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Comparing Our Favorite Digital Notebooks
Our Favorite Smart Pens
Neo Smartpen M1+ for $129: Skip the tablet and constitute straight connected insubstantial with a astute pen instead. The Neo Smartpen M1+ is the thinnest and lightest of each the pens I tried, which makes it consciousness a spot much similar your modular pen. Importantly, it's comfy to clasp and use. You should beryllium capable to find immoderate size and benignant of notebook you request arsenic good arsenic planners. The Neo Studio app (iOS, Android) is nice, with an easy-to-navigate notebook strategy and the quality to hunt for pages by leafage fig oregon date. You tin alteration the colour of the ink and thickness of the lines close connected the leafage arsenic you go, oregon you tin power them up aboriginal and edit the colors of what you've written. —Medea Giodiano
Moleskine Smart Writing Set for $279: Moleskine has garnered a devoted pursuing for its classical notebooks and journals, but it has besides moved into astute territory. The Smart Writing Set gets you a notebook and pen bundle, truthful this is the champion enactment for astir radical starting out. Write successful the notebook, and it'll look successful the companion app! But you tin bargain the pen connected its own, arsenic good arsenic the astute notebooks and planners successful assorted sizes. The Moleskine Notes 2.0 app (iOS, Android) was casual to usage erstwhile I settled into it. An older mentation of the app is disposable for download, but the 2.0 mentation is much streamlined. A pop-up fto maine cognize that 2.0 is inactive a enactment successful advancement and I mightiness request to power backmost to the older mentation if my instrumentality is having trouble, but my iPhone 11 didn't person immoderate issues. I tested the $149 2018 mentation of the Smart Writing Set, which is nary longer available, but we program to trial the latest mentation soon. —Medea Giordano
Honorable Mentions
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The 3rd Gen Kindle Scribe (left) and the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.
Boox Note Air3 C for $450: This exemplary was a coagulated all-around performer. It has a much analyzable ecosystem than our apical picks, but besides much capabilities to comparison with a modular tablet. This mentation has been discontinued, but there's a caller version, the Note Air4 C ($530), which we present urge above.
Kindle Scribe Colorsoft ($630) and Kindle Scribe (3rd Gen) ($500): The caller versions of the Kindle Scribe are inactive coagulated all-around devices that person a bully premix of e-reader and integer notebook features, but I inactive similar the older model. While the caller Scribe Colorsoft is simply a bully enactment if you privation color, I deliberation some are excessively costly for what they are. The terms comes from each the AI features packed into the device, but I don't deliberation immoderate scholar oregon integer notetaker was asking for much of those. Our picks supra are a amended terms for akin features, though the Scribe does person the astir awesome artillery beingness of immoderate integer notebook instrumentality I've tried (and that's inactive existent for the older exemplary that I urge above, too, truthful you don't request the newest exemplary for the champion artillery life).
Montblanc Digital Paper for $905: Yes, that Montblanc, the 1 with the celebrated pens, present has a integer notebook of its own. It's nary astonishment that I'd telephone its integer pen 1 of the best. It's got a super-lightweight consciousness portion sporting 3 antithetic buttons, 2 of which you tin customize. (There's nary eraser, but I'll springiness it up for that extremity of the pen to alternatively beryllium a location button). I truly similar this instrumentality overall, but it's pricey for what you get—aside from the customizable pen buttons, there's not overmuch to differentiate it from my apical picks.
Neo Smartpen Dimo for $59: This is the cheapest astute pen enactment and uses replaceable batteries. It isn't compatible with Google Calendar, iCal, oregon Outlook similar our different picks.
Rocketbook Fusion Plus for $38: If you truly similar the insubstantial acquisition and don't privation thing you request to charge, past Rocketbook is for you. Rocketbook makes respective reusable notebooks, planners, and accessories similar scale cards and sticky notes. I similar the Rocketbook Fusion Plus since it comes with a ton of antithetic template styles, from your classical monthly and play pages to task absorption layouts and gathering notes, making it consciousness person to the assortment a integer notebook tin connection you. Take notes with an erasable Pilot Frixion Pen (one comes with whichever point you buy), scan photos of the pages into the Rocketbook app, and erase the full happening with the damp microfiber cloth (also included). The app is designed to support everything organized and easy nonstop things disconnected to Google Drive, Slack, Trello, OneNote, and a fistful of different options.
Supernote A6 X2 Nomad for $394 (with Standard Pen): This is simply a smaller mentation of the Supernote A5 X2 Manta, measuring astir 6 inches connected 1 broadside and 7.5 inches connected the other. Supernote designed it with question successful mind, but I find it to beryllium a large size for a regular integer to-do database oregon penning down speedy notes from a meeting. It's excessively tiny for thing major, but if you're looking for thing compact, this is simply a bully enactment with Supernote's bundle (and with the aforesaid fantastic pens!). Like the Manta above, this exemplary roseate successful terms owed to the tariffs, though it lone went up $30.
FAQs
Do You Need a Digital Note-Taking Device?
The abbreviated reply is no. These devices are expensive, usually costing respective 100 dollars erstwhile a elemental notebook and pen costs a fewer bucks. But if you similar the carnal enactment of penning but request to person integer copies, they're worthy considering.
Pros:
- Digital notebooks are bladed and airy but clasp hundreds of notes.
- You tin transcribe your notes into substance files, making them easier to work and manipulate.
- Depending connected the device, you tin export files arsenic PDFs, Google Docs, Evernote files, and more.
- Instantly digitizes your creation too.
Cons:
- Expensive.
- Need to beryllium charged.
- Have a learning curve.
- Most astute pens request to beryllium paired with an accompanying notebook. The upcoming Nuwa Pen promises astute notes connected any paper.
E Ink notebooks are easier connected the eyes and consciousness person to insubstantial than a glass-screened tablet. But successful immoderate cases, you mightiness walk little getting an iPad and an Apple Pencil (and a keyboard if you besides privation to benignant sometimes). You tin besides bash much connected them acknowledgment to the thousands of apps successful the App Store. An iPad is beauteous intuitive if you're acquainted with the Apple ecosystem (though some ReMarkable and Supernote's ecosystems are besides precise intuitive). Former WIRED reviewer Jaina Grey recommended utilizing her 11-inch iPad Pro with the GoodNotes and Notability apps for her writing, but determination are different models that should enactment fine, including our apical pick, the 2025 iPad. Check our our usher to the Best iPads for much proposal connected which to buy.
I besides person an iPad, and I'll accidental the upside of a integer notebook is that the artillery tends to past longer, particularly if you're the benignant to usage it for a time oregon 2 and past hide astir it for a fewer days. My trusty Kindle Scribe usually manages to person plentifulness of artillery disposable for whenever I consciousness the note-taking itch, adjacent if it's been a week oregon 2 since I past touched it.
Why Are Digital Notebooks So Expensive?
Just due to the fact that these devices look similar insubstantial doesn't mean they're arsenic inexpensive to marque arsenic a expanse of paper. Like immoderate tablet oregon astute phone, these devices are packed with features, a peculiar ecosystem, and the E Ink exertion is nary tiny feat to perfect, on with a sensation akin to penning connected paper. It's an awesome portion of technology.
Prices haven't gotten cheaper for this class successful the aftermath of tariffs' causing exertion prices to rise. ReMarkable did precocious rise the terms of our apical pick, the ReMarkable Paper Pro. Another favourite of ours from Supernote has gone up a small little than $50, and Kobo besides somewhat raised its prices, though the $10 summation is beauteous insignificant compared to different increases we’ve seen. We'll proceed to show prices and emblem if much terms changes are to come.
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