Best tablets for taking notes in 2024

One of the great things about the wide variety of Android tablets is their versatility for work and play. You’ll want to be a little picky if you’re into taking handwritten notes, though, since some support styluses better than others, and some don’t support them at all. A handful of writing-focused options even sport paper-like screens that closely mimic paper.

Keep in mind that reliable, powerful tablets aren’t exactly cheap — especially if you want easy note-taking. But for a moderate investment, you can get a great E Ink tablet or traditional Android slate that’s great for writing and even digital art.

Top tablets for taking notes

E Ink is arguably one of the best mediums for digital note-taking. It’s easier on the eyes than screens and mimics writing on actual paper. Plus, E Ink tablets require less than half as much charging as LED tablets. The Onyx Boox Go 10.3, our favorite tablet for students and professionals, could get through as much as a week before you need to drop it on the charger.

What sets the Boox Go 10.3 apart? One of its biggest highlights is its Android interface, allowing you to download your favorite note-taking, reading, and productivity applications. In Android Police’s firsthand experience with Boox’s 10-inch tablet, the device lived up to expectations in terms of stylus performance, perfectly emulating the natural feel of writing on paper.

Beyond that, a native note-taking app offers convenient templates, like notebook paper and calendars, and with the ability to download your favorite streaming services like Spotify or Audible and Go 10.3’s onboard speakers, long study sessions can be livened up with some background music. Unfortunately, the Go 10.3 lacks a front light, so it probably won’t be a valuable tool in the dark.

The Go 10.3 costs about $380, a price that gets you everything you need to bring the tablet to class or an important meeting, including the device itself, a stylus, and a magnetic case. It’s worth noting that, while the Go 10.3 is a relatively slim device, we found it to be a bit heavier than you’d expect in our testing, which may impact how easy it is to carry around.

The smallest of Samsung’s 2023 flagship tablets, the Galaxy Tab S9, ranks highly as the best premium note-taking option with its 11-inch high-resolution, 120Hz AMOLED display and taller-than-usual 16:10 orientation. Since there’s no Tab S10 model at this size (only larger ones), we think this is still the best Galaxy Tab for notes.

Samsung upgraded the tablet with a more efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, making it ideally suited for multitasking. Buyers will also find helpful additions like a microSD card slot for storage expansion over and above the 128GB storage available on the base unit.

Moreover, Samsung’s built-in software suite, which includes apps for notes and drawing and support for S Pen features, makes the Galaxy Tab S9 one of the best note-taking tablets on the market. The S Pen’s incredibly low 2.8ms latency also guarantees a superlative note-taking experience. The stylus can also be used to navigate the interface using gestures.

Samsung has also made thoughtful additions to apps like the Gallery, where the S Pen is handy for annotation or more convenient editing. When done, the stylus magnetically attaches to the tablet for easy stowing.

The IP68 rating makes the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 a great option if you find yourself doodling at the beach. Meanwhile, keeping the tablet going all day is a large 8,400mAh battery that can be topped up reasonably quickly with 45W charging support. While the tablet is steeply-priced, the included S Pen and ample power ensure it’ll be a constant companion for years.

Not quite an LED tablet and not quite an e-reader, the TCL Tab 10 NXTPAPER 5G is a more affordable solution than other devices on this list.

The Tab 10 NXTPAPER 5G textured display is something unique compared to normal tablets and even E Ink readers; you can still enjoy full, glorious color, while reaping the e-reader benefits of minimized eye strain and a writing experience much like physical paper. The devices’ display settings are versatile enough to accommodate varying needs, with three distinct display presets: color paper, ink paper, and regular mode.

Besides its unusual display, the Tab 10 NXTPAPER 5G behaves much like an ordinary tablet. Its 2.2 GHz Octa-core processor handles just about any tasks you’d demand of a tablet with ease, including note-taking, social media, and streaming. Have a lot of digital notebooks, textbooks, and other important things to keep track of? The onboard microSD slot expands the Tab 10 NXTPAPER’s storage from 128GB up to 1TB.

