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Medea Giordano
Gear
These nifty tools combine the ease of jotting notes by hand with the power of saving them digitally.
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Do You Need a Digital Note Device?
The Pros and Cons
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Our Favorite
reMarkable 2
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A Close Runner-Up
Supernote A5 X
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A Pricey Upgrade
Boox Tab Ultra
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Do you take a lot of notes? Whether you're in school or working in a job that requires lots of jotting down ideas, you may opt for typing notes on a laptop, but physically writing something down helps you remember and learn more. Putting real pen to paper also just feels good. However, having a digital backup is convenient for on-the-go organization and studying.
There are E Ink tablets, smart pens, and notebooks made to save digital files of your handwritten notes or drawings. You can save files as PDFs, images, and Word Docs, or transcribe them 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 Best Dorm Essentials guide, as well as our Best Tablets, Best Laptop Backpacks, and Best Totes guides.
Updated September 2023: We've added the ReMarkable 2, Supernote A5 X, and Boox Tab Ultra.
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Medea Giordano turned her shopping problem into a career as a product writer for WIRED. She covers a little bit of everything but loves health, beauty, and pet tech. Prior to WIRED, she was an assistant editor at Wirecutter and an assistant in the newsroom of The New York Times.... Read more
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