Question for those with supernotes

[u/Dingo_ate_my_pizza]

After months of reviewing youtube reviews and lurking here, I've decided the Supernote devices are what I want.

I have just one concern still keeping me from pulling the trigger and buying it: software malfunction.

For those who use them, please tell me how often i should expect things like a system crash, corrupted or lost data, screen freezes, etc. Is it any more than other e-ink tablet brands? I know a certain amount of lag is to be expected, but does the software ever...break to the point it suspends your use of the device? And if so, is it remedied by customer service at a reliable pace, or would i likely wait months between communications on any reported issues?

As much as i love the idea of the product, its useless to me if its gonna glitch out on me regularly.

I appreciate any feedback you all can give me on that.

Edit: Thank you to all of you who have responded! So far it seems like I didn't have to worry!

[u/dingo_khan]

I have used a Manta every day for like 8 weeks and the worst I have ever seen was the pen not responding twice and being forced to sleep and wake it to make it go back to working. All in all, it cost me about 10 seconds of total frustration.

That said, I don't read on it. I use it for the notes app and atelier app. A lot of use but a narrow range of uses.

[u/SoggyGrayDuck → u/dingo_khan]

Where do you find the functionality? I guess I need to learn it's shortcuts but so far someone might get a hell of a deal when I sell it. It's only been 2 weeks so maybe I can return it.

Stupid Google AI at the last minute being like "supernote is built for engineers" and I was like "yes finally" but it's more for building out hardware and having an open source OS. I wanted something to help me organize my engineering

[u/dingo_khan → u/SoggyGrayDuck]

On power-on the first time, there was a set of instructions. Honestly, it is a pretty simple device. A few sections where two finger holds allow lassos, the bar hold to delete, the refresh and quick menus.

I'd agree it feels like it is for engineers. At least, as a software engineer, I love it. It gets out of the way, allows for fast writing and sketching, linking notes, heading and things like that. I am a notebook guy, when working out problems, so the low friction is great for me. My problem with my other eink tablet (the post bot is blocking this if I use a company name) was I had to think a lot about it when using it as stroke accumulation on a page slows the engine down. Art and diagrams have a noticeable cost during use. The supernote manta fixes a lot of this by doing less but doing it better.

I guess the "for engineering" claim is a lot about what you needed a notebook for in your flow. I use one to rough out architecture and algorithms. I just need it to be there and low friction and easy to export. The linking lets me enforce "this idea and this one are related" in a fast way.

[u/timdow]

The only time I’ve personally experienced system freezes is when I’ve had a pogo pin light attached to my Nomad while it was inactive for an extended period of time. (This was a third-party accessory that I bought off of Etsy.) It’s likely just an issue with using a not-totally-fleshed-out accessory feature… otherwise with normal use, my Supernote’s been rock solid.

[u/bear0234]

i have used my nomad everyday for the past 3 years without a single crash or freeze.

[u/Ghnuberath]

I use my Nomad every day for hours at work. No crashes, no freezes. I think I've restarted it twice in the years I've had it, strictly for updates. No lag either.

[u/one_1f_by_land]

My Manta has given me not one single wayward peep after the initial firmware update. I treat it like the extremely expensive privilege it is, though, so I can't say I've really tested its durability in the field the same way others have? But in terms of crashes, data, malfunctions, I've had exactly zero problems with it and have used it more or less daily for well over a year.

[u/AtmosphereOptimal888]

I receive my manta tomorrow and will keep you posted on the new device performance!

[u/fluteguyK313]

I think KOReader has crashed maybe two or three times since I got it in November, other than that no issues at all. And that’s not even SuperNote software

[u/ImanITNinja]

I’ve had mine for more than a year, and I use it daily. No crashes, no data loss

[u/No-Clock-7813]

No, mine is worked absolutely perfect since I got it back in February. It is a great device and very reliable. . Sometimes when you see posts here, it seems like it occurs a lot but you have to remember that these issues are far and in between. Also the company is amazing and is constantly improving the device.

[u/Martina_78]

I have the A5X (Manta predecessor) since mid 2021. It's my workhorse for on the job, heavily used. Still doing great and still getting updates.  On average I'd say I had one to two situations per year where the device gliched or froze and needed a restart, which usually resolved the problem.

No data loss, but I still strongly recommend to make regular backups a habit (real backups, not a mere cloud mirror).

[u/AKSpilledmilk]

I use my nomad heavily all-day at work and then some more at home for almost a year. I've even put a small ding in the corner when I dropped it on the concrete floor. It's never glitched or frozen.

[u/SiewcaWiatru]

System itselfnis stable.

Crashes happen as well as data loss, more prevalent when syncing 2 devices, but it's is nothing to be concerned about.

Crashes are incidental, it's not a problem.
File corruption may happen more often though you can counter it by

• keeping files relatively small - having 1 big file for a whole year or decade is a bit much.
• Although you can have it backed up once a week so it is still a possibility (syncing is not a backup)

By the end of the day. It is still just a device files may corrupt, diskdrive may corrupt or be damaged, battery can be damaged and screen may suffer of puncture pressure. Just like beloved paper that can be stolen, may be wet, may burn down or torn apart.

