I use iPad pro 2nd gen and Apple pencil 2, they work wonderfully for me so much that I have almost left using paper.

Any iPad with Apple pencil support + Notability for note taking + Concepts for mind mapping.

Check out the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 or Tab A8. Multiple versions of each.

I have the prior version S7+ and absolutely love it. I write notes all day, and check emails, surf the web, watch shows etc. Brilliant tablet.

I just got the most cheap one and I love it. I have a samsing tab 6 lite, it's great. I use it a lot, and I don't need anything more powefull.

What is your budget? For only notes i would advice you to go with a e-ink device because it has a better battery life then a ipad etc. but if you like to do more then i would get a ipad.

I invested in a tablet recently and I think it's worth it. I used to take notes with paper and pen and I liked the feeling of a notebook too much to give it up, but printing out worksheets and trying to take notes with powerpoints became a bit of a pain. I'm taking bio and ochem right now and my tablet makes my life a lot easier for submitting worksheet assignments. It also cut down on the weight of having a bunch of notebooks in my backpack when I want to go study. I did buy this paperlike screen protector to give it a "notebook" feel.

If you can afford it, buy it. It is absolutely great.

Make sure you buy a tablet with big screen. I have iPad 12.9 and it is so much better than the small one because it is like writing on A4 paper without having to zoom in. After you buy it, you might need to buy an apple pencil, note taking app (e.g. goodnotes), screen protector for writing (e.g. paperlike - I prefer this because it makes the screen less slippery), and tablet case.

My iPad helps me be very organized. All my readings, slides, homework, discussion worksheets, and notes are in one place. I can easily search my handwritten notes. Writing and submitting homework is also much easier. No need to scan anything and you can copy each problem statement on one page and write solution below it without having to look back at the worksheet.

If you’re going to be taking ochem, you’ll be doing a lot of mechanism arrows. It is just easier to take notes on a tablet and it’s much more organized than paper in my opinion.

It is also great for notes in other classes. I always envied those who had tablets in math bc I make so many mistakes in math and by the time I erased 20 times , my paper was wrinkly. Now, I feel so much better after using it.

I love how you literally add pictures or diagrams right next to your notes too

Yes. It eliminates clutter since all your notes are in the tablet. Note taking apps also let you drag whatever you wrote to other areas on the page as well as shrink or expand things that you wrote.

yes i’ve definitely gotten my moneys worth

I can’t stand typing on iPads.

I think a 13 inch notebook computer with long, long battery life would be better. No more than 3 lbs weight. Check independent reviews.

Hey there! Choosing the right setup for digital note-taking can really impact your study efficiency. An iPad can definitely be a game-changer in college, offering portability and a paper-like experience.

As for which iPad, the iPad Air is a solid choice—powerful enough for most tasks, but without the Pro's price tag. The standard iPad is also good as a more budget friendly option.

For note-taking apps, it really depends on your needs. GoodNotes and Notability are popular for their handwriting experience and organization features. If you prefer typing, consider apps like OneNote or Evernote, which also sync across devices. Experiment to see what clicks with your workflow. To complement your note-taking, consider turning your notes into active recall questions using an AI-powered tool to really solidify the information. You can check out SuperKnowva to create interactive questions from your notes, I initially created it to help with my own study struggles and it has helped a lot of students in similar situations.

Best of luck finding the perfect setup for your studies!

Currently a senior chem major. I have used my iPad Pro since high school, and it works very well. I have the 12.9 inch, but that is honestly really big and a smaller one would work just as well. The battery life is only now starting to suffer (I got it 5 years ago). Apple pencil connects/charges easily.

I had a reMarkable e-ink tablet that I used religiously in grad school. It has the same sort of display as a kindle paperwhite, so extremely long battery life. It doesn't have an internet browser, but you can send documents as one of various file types via email. Lots of features, including highlighter and markers in a couple of different colors for when you view it on a different screen, handwriting-to-text conversion, plenty of document background varieties (college ruled, yellow legal pad, plain white, graph of various sizes, perspective, sheet music, guitar tabs, etc) that could be useful even outside of school, and it's a joy to write on.

You should look into getting an iPad, there are even keyboard cases you can attach to also type up notes and papers as well

I’m gonna go against the grain here and say keep your habdwritten notes. You’ll miss the feeling of writing on paper. And idk about you, but I like flipping thru my papers rather than looking for files on my computer. Disclaimer: I’ve used an iPad to take notes

iPad 100% - if you're worried about price (1) the base iPad is probably cheaper than you expect and (2) you can probably get a good deal on a used or refurbished iPad. Make sure you remember to factor in the separate cost of the Apple Pencil though. Also you can get screen protectors which mimic the feel of paper, but they will wear down the tip of your pencil.

I never owned one, but I've used iPads and windows tablets, and I gotta say: windows tables suck

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Budget option is the galaxy tab 9 fe I think it’s called, best option is an iPad Pro gen 6 or above.Both will do the job, one of them will be a bit nicer if you can afford it. Don’t go for e-ink devices, the screen breaks too easy, had that issue.

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Well it depends on your budget. What phone do you have etc.

I choose 2nd handed Samsung Galaxy tab s6 lite and I'm pretty happy with it. I have paper like foil which eats tips pretty fast but I will be buying metal ones.

Other stuff you are mentioning: you can write and it will change to normal font but It wasn't perfectly accurate. It will let you make Google docs from it or find text in it. Otherwise if you would like to keep your notes handwritten it isn't possible without 3rd party software like paperless or smith else. But you can export in pdf which is enough.

Best tablet? Depends on your preferences. If you have apple phone pick some ipad pro 2024. If you have android pick Samsung Galaxy tab s10 ultra. These are tops but pricey af.

But as I mentioned I have Samsung s6 lite which is the cheapest tab for note taking I found and I am pretty happy. It lags times to times when switching apps but the note taking is really nice.

I never was able to commit to note taking on the iPad. It didn’t feel right to me. Notebook, fine…laptop, fine…phone, not ideal