An unconventional display does mean a few quirky use-case caveats, though. For one, we didn’t like using the Tab 10 NXTPAPER with sunglasses on — polarized sunglasses, more specifically, which impacted visibility of the screen at certain angles. This probably isn’t a big deal to most users, but if you foresee a lot of idle sketching in the sun or outdoor lectures, it may be something to consider.

There’s also the fact that, as of right now, the Tab 10 NXTPAPER is a Verizon exclusive. That limits your purchasing options, and also means you’ll have to put up with some Verizon apps preloaded onto the device.

In your quest for the ultimate note-taking companion, you’ve likely heard of Onyx’s excellent Boox range E Ink tablets, of which the Note Air3 C is the best yet. It’s not what we’d call a steal, but considering its suite of features, the Air3 C will tick many boxes for the avid note-taker.

First off, the Air3 C is slim and feather-light, even after long reading and writing sessions. There’s also an elongated bezel on one side for a more natural grip and to keep your fingers from smudging the screen. Even with its lighter build, the Air3 C packs in a solid battery, a microSD card slot for more storage, and even a decent set of speakers.

The Air3 C doesn’t cut corners with the screen either, and it shouldn’t at this price. It uses a dual-format 10.3-inch Kaleido 3 that displays color in 1240 x 930 resolution — a commendable effort for an E Ink device. Comics, pie charts, and anything else you’d like to see in color look good, though not as crisp as on a standard tablet. On the other hand, the tablet’s monochrome displays content in an even sharper 2480 x 1860 resolution.

But let’s turn to the star of the show, the Air3 C’s stylus. As our review notes, writing on this tablet is pretty awesome, mainly due to the Wacom layer. Whether sketching or writing, you’ll enjoy pen-like precision that you won’t find in many other tablets, E Ink or otherwise.

Also, while a thin layer of glass protects the screen, it doesn’t inhibit the writing experience. That’s because Onyx added a paper-like textured film that we think feels a lot like regular old paper. Writing and drawing come naturally. Artists, in particular, will appreciate the generous selection of brushes and layer options found in the notes. Seriously, the Air3 C might just replace your sketchpad.

While the Supernote Nomad’s operating system, dubbed Chauvet, is based on Android 11, you definitely won’t mistake it for the Google-developed platform. Its heavily retouched interface points to the device’s extreme focus on note-taking, which it does better than anything else at this price.

At the forefront is a relatively typical E Ink panel, but outfitted with arguably the most paper-like finish available today. This goes a long way in providing a satisfying writing feel, without the fatigue that comes from trying to stabilize a stylus on slick glass. It sees the same pitfalls of other E Ink displays (mostly a poor refresh rate and grayscale limitation) but has as good of a tactile response as anything we’ve reviewed.

Its stylus works great, although it’s sold separately, and the $60 price tag doesn’t square very well with the Nomad’s own $300 MSRP. But it supports all EMR styluses, so you can use your own if you have one, or pick up a third-party EMR stylus for a little cheaper.

It ships with just a few stock Android apps and access to various software from Supernote, but you do have options to increase the versatility. The March 2024 OS update added the ability to sideload Android apps, and as we’ve already seen in the wild, users are already adding tons of functionality with various lightweight software suites. Take note, though, that its quad-core Rockchip system-on-a-chip and mere 4GB of RAM can’t handle anything significantly resource-intensive.

The Nomad won’t fulfill your needs if you’re looking to enjoy streaming video or gaming on your off time. But it will give you a convenient, especially portable way to digitize handwritten notes, and won’t distract you with the possibility of binge-watching anything when you need to work.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab series offers what most call the most refined tablet experience on the Android market. Extremely similar to the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+, the smaller S9 Fan Edition features the same OneUI OS implementation users love, at a significantly lower price than its more powerful siblings.

