Supernote Nomad vs Manta: Which Supernote Should You Buy

This is part of our Supernote hub. For each device on its own, see the Supernote Nomad review and the Supernote Manta review.

The choice

What the Supernote Nomad vs Manta choice comes down to

Most device comparisons pit different philosophies against each other. Supernote Nomad vs Manta is different, because these two are siblings from the same maker, Ratta, built on the same foundation. Both run Chauvet, Supernote’s closed Android-based system, on the same Rockchip RK3566 with 4GB of memory. Both take the same ceramic-nib pen, both have a replaceable battery, and both leave out a frontlight on purpose. So the usual spec-sheet duel mostly cancels out, and the decision lands on three things: how big a screen you want, which panel you get, and how much you want to spend.

The short version: the Nomad is the compact, cheaper Supernote and the Manta is the larger, pricier one with a newer screen. The Nomad shipped first, in early 2024, and the Manta followed at the end of that year as the flagship. Neither replaced the other; Supernote sells both because a 7.8-inch pocket notebook and a 10.7-inch writing slate are genuinely different tools. This guide sorts out which one you are actually shopping for.

Side by side

Hardware, head to head

Read down the two columns and the pattern is clear: the rows that differ are all about size and screen, while everything under the hood matches. That is the whole story of this comparison in one glance, and the full spec sheet below confirms it.

Size

Size is the real decision

The 7.8-inch Nomad and the 10.7-inch Manta are almost three inches apart on the diagonal, and that gap changes what each device is for. The Nomad is a one-hand, pocketable notebook you carry the way you would a paper pocket journal: quick capture, lists, a page of notes in a meeting. At 266 grams it disappears into a bag, so it is with you more often, which for a lot of people is the whole point of owning one.

The Manta’s 10.7-inch screen is a working surface. It has the room for a full weekly spread, side-by-side notes, and marking up a dense PDF without constant zooming. It is the one you set on a desk and plan on. If your writing is layout and long-form thinking rather than quick capture, that extra canvas is worth the size and the weight, and it is the single biggest reason to spend up.

Panel and price

Panel generation and price

Beyond size, there is one real hardware difference: the panel. The Manta uses a newer flexible E Ink screen, the Carta 1300 generation, while the Nomad uses an older glass panel. In practice both write well and both are sharp at 300 ppi, but the Manta’s screen is the more modern and more durable of the two, and its higher 1920 by 2560 resolution simply gives you more usable space on that larger display. It is part of why the Manta costs more.

On price, the Nomad starts at $329 and the Manta at $505, both device-only, with the pen a separate purchase from about $65 either way. That $130 gap is the clean trade: the Nomad saves you money and weight, the Manta spends it on screen size and a newer panel. Neither is overpriced for what it is; they just sit at different points on the same line.

Shared

What both Supernotes share

Everything that makes a Supernote a Supernote is the same on both. The same ceramic-nib pen writes on the same textured film, so the writing feel that draws people to the brand is identical. Both run Chauvet with its handwriting keyword search, document linking, and InkHub community library, and both are closed systems with no Google Play by default. Both are modular with a replaceable battery, and neither has a frontlight. Your Supernote templates work on either too; you just size them to the model’s screen, since the Nomad’s 1404 by 1872 panel and the Manta’s larger one need different dimensions.

Scorecard

How they score, axis by axis

With so much shared, the scorecard has more ties than most comparisons, and that is the honest picture. Here is where each one actually pulls ahead.

Three ties, and the rest split neatly by size and cost. The Manta wins more axes because it is the larger, newer, pricier device, but the Nomad’s two wins, portability and price, are exactly the reasons its buyers choose it. This is not a better-or-worse call; it is a bigger-or-smaller one.

Verdict

The call on Supernote Nomad vs Manta

FAQ

Common questions, answered briefly

People also ask

Other questions, briefly answered

Torn between the two, or switched from one to the other? Tell us in the comments which way you went and whether size or price settled it. We keep this comparison current as Supernote updates Chauvet and refreshes the lineup.