a single charge.
Visit this support page to learn how to update your reMarkable paper tablet.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