Predictably, it sacrifices some notable high-end Tab S9 features to get its price so low. Its LCD panel’s nowhere near a premium OLED panel, but it’s still bright, colorful, and absolutely fine for most users. The biggest compromise comes in the form of its Exynos 1380 SoC, which underperforms compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship Tab S9s received. But as long as you avoid extremely resource-heavy apps or extensive multitasking, you shouldn’t have any problems.

The biggest reasons to opt for a Galaxy tablet are the software’s generally user-friendly and customizable design, and how well it supports stylus functionality. Pen precision and palm rejection are as good as they get, and OneUI includes many features for streamlining work. It even comes with the stylus included.

While it was pretty pricey for a midrange tablet at launch, the high-end build quality, included S Pen, and highly praised software now make it a close contender for best value. To really step up its handwritten note abilities, we recommend picking up a paper-like Tab S9 FE screen protector.

The Lenovo P11 Pro Gen 2 won’t win any awards for being the most exciting option, but makes up for that as a well-rounded, powerful device with a great display for media consumption. Avid note-takers will appreciate the 11″ OLED panel, which runs at 120Hz for a snappy interface and fluid cloud gaming. The oversize screen makes it a breeze to jot down notes in your choice of apps using the included Precision Pen 3.

The stylus offers a matte finish, replaceable nibs, and 4,096 pressure sensitivity points, making it an excellent choice for note-taking. That said, the pen suffers from noticeable jitter when writing at an angle that can make sketching a less-than-ideal experience. Thoughtfully, the pen can be connected magnetically to the back of the tablet, ensuring it’s never out of reach.

Unfortunately, performance isn’t the focus of the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2. Instead, the tablet takes a value-oriented approach with a MediaTek Kompanio 1300T chipset paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which can be upgraded with a microSD card. It’s perfectly suited for lightweight tasks like browsing the internet, catching up on social media, streaming, and note-taking, but not for running powerful apps or playing games.

Despite its affordable price point, the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 keeps the basics. It can also be purchased as a bundle with the Precision Pen 3 and a keyboard dock, making it an even better value for the money.

The OnePlus Pad 2 sticks to the brand’s ethos of offering incredible performance at a value-oriented price point. The company’s second tablet gets the essentials right with a bright, 12.1-inch display; it’s a slight expansion on its predecessor, but an OLED panel would’ve certainly elevated the OnePlus Pad’s hardware credentials.

In any case, the LCD screen delivers rich contrast and a panel that remains perfectly viewable outdoors. The silky smooth 144Hz refresh further adds to the fluid experience.

While the unusual 7:5 aspect ratio might not be ideal for watching movies, the OnePlus Pad is a great choice for productivity fiends. Browsing multiple pages simultaneously, multitasking, and performing note-related tasks flourish on the OnePlus Pad 2, though you will have to splurge extra on the OnePlus Stylus Pen to maximize the capabilities of the tablet.

The OnePlus Stylo 2 has hardware support for minimal latency, which should mean lag-free note-taking. That said, you’ll need relevant software to take advantage of that low latency. Elsewhere, the stylus supports palm rejection, tilt support, and 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, making note-taking a cinch.

Powering the OnePlus Pad 2 is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. Combined with 8GB or 12GB of RAM, the tablet can even play the latest games. One frustration is the absent fingerprint scanner, something the first generation also lacked.

OnePlus didn’t make any upgrades to its tablet’s battery, but it didn’t really need to. The Pad 2 offers excellent longevity with its 9,510mAh battery, making it one of the longest-lasting tablets around. You can also get the OnePlus Pad 2 bundled with the stylus as well as the keyboard accessory, making it great value.

