Note-taking has evolved beyond simple pen and paper. Whether you’re a student, professional, or creative, the modern tablet provides a dynamic and versatile platform to capture ideas, organize your workflow, and even sketch with incredible precision. Thanks to improved stylus technology, brighter and faster displays, and powerful software ecosystems, the best tablets for note-taking in 2025 make handwritten notes feel just as good (or even better) than the traditional experience.
In this blog post, we’ll dive deep into the top three tablets that are leading the charge in 2025 for note-taking. Each offers a unique blend of performance, display quality, stylus support, and software compatibility that makes it stand out. Whether you prefer the seamless Apple ecosystem, the Android flexibility of Samsung, or are looking for a budget-friendly powerhouse, we have you covered.
Our Top Picks
- Apple iPad Air (2025, M3 Chip)
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE
Apple iPad Air (2025, M3 Chip)
The newly released iPad Air 2025, powered by Apple’s blazing-fast M3 chip, is an exceptional tablet that strikes the perfect balance between performance, portability, and value. It’s a top choice for anyone who wants a premium note-taking experience without stepping into the iPad Pro’s price territory.
Reasons To Buy:
- Display: 11-inch Liquid Retina display
- Stylus Support: Apple Pencil Pro (2nd generation)
- Processor: Apple M3 chip
- Operating System: iPadOS 18
- Battery Life: Up to 10 hours
The iPad Air’s Liquid Retina display offers true-to-life colors and pin-sharp text, which is essential for reading back notes or reviewing PDF documents. The 2025 version supports the Apple Pencil Pro, which brings advanced features like pressure sensitivity, tilt support, and haptic feedback. The Pencil feels incredibly smooth to write with, and Apple Notes has evolved into a powerful app, supporting handwriting recognition, tagging, and cross-device syncing.
Beyond the Apple Notes app, the iPad Air supports a wide range of productivity apps such as Notability, GoodNotes 6, and Microsoft OneNote, all optimized for iPadOS. With the M3 chip, multitasking is seamless—whether you’re taking notes while on a Zoom call or sketching out wireframes in a design app.
One major selling point is the ecosystem. If you use a MacBook or iPhone, the continuity between devices is unrivaled. You can copy text from your iPhone and paste it directly into your iPad notes, use AirDrop to transfer sketches, or even use Sidecar to make the iPad a second screen for your Mac.
If you’re serious about note-taking and want something that’s future-proof with excellent app support and hardware, the 2025 iPad Air is a compelling option.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
Weight: 732g – Dimensions: 326.4 x 208.6 x 5.5mm – OS: Android 14, OneUI 6.1 – Screen size: 14.6-inch – Resolution: 1848 x 2960 pixels – CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy – Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB – microSD slot: Yes – Battery: 11,200mAh – Rear camera: 13MP (wide) + 8MP (ultrawide) – Front camera: 12MP + 12MP
Reasons To Buy:
- Samsung multitasking is better than iPad and Pixel Tablet
- Gorgeous display and blazing performance
- Value is surprisingly good compared to iPad Pro
Reasons To Avoid:
- Same price as a Macbook Air (M2)
- Faster charging would have been nice
- Flimsy keyboard and no easy S Pen storage
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is a behemoth, and it’s much larger than most people need or want a tablet to be, but not if you’re a fan of having a huge, open canvas for drawing. Samsung isn’t just paying lip service to its artistic fans, either. It’s S Pen has always been built with familiar Wacom technology inside, making these devices serious tools for artists and doodlers alike.
The S Pen offers thousands of levels of pressure sensitivity, and the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra can detect when the pen is tilted and adjust the flow of digital ink accordingly. There are tons of drawing tools built into this tablet from the start, including Samsungs’ popular social network just for drawing and art fans, Pen-Up.
Of course, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is a super-powered Android tablet besides its drawing prowess. It’s huge display features a 1848 x 2960 resolution and silky 120Hz refresh rate, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset inside can power all of the most demanding productivity tasks.
The Galaxy Tab S9 Plus packs the same power and feature inside, so if you don’t need the gigantic display, we think the Plus model is the ideal premium Android tablet. If you need a bit more, especially for drawing and seeing your work on the largest screen possible, then the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is the best drawing tablet you can buy.
OnePlus Pad
Weight: 552g – Dimensions: 258 x 189.4 x 6.5 mm – OS: Android 14 with Oxygen – OS Screen size: 11.6-inch – Resolution: 2000 x 2800 pixels – CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 9000 – Storage: 128GB – microSD slot: No – Battery: 9,510mAh – Rear camera: 13MP – Front camera: 8MP
Reasons To Buy:
- Display is sharper than some iPad Pros
- A flagship tablet priced like a cheaper model
- Big battery and faster charging
Reasons To Avoid:
- Performance doesn’t match best phones
- One option for storage, RAM, color
- Stylo pen is pricey, needs charging
OnePlus’ debut tablet was outstanding, with many of the features we expect from OnePlus phones. It works with both OnePlus and Oppo phones, runs Android 13, has a sharp and brilliant LCD display with a refresh rate of 144Hz, a huge battery with 67W fast charging, and very loud speakers. Certainly, the iPad appears to be superior at being a tablet due to its huge selection of tablet-optimized apps, but the OnePlus comes close in terms of day-to-day use.
