Most web writers swear by a keyboard, but I depend first and foremost on a digital pen. Over the past year, I’ve experimented with the three different ways you can write longhand on an Android-based device. Here’s what I’ve learned and which device I’m sticking with.

An Android tablet with a stylus

The Huion Kamvas 11 is an affordable way to give handwriting a shot

It’s relatively rare for a phone to come with a stylus, but digital pens are still commonplace in the tablet world. You can go to your nearest big-box store and almost take for granted that there will be an affordable tablet that supports a stylus. If you search online, you’ll find that there are some options that market their stylus support more than others, such as the Huion Kamvas 11.

Huion specializes in selling high-end drawing pads for digital artists. Most of these pair to Windows machines or Macs, so Android is hardly their bread and butter. Nonetheless, this is a solid entry-level 11-inch tablet. The device comes pre-loaded with apps that make use of your pen, such as Huion’s own HiNote and HiPaint apps, along with popular third-party alternatives like Clip Studio. It also comes with a matte display, something you rarely see on tablets and phones.

Brand

Huion

Storage

128GB

The Huion Kamvas 11 is an Android tablet with an 11-inch etched display, a 90Hz rate, and support for active pens with up to 4096 pressure levels. 

That said, if you like what you see here, I recommend ponying up for a higher-end device. The pen’s response time is slightly slower on the Kamvas 11 than on other devices I’ve used. The first-party software is also less fully featured than what you get from an S Pen-equipped Samsung tablet. I contend that Samsung Notes is one of the best apps that Samsung makes. A Galaxy Tab FE is a good experience, though it’s worth springing for the higher resolution you can get from a Galaxy Tab S model if your budget allows.

While a regular Android tablet is not my preferred way to take notes, it is both the most accessible and the most versatile. Android tablets offer a large writing surface, and their vibrant color screens are useful for everything from highlighting PDFs with different colors to following along with the instructions in that how-to-draw manga book you picked up from Michael’s.

An E Ink digital notepad

The BOOX Go 10.3 (Gen 2) offers the most paper-like experience Android can deliver

If you truly prefer the experience of writing with pen and paper, but you’re unwilling or unable to do without modern digital conveniences, then the best device category for you is an E Ink writing tablet. This is a category popularized by reMarkable and now also dominated by the Kindle Scribe. I own neither of these devices, but I have purchased various BOOX tablets and was recently sent the BOOX Go 10.3 (Gen 2). The latter is hands down the best digital handwriting experience I know.

Brand

BOOX

Screen

10.3-inch

The BOOX Go 10.3 (Gen II) is a digital writing pad from BOOX that also doubles as an eReader. This second generation is thinner, comes with an optional backlight, and lacks branding on the front, resulting in more of a distraction-free experience. 

Writing on an E Ink display is less stimulating than staring down at a backlit panel. The slow refresh rates and lack of animation aid with concentration. This is not a device that is easy to multitask with, and it is unburdened by the presence of notifications or the option to watch YouTube.

The feedback of the pen against the screen feels best on this type of device. The built-in software also comes with the most comprehensive set of options. Since these devices can’t serve as your one and only computer, they prioritize making your notes as easy to transfer as possible. These devices explicitly target writers, so they have the most perks writers are likely to enjoy.

A book-style foldable with a pen

I have become quite smitten with the Motorola Razr Fold

A book-style foldable is the form factor I am most familiar with. I have spent much of the past two years doing all of my online work from first a Galaxy Z Fold 5 and then a Galaxy Z Fold 6, primarily using an S Pen. There have been many days that I began by journaling in Samsung Notes.

I’m someone who has long fantasized about being someone who carried around a small Moleskine notebook and pen wherever I went, but the habit never stuck. That’s the beauty of a book-style foldable—my phone is always with me. Carrying around a stylus alongside it is still much less bulky than bringing a notebook, even if that pen can’t slot inside my phone.

This form factor offers a large enough screen to comfortably write on compared to something like the Galaxy S Ultra or Moto G Stylus. It’s the ideal device for people who want to make writing by hand a way of life, those who want to jot down with a pen what items they need from a grocery store rather than type them out.

All the software available for Android tablets is also available for book-style foldables, but you do have to deal with a smaller screen. The largest foldables have 8-inch internal displays and square-shaped aspect ratios. Book-style foldables also have a crease. Personally, I forget this crease exists the vast majority of the time, but it is noticeable when writing. How big a deal this is is a personal matter. You may just find it a deal-breaker. Me? I find the crease on my phone far less of a bother than the crease in a paper notebook.

While I used Samsung foldables until now, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 was dead on arrival for me due to its removed S Pen support. I recently traded in my Z Fold 6 for the Motorola Razr Fold. I’m happy to report that the Moto Pen Ultra is every bit as good. As for software, be prepared to hit up the Play Store or F-Droid. Motorola doesn’t ship software as feature-complete as Samsung does.

My favorite writing companion is my phone

At the end of the day, the appeal of a book-style foldable is right in the name. Many are disappointed that these square-shaped devices don’t offer all that much more space for watching video or playing widescreen games—but when it comes to reading and writing, these devices excel. I can’t say that handwriting on my phone feels better than using an E Ink tablet or that it’s as versatile as a conventional tablet, but the sheer portability wins out. Like a camera, the best notebook is the one you have on you.