The new iPad Pro (2024) has two critical selling points over the perfectly serviceable prior design. One is an improved OLED panel, or rather, two OLED panels stacked to create superior contrast and definition. The second big change is the switch from the M2 processor to the all-new M4 silicon, providing greater gaming and application performance. As expected, this gorgeously engineered device is thinner than any iPad before it and is destined to become an exhibit in a museum of early 21st-century products.

However, it’s hard to ignore the significant investment Apple is asking for the 2024 iPad Pro and its 13-inch counterpart. The cost doesn’t stop on the iPad Pro itself, as none of the accessories from the previous generation are compatible with this model, further inflating the price.

As nice as the new Magic keyboard is, it costs more than many midrange Android tablets, and the price of the Apple Pencil Pro will make you worried about how your children might treat it.

And, for a tablet that, with all the optional extras and AppleCare+, could cost more than $2500, it has a mediocre camera. But it does have that cool Apple logo, and they will engrave it for free.

The Remarkable Paper Pro is technically a tablet, but unlike any others we recommend. For starters, it doesn’t run Android or even a modified version of it, instead relying on a starkly focused Linux-based OS called Codex; its horsepower isn’t anywhere near enough to run most third-party apps, even if you could somehow sideload one yourself.

Even with its limitations, the Paper Pro is a substantial upgrade to the Remarkable 2, adding an E Ink Gallery 3 color display and front lighting, significantly boosting the device’s functionality. Remarkable also built its newer tablet with an aluminum chassis and glass display, affording not only better durability but a more premum feel.

It does succeed at the one thing it sets out to do, which is to serve as a digital notebook with streamlined organization, customization, formatting, and editing of your handwritten notes. It offers a wide range of tools, both basic and advanced, to make navigating your written words quick and easy. The text transcription also shines, yielding nearly perfect success despite the “mediocre-at-best” handwriting we fed to it.

Arguably, the most noticeable positive is how similar the Remarkable Paper Pro is to actual, wood-pulp paper. It simply feels more real than most of the competition, resulting in consistent writing that won’t fatigue your hands, and it’ll look almost identical to your analog notes. Also, like paper, you don’t have to charge it — well, you do, but only every couple of months, at best. In the month we used it regularly, we hardly noticed the battery indicator drop.

As great as the Remarkable Paper Pro is for writing, it simply isn’t good for much else, and that’s really the only major functional drawback. The straightforward upload process for the two external document formats it does support (EPUB and PDF files) works quickly and without hassle, so you can read most of your existing ebooks if you’re resourceful enough to convert them (which is super easy with the open-source Calibre software).

Streaming and gaming of all kinds are out of the picture, but what do you need videos or games for? You’re supposed to be taking notes.

Choosing the best tablet for taking notes for you

Whether you’re taking notes at a lecture, jotting down important points in a business meeting, or journaling for fun or mental health, the right tablet can help. A good mix of hardware performance, display capability, and software refinement makes it easy to digitize handwritten notes, and even scan them for later searching and referencing. Depending on which route you take, you can also get most or all of the vast functionality Android offers.

Our top choice, the Onyx Boox Go 10.3, blends the two worlds about as well as possible. Its E Ink display soundly beats other paper-like screens, without sacrificing the visual comfort and tactile feel of writing on a note-focused tablet. It’s no barn burner, but its hardware can eke out enough performance to enable a slate of third-party apps.

You can spend considerably less and get something every bit as great to write on by opting for the TCl Tab 10 NXTPAPER 5G. Its unique nano-etched display combines the best of the E Ink and LCD worlds, so you can enjoy a paperlike writing experience as well as vibrant, full-spectrum color. Plus, the 5G cellular connection makes this option considerably more portable than others.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper tablet roundup without mentioning Samsung. The Tab S9 and S9 FE are among the top high-end and midrange tablets, respectively, largely due to Samsung’s mastery of Android implementation and stylus support. Its Wacom EMR layer promises professional-quality pen precision, and OneUI is as good as it gets. While the true S9 is a bit pricey, the much cheaper S9 FE offers many of the pros, with few cons.