In this article, you will get my recommendations for the best digital notepad, also known as a digital notebook, digital notebook tablet, smart notebook, or smart writing pad. Let’s have a look!
Overview: Best Digital Notepads / Smart Notebooks in 2023
- Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Digital Graphic Drawing Tablet
- Likebook P10 10 Inch Digital Notepad and Ebook Reader
- BOOX Note Air 10.3 ePaper, Digital Paper, E Ink Notepad
Superb performance, material quality, and reliability
Extreme accuracy and control
Likebook P10 Digital Notepad and E-Reader
10” E-Ink Carta Screen
Handwriting Recognition, Built-in Cold/Warm Light, Built-in Audible
Android 8.1, 2GB+64GB
Connectivity via USB, Bluetooth & Wi-Fi
Screen: 10.3 " E ink HD Carta screen
Touch: BOOX Pen Stylus touch (4096 levels pressure sensitivity) + capacitive touch
Android 10.0
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So this guide will really focus mostly on the best paper-based digital notebooks and will look at five amazing (even magical) tablets, some more suited to writers, some better for artists, and some offering an ideal balance, but all great tools for any creative person, student or professional.
I will also include two absolutely fantastic choices for screen-based digital notebooks, both well-suited for artists and writers.
All of these Digital Tablets come with everything you need to get going; they all work well with any system or gadgets you already have. Their files can be transferred to Android, Windows, or any Apple operating system, and most cloud services easily (even automatically).
So, once you find the best Digital Notebook for you from the recommendations below – one that suits your tastes, needs, and budget – you can go ahead and order it with confidence, knowing that these are all the best of the best, offering great quality, functionality, and value.
Then, when you have to get that idea or image down on paper, you can do so instantly and easily without having first to see the calls you missed or the dozen updates your apps so desperately need.
The Best Paper-Based Digital Notebook Tablets in 2023
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iskn The Slate 2+ Paper-Based Digital Notebook
The iskn The Slate 2+ is a great paper-based digital notepad for very little money.
The Slate 2+ allows you to use any normal A5-sized paper and any pen or pencil – slip the cool sensor ring onto your favorite writing instrument, and The Slate will follow your motions and record everything.
While not as precise as some of the more expensive digital notepads on my guide, the Slate 2+ works great and is a pleasure. It automatically stores your files using several cloud services and saves your work internally if you aren’t online or paired.
The Slate 2+ also serves as a graphics tablet and allows you to see what you’re doing in real-time on your computer monitor and paper.
The iskn The Slate 2+ does not have onboard handwriting recognition. But t exports everything – handwritten notes or drawings – on one of several different graphics file formats so that you could use any handwritten note recognition software on your phone or computer.
The free iskn Repaper App gives you a good range of graphics tools to revise and finish your creations and is compatible with Windows, Apple MacOS, Android, and Apple mobile iOS.
The iskn Slate 2+ is a nifty, useful device for a paper-based digital notepad.
Yes, it is the least expensive digital notepad on our list, yet it works remarkably well, and I suspect it will become a trusted companion and useful tool in no time.
Royole RoWrite Smart Writing Pad
For Business, Academic and Art
With Folio, Pen, 2 A5 Notepads
A remarkable unit to use, the Royole RoWrite is essentially a high-quality and luxurious feeling notebook with A5-sized paper, which transfers everything you write or draw on that paper into a digital file. It will save to PDF, text, and several different graphics formats.
The RoWrite Digital Notepad transforms handwritten notes into text and will dynamically capture not just drawings but differences in line thickness and pen pressure with remarkable accuracy. It requires a special pressure-sensitive pen to take advantage of all of this. But you can also use a regular pen and any normal A5 paper.
The free RoWrite App is compatible with Apple, Windows PCs, Android, and Apple phones. The notepad will automatically transfer or save your files internally if you are not paired with a device. The bundle features the Smart Notebook, a pressure-sensitive pen, ink refill, 2 A5 paper notebooks, cable, pen battery (AAAA), and user’s manual – everything you need.
Despite its low price, the Royole RoWrite is one of the best digital notepads today. It makes a great productivity tool and a brilliant gift and is the best value overall on our list of best digital notepads on the market today.
iskn Repaper Paper Based Digital Notebook
Pen, Pencil & Paper
8192 Pressure Levels
Faber-Castell Limited Edition
From the Slate 2+ digital writing paper tablet manufacturer reviewed just above, the iskn Repaper is a more advanced and accurate digital notepad for a little more money.
Functionally, the main difference – and to many of us, it’s an important one – is that the iskn Repaper registers not just pen or pencil movement but pressure as well – 8,192 levels of pressure, which is as much as fine professional art tablets.
Like the Slate, the Repaper will work with any pen, pencil, or paper, export files in various graphics file formats, and include a free app for Apple, PC, or Android. The iskn Repaper can also be used as an accurate pen tablet input device for any Mac or Windows art or graphics software and can show your work in real-time on the computer screen. It also has onboard storage but, unlike its less expensive sibling, the Repaper includes a micro SD slot for up to 32 GB of additional storage.
