An Explanation of Supernote Product Naming Evolution
June 18, 2025
With the introduction of the Supernote Nomad and Manta, we've received numerous inquiries about our product naming system. Many of you are curious why we transitioned from the familiar A5 X/A6 X to an entirely new naming convention. We'd like to take this opportunity to share the story behind this naming evolution, our thought process, and our plans for the future.
A Tribute to Traditional Stationery
Let's first revisit Supernote's original naming system.
From the first generation A5/A6 to the second generation A5 X/A6 X, our original intention was pure: to establish Supernote as a digital extension of the traditional paper-and-pen experience, allowing it to seamlessly integrate into the concept of "digital stationery."
Our inspiration came directly from the ISO paper size standards, where A4 paper is the benchmark in traditional office and school settings, A5 is half of A4, and A6 is half of A5. We adopted this hierarchical relationship, hoping users could intuitively understand the relationship between different-sized devices through their names, just like naturally choosing different-sized notebooks, even though Supernote devices are slightly larger than standard A5/A6 paper.
Unexpected Confusion
However, the practical outcome wasn't entirely aligned with our expectations. We found that this paper-concept-based naming system sometimes inadvertently caused some confusion.
Not all users in all regions have the same in-depth understanding of the ISO paper size system. A more common misunderstanding was that simply because the number "6" is greater than "5," some users mistakenly believed the A6 X was a larger or higher-end successor to the A5 X. This clearly contradicted our original intention of providing clear guidance through naming. A good name should reduce, not create, ambiguity.
The Birth of Nomad and Manta
To address this issue, we decided to adopt an entirely new naming strategy for our third-generation products—giving them unique identities and personalities.
- Supernote Nomad (A6 X2): The name "Nomad" subtly interprets this device's characteristics: compact, portable, and suitable for capturing flashes of inspiration anytime, anywhere. It's designed for users who need a creative companion always by their side. Whether you're familiar with paper concepts or not, you can feel the freedom and agility that Nomad conveys.
- Supernote Manta (A5 X2): Our larger-sized product was given the name "Manta." Manta rays glide gracefully and immersively in the ocean, with an expansive and focused posture. This is exactly the kind of immersive, deep thinking and creating experience we want users to have with this large-screen device.
During this transition, we also kept our long-time users' habits and familiarity in mind. To ensure a clear path forward, we've established a gradual transition and legacy plan:
- A Gentle Handover: When we first launched our third-generation products, we used parallel naming like Supernote A6 X2 Nomad/A5 X2 Manta. This helped our existing users connect the new names with the old ones they knew. Moving forward, we'll gradually switch to using just Supernote Nomad and Manta in most of our communications. It's also very likely that our next-generation products will be named Nomad 2 and Manta 2.
- The Legacy of "X": The "X" isn't disappearing. As a nod to our history and a continuation of memory, "X" will take on an entirely new "core" role in our product naming: it will represent the motherboard codename. For example, the current Nomad and Manta devices are powered by the CoreX2 motherboard, and future upgradeable motherboards will be called CoreX3, CoreX4, and so on.