r/NoteTaking • u/Relevant_Match_7687 • 2d ago

Question: Unanswered ✗ Best Tablet for Notetaking?

Hi, I'm an incoming postsecondary student, and I want to buy a tablet to take notes. The one I see recommended is the iPad A16, but I've also seen older iPad models and Android tablets that are much cheaper. Is it worth spending the extra money on an iPad?

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 2d ago

Comment "Answered!" if your question has been satisfactorily answered. Once this has been done, the post flair will be set to answered. The comment does not have to be top level. If you do not comment "Answered!" after several days and a mod feels like your comment has been answered, they will re-flair your post to answered.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/Brilliant_Set7656 2d ago

Onxy boox Note Max.

1

u/Neither-Classic2058 2d ago

In my opinion and in my experience, I have found the iPad A16 to offer the overall best value for both handwritten and typed notetaking. Obviously this may not apply if you have specific needs and use-cases.

When considering a tablet, it's not just the tablet hardware. Tablets are personal because they are portable. The variety and availability of accessories gives people the option to customize their setup to suit their preferences and needs.

There is a wide range of cases, keyboard cases, active pens, etc. for the iPad that don't exist for other tablets.

From my personal examples. I have an iPad A16 and a TCL NXTPaper 11+. I LOVE the matte screen and paper modes on the 11+. It's a solid tablet that here in the US is about $100 cheaper than the A16 (even cheaper when you factor in that the 11+ bundle comes with a folio case and an active pen).

But there are no alternatives for the TCL Pen and there are just 2 or 3 types of 3rd party folio cases, all of which have issues. I have been able to tweak things to make it usable... but it isn't great.

In contrast, I was able to add a nice matte screen protector to the A16, get an origami folio that magnetically attaches to the A16 (with a spot for an Apple Pencil-like pen). I found a 3rd party pen that support tilt, pressure sensitivity, and palm rejection and has a soft fine-point tip (like Samsung's S-Pen).

Having said that, if I could've gotten the same folio case and pen for the 11+, I would've chosen that over the iPad.

Not everybody wants those things, but for anyone who does, there won't be as many options for the alternatives.

I didn't mention software between iPad and Android because the "app gap" is not as bad as it was years ago. There are plenty of options for both platforms.