A handy and clever device, the iskn Repaper will definitely fill that need to take notes or draw sketches on the go. It does so easily, reliably, and with surprising accuracy. It is, in fact, the ideal balance between a simple portable note-taking smart pad and a sophisticated art tablet for an almost absurdly low price.
Moleskine Smart Writing Set Ellipse Paper-Based Digital Notebook
High-Quality
For taking notes, creative writing and business writing
The Moleskine Ellipse Digital Writing Set is designed specifically for handwritten notes and converting that writing into editable computer text files to be saved to the cloud or any paired devices.
The Ellipse can record drawings and doodles with great accuracy but may not be the first choice for an artist looking for a paper-based drawing tablet.
But it is an amazingly well-engineered and effective digital notepad for taking notes, creative writing, or business writing.
With handwritten note recognition in 15 languages, audio and digital writing synchronization, advanced organizing, tagging, and sharing functions, this is the finest paper-based digital notepad I’ve ever used for note-taking and writing.
And being Moleskine products, the smart pen and notebook are beautifully made, with first-rate material quality, fit, and finish.
My number one recommendation, then, for a paper-based digital notepad for digital writing, the Moleskine Digital Writing Set Ellipse digital notepad is the perfect choice for any writer, businessperson, student, or anybody who wants to take notes, organize their thoughts or capture momentary ideas and inspirations anywhere and at any time.
And it is a beautiful kit overall, far nicer than one might imagine for the modest price!
Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Paper-Based Digital Drawing Tablet
Superb performance, material quality, and reliability
Extreme accuracy and control
It should come as no surprise that the finest paper-based digital drawing tablet for artists, and our top recommendation for a paper-based smart tablet, comes from Wacom – the leader in graphics tablets for artists since, well, since there were graphics tablets for artists.
Wacom is known for superb performance, material quality, reliability, well-engineered products, thoughtful designs, and extreme accuracy and control, and the Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition is no exception.
What is exceptional about the Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition is that it uses paper, capturing your pen-to-paper creations in perfect detail and saving or transferring them as digital files. Other than that, it is essentially the same as any Intuos Pro graphics pen tablet, with the incredible sensitivity, accuracy, and precision you can only get from Wacom, a great artist-centered design (including programmable function keys), and a truly professional-level of fit, finish, and reliability.
This is not the best choice for somebody who wants a cool and useful little digital notepad to carry around, take notes, and make drawings on.
But if you’re an artist who wants not only one of the very finest graphics pen tablets to attach to your computer but also a paper-based system that allows you to create directly on any paper – in the studio or on a park bench – and still have the same 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt recognition. Excellent accuracy. The Wacom Intuos is as good as it gets and is very highly recommended.
The Best Screen-Based Digital Notebook Tablets in 2023
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Likebook P10 10 Inch Digital Notepad and Ebook Reader
Likebook P10 Digital Notepad and E-Reader
10” E-Ink Carta Screen
Handwriting Recognition, Built-in Cold/Warm Light, Built-in Audible
Android 8.1, 2GB+64GB
Connectivity via USB, Bluetooth & Wi-Fi
The simplicity, effectiveness, and usability of the Likebook P10 are exactly what I consider when thinking about the perfect portable screen-based digital notebook.
A nice e-book reader with a built-in warm/cool reading lamp, the Likebook allows you to write or draw on its nice, remarkably sensitive screen with the included Wacom stylus.
Artwork can be rendered in great detail, with the interface registering a full 4,096 levels of pen pressure, and the built-in OCR software will convert your handwriting to editable computer text. Capable of exporting several file formats, the P10 can interface with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, or direct cabling to any other device and has 64 GB of built-in storage.
Although the Likebook P10 uses Android, this is not a tablet or smartphone. It is an elegant, focused device for reading, writing, taking notes, and drawing beautiful pictures.
It is a solid, reliable, well-designed digital writing and drawing pad for a moderate price and is perfect for any writer, visual artist, student, or professional.
BOOX Note Air Digital Paper Screen-Based Notepad
Screen: 10.3 " E ink HD Carta screen
Touch: BOOX Pen Stylus touch (4096 levels pressure sensitivity) + capacitive touch
Android 10.0
The Boox Note Air is a bit different – an Android device offering much greater versatility and functionality than other screen-based Digital Notepads on the market today. And yet it is still focused on reading experience, writing, and drawing and retains that simple, open-and-go philosophy that characterizes the best digital notepads.
The Boox Note Air is an extremely high-quality notebook with a solid feel and beautiful appearance, and it is incredibly thin and light.
And while it will run other Android DRM apps, like those available at the Google Play store, it is primarily designed to be a smart reading and drawing pad and is greatly effective and a pleasure to use. It is also an exceptional ebook reader and annotator.
Excellent onboard writing and drawing software make creating and editing text and graphics easy, the pen and interface are pressure sensitive and highly accurate, and the wonderful front light makes working at any time possible.
You can also get a nice optional BOOX folio case which the Note Air slips neatly into, offering protection and doubling as a stand. Bluetooth and wireless connectivity and 32 GB of internal storage work with at least 16 file formats.