To be honest, we observed that its performance was not as fast as that of the finest phones. It is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor, which is a step down from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 found in the majority of high-end Android phones, including the OnePlus 11. This meant that some demanding operations, such as using Adobe Lightroom, had enough lag to be bothersome. On the other hand, if you use it mostly for enjoyment, you should be alright.
Due to the weak Android tablet market, the OnePlus did not provide different storage options. It did, however, come in a nice green colour, which we appreciated in our assessment.
The OnePlus Pad’s minor faults are offset by its $479 price tag. The only true competition for Android enthusiasts are Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S tablets and Google’s Pixel Tablet, both of which are more expensive.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE
Weight: 524g – Dimensions: 9.98 x 6.51 x 0.26 inches – Ports: USB-C, microSD – Screen size: 10.9 inch – Resolution: 2304 X 1440 pixels – CPU: Samsung Exynos 1380 8 x 2 – 2.4 GH – Storage: 128GB – cameras: only rear 8 MP – Battery: 8000 mAh
Reasons To Buy:
- Premium, polished design
- Big, bright screen
- Epic battery life
- Bundled S Pen stylus
Reasons To Avoid:
- Lacking power
- No 5G version
The Samsung Galaxy Tab series offers what most call the most refined tablet experience on the Android market. Extremely similar to the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+, the smaller S9 Fan Edition features the same OneUI OS implementation users love, at a significantly lower price than its more powerful siblings.
Predictably, it sacrifices some notable high-end Tab S9 features to get its price so low. Its LCD panel’s nowhere near a premium OLED panel, but it’s still bright, colorful, and absolutely fine for most users. The biggest compromise comes in the form of its Exynos 1380 SoC, which underperforms compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship Tab S9s received. But as long as you avoid extremely resource-heavy apps or extensive multitasking, you shouldn’t have any problems.
The biggest reasons to opt for a Galaxy tablet are the software’s generally user-friendly and customizable design, and how well it supports stylus functionality. Pen precision and palm rejection are as good as they get, and OneUI includes a number of features for streamlining work. It even comes with the stylus included.
While it was pretty pricey for a midrange tablet at launch, the high-end build quality, included S Pen, and highly praised software now make it a close contender for best value. To really step up its handwritten note abilities, we recommend picking up a paper-like Tab S9 FE screen protector.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus
Weight: 586g – Dimensions: 285.4 x 185.4 x 5.7mm – OS: Android 14, OneUI 6.1 – Screen size: 12.4-inch – Resolution: 1752 x 2800 pixels – CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – Storage: 256GB / 512GB – microSD slot: Yes – Battery: 10,090 mAh – Rear camera: 13MP (wide); 8MP (ultra wide) – Front camera: 12MP
Reasons To Buy:
- Water and dust resistant
- Includes an S Pen in the box
- Excellent multi-tasking features
Reasons To Avoid:
- Performance isn’t as good as best iPads
- Software can be overcomplicated
- No ‘magic keyboard’ competitor from Samsung
Samsung has raised the quality and durability of its tablets with the Galaxy Tab S9 series, and the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus offers the best mix of size, power, and price, making it our selection for the best premium Android tablet you can purchase. You won’t find a more powerful Android tablet than this one, which has a superfast Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 engine (the same as the Galaxy S23 Ultra), a stylish design, and a ton of multitasking features.
While the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra has more screen real estate, it lacks performance and features. The larger 14.6-inch size is ideal for artists (making it our best drawing tablet), but it may be too large and unwieldy for some people, so we believe the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus is a better choice for a premium Android tablet. It’s exactly as speedy, and the smaller screen is somewhat sharper than the larger Ultra display.
At 12.4 inches, the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus is slightly slimmer and more portable than the iPad Pro 12.9 (2022), although Apple’s latest iPad Pro 13 (2024) is even thinner. However, unlike Apple’s iPad, the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus includes a S Pen in the box. However, Apple’s iPad Pro models outperform the Tab S9 Plus, and Apple’s Magic Keyboard attachment is far superior to any keyboard cover offered by Samsung, if you’re seeking for a true laptop replacement.
However, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 Plus is hundreds of dollars less expensive than Apple’s iPad Pro 13 (2024), and it includes many more software features, such as great multitasking if you like to keep multiple windows open, as well as a true DeX desktop environment that allows you to connect your Tab S9 Plus to a second display, mouse, and keyboard for a truly productive experience.