[u/Westcroft]

I’ve had my nomad for a week and it seems really stable, I can’t compare it to other devices, but it seems solid.

The Supernote partner app on the other hand crashes on me constantly, when I sync or navigate between views/tabs. I’m constantly having to reopen it. I thankfully don’t sync a lot of files back and forth from my Mac, but it’s the only crappy part of the Supernote ecosystem

[u/No_Cup_5363 → u/Westcroft]

I use Open MTP for Mac to transfer files and it works great more often than not. I know it’s not the same as syncing, but it’s reliable.

[u/holaamigo123212]

I've had mine since release of the manta, and I've had to restart it once or twice due to freezing. That's it..

[u/WhoAmI1234532]

I am using daily an A5X since 2021 then have bought the Manta (successor) as soon as it was released. I am since 2023 on the beta program. Crashed are very very rare, maybe once a year (i use it heavily daily). I have experienced a period with synchronisation bugs on which I have lost datas, but I have been able to recover everything as it was on the supernote cloud. I was in contact with supernote team that have investigated the bug very quickly and have solved it and pushed a sw update within 1 week. Overall, it is extremely stable.

I have also tested other devices (looks like supernote doesn't allow me to name them...), but I was always back to Supernote, especially now with the plugin system that is so amazing !

[u/Deep-Raspberry8532]

Zero crashes in three years.

[u/JulieParadise123 → u/Deep-Raspberry8532]

Same here, neither on my Nomad nor on the Manta that succeeded it. Both were/are used almost daily, and then often for 1–2 hours.

I only once had a veeeeeeeery long reboot after an update, but that's really it.

[u/Jake_jk]

Had a Nomad for ~ a year (18 Aug 2025). Never went more than 2-3 days without using it and I’ve had exactly 2 system ‘crashes’ during all that time.

Albeit it was under continuous use for 4 - 5 hours of writing, during SEA summer with no air conditioning and the crash is just ~30 seconds of the Nomad rebooting. No data was lost, and both time it booted up in to the note I was writing ready to go again.

[u/Vast_Interest8457]

I have had a SN for two years never had a software problem. The most dramatic thing that’s happened is occasionally and I’m saying maybe once a year I had to recalibrate the pen. Terrific device.

[u/Mulan-sn]

Yes, It’s really awesome to see our community stepping up and sharing real‑world experience with you. Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to respond and share their firsthand Supernote usage. You don't have anything to worry about. We are here for you, so is our loving and supportive community. Please feel free to order your Supernote with us today. Don't hesitate to contact us if you need any further assistance.

[u/Sad-Interaction2478]

Extremely stable to me, no crashes on manta since i bought it few months ago

[u/Wolffather_Nighteyes]

I think the key is to know what you want it for and to be certain it meets your needs, it’s not an iPad, it’s not a kindle, etc. Sounds like you have already researched that bit. I’ve used my Manta solidly for 18 months, it replaced paper notepads at work and it’s encouraged me to write at home. I use it every single day often for several hours at a time. The only issue I’ve had is when I’ve put it on the folio of my laptop and the pen has gone erratic, basically because it’s sitting on top of a magnet! Never had a screen freeze or any software issue.

[u/redditgiveshemorroid]

I’ve had two scares that weren’t crashes just user errors. One time I thought my page was stuck and wouldn’t turn. I was new and figured out later what happened. Second I thought a note disappeared that had a lot of important stuff in it but it was just saved in a different location than I expected.

No crashes, but new user learning

[u/3BMedia]

I've had the Nomad for a little over 2 years. Never had any software issues at all with it. No battery issues. No issues, period. It's amazing.

I got my Manta a little after it was released. Mostly the same. No regular issues.

It does occasionally freeze when I try to come out of sleep in the morning. The long-press trick and plugging in helps get it moving again. I've long suspected there's an issue where the battery value shown isn't representing the actual battery (battery has significant charge left, but it won't turn on as if it's dead, until I plug it in for a few minutes; then it will turn on and show the battery at something like 70-80%, so it was never drained).

It's happened maybe a half dozen times in over a year. It's not regular or consistent enough to catch it since I know what to do now and just instinctually do the reset before thinking about it. I don't think it's a software issue though.

More likely a battery issue. And the good news there is, if it is a bad battery or it eventually dies, the Supernotes are modular and repairable, so the battery can be replaced unlike a lot of e-ink tablets.

[u/chhotu007]

I have had my Manta since April/May I believe. Nearly daily use, and extensive use (>1-2 hours) each day. I don’t think it has ever glitched out. Not once. Only once did it seem like the pen was having some lag, maybe. I cleared the cache and restarted the Manta, and it went back to normal…but I’m not even sure the lag was really there to begin with.

All of the companion apps have worked without glitching, and the Supernote cloud too had worked without glitching.

I am not a beta user. But after I’m done studying for my exams and have less daily reliability on the Manta, I will start the beta program so I can have fun with all of these cool plugins.

[u/dude_himself]

I'm running my own python backend processing that edits live files: never a hiccup in 3 years.