The Boox Note Air is not an inexpensive digital notebook. But it is an exceptional one – remarkably advanced, useful and versatile, and so thoughtfully designed, the Note Air can do much more than other screen-based digital pads yet retains the simple user interface that sets this product apart.
A perfect tool for a writer and equally good for visual artists, not to mention businesspeople and students, the Note Air is handy and highly recommended!
Two Types of Digital Notebooks
Basically, a digital notebook is a device that will capture anything and everything you write, scribble, doodle, or draw and turn it into a digital file, which can be saved on board and is also easily transferred to a cloud or another device, like a PC, notebook, smartphone or tablet, using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or cables.
There are two basic types of Digital Notebook Tablets available:
Paper-Based Digital Notebook Tablets
Ok, I admit it.
This one seems almost magical to me. Using normal paper and a specially dedicated pen, whatever you write, draw or scribble on the paper is somehow enchantingly transferred to the digital realm.
Or, I suppose, it is digitally captured and transferred to a cloud or a nearby computer or smart device. Yes, that sounds more likely.
Either way you go, the best Digital Notebooks available today are brilliant devices that transcend their cool gadget status and are highly valuable and regularly used creative tools.
People love writing experience on paper with a pen or a pencil – it’s as simple as that.
Many of my family members, friends, and students mention that they can’t get used to the digital writing experience on a screen.
And even though it seems that most artists are quite happy with their tablets and use it all the time, they don’t use them to take notes or write out lists or ideas; many still have a paper pad and pen for that.
And lots of artists draw little “seed” ideas on paper all the time – a tiny, basic doodle that will be a kind of reminder and inspiration leading to a larger, more fully realized art piece or a quick sketch to capture something in front of them or in their mind’s eye.
Or they used to do this, at least, but since having a tablet, which they love to use for serious work, many have stopped this fun and productive quick-sketch practice and really seem to miss it.
Still, people don’t miss all the folded, crumpled, faded, or ripped bits of paper in their pockets or in a thousand pieces in the clothes dryer, and they don’t miss losing a nice image, good idea or important telephone number when that tiny scrap accidentally gets thrown away.
And that’s where paper-based Digital Notebooks come in, offering the best of both worlds.
They allow you to return to your comforting and productive process of digital writing or drawing with pen and paper and then transfer what you’ve penned right into the 21st century, as a text file, a graphics file, or a PDF, among others. Absolute Genius!
Screen-Based Digital Notepads
Similar to a tablet or smartphone with a touchscreen, this is a very basic drawing screen with a stylus, often doing little or nothing other than capturing your writing and drawings, saving them, and sending them to a cloud or other device.
Some people aren’t necessarily paper-attached but want to jot down something instantly and get on with things.
The idea of taking out their phone or tablet, turning it on, often wading through notifications, alerts and ads, finding the right app, opening it, maybe opening a new document, well, you get the idea – what was it I was going to write down? Where did that pretty butterfly go, and what did it look like? Maybe I’ll Crush some Candy instead…
But a screen-based digital notebook is different and at least seems like a wonderful idea.
Rather than a full-featured Android or Apple phone or tablet, with all its inherent distractions, you have a focused electronic notepad of the super-simple open-and-write variety. You can turn it on and start digital writing or drawing straight away, and that’s it.
It sounds like a traditional notebook more than like a phone or tablet, doesn’t it? So, who’s the Smart one now?
And yet screen-based digital notebooks have never really taken off for some reason, and paper-based smart notebooks are by far the more popular of the two types.
In fact, over the last few years, it seems that so many newly developed and interesting screen-based digital tablets – like the reMarkable tablet that was making such a buzz not that long ago, or the apparently revolutionary Sony Digital Paper – have all but disappeared from the market.
Some have vanished, and many others don’t seem to be really available anywhere.
Are Digital Notebooks Any Good?
I think many people have considered buying electronic notepads for writing and drawing for a long time, but have been put off by the bad reviews, reports of poor performance and poor reliability, and the often shockingly high prices.
But I have to say that, while clearly, some products are still not what they should be, and some are still ridiculously priced, the best digital writing pads or drawing pads today are fully developed products – effective and useful, reliable and affordable. And very, very cool.
If you are the type of person who likes to capture ideas, visions, or other inspirations on the go, without any fuss or distraction, a digital notepad will let you do just that – quickly and – and then you can see those ideas in the digital realm and take them wherever they need to go—a perfect synergy of old-school and high-tech, and an idea which has finally come of age.
I hope this post helped you get your new digital notepad, and I invite you to visit my blog – Art Side of Life – for other guides, online courses, articles, and resources.
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Lis cet article en français 🇫🇷 Le meilleur bloc note numérique en 2022
Hi, I am Iva (rhymes with “viva”). I am a full-time self-taught artist behind Art Side of Life® and a Top Teacher on Skillshare. I have 15 years of experience in the creative field as a concept designer, illustrator, art director, and now freelance artist, content creator, and art instructor. My goal is to help you get your creative groove on with Procreate and make awesome art through practical classes, tutorials, Procreate brushes, and guides on art tools, supplies and resources. About me »
