The Remarkable a digital notebook, not an alternative to a Wacom tablet.
Like if you think iPad drawing tools are bad... the Remarkable didn't even have layers until the new model
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To get my iPad to where my Remarkable was cost $25:
- $20 pen (which is a proper active pen, not a weird stylus)
- $5 matte screen protector.
That's $325 all in vs $450 minimum for a Remarkable (I think mine was a little cheaper with preordering, but the upgraded pen and case make it a wash)
Battery life without a battery bank has never been problematic. Even forgetting to charge it overnight is fine. It doesn't barely loses any battery in standby, and charges quickly enough.
It sounds like you have an ax to grind against the iPad for other purposes, which is fair. But for an alternative to a Remarkable, there's just not that far to go, it's a low bar that's been set.
Listen, I think the iPad is a pretty versatile little piece of hardware. The amount of work required to turn it into a decent writing experience is almost comedic, though. I know a few artists who use iPads, and they cannot use it without the basic accessories: matte screen-protector, proprietary $100 pen (of course), battery bank, etc. On the other side of the spectrum, I see Mac users frustrated by how unintuitive their desktop is compared to their iPad.
If you want to fight your hardware to get it to do what you want, get the iPad. If you want to tinker, look elsewhere.