Our Favorite Smart Pens and Tablets for Writing Digital Notes

School typically requires taking a lot of notes, whether you’re going into ninth grade or college. Typing out notes on a laptop might be faster, but physically writing something down helps you remember and learn more. Putting real pen to paper also just feels good. But having a digital backup is convenient for on-the-go organization and studying. 

There are smart pens, notebooks, and tablets made to save digital files of your handwritten notes or drawings. You can save files as PDFs, images, and Word Docs, or transcribe to a text file in Google Docs to make all your notes searchable. Some of these devices can record, too, which is great for lectures and interviews. If your notes need an upgrade, we recommend giving these a try. 

Be sure to check out our guide to Best Dorm Essentials, as well as our favorite laptop backpacks and totes.

Updated August 2022: We’ve added more options for digital notetaking, including the Boox Note Air2 Plus, Rocketbook’s reusable notebooks, the Kobo Elipsa, and Repaper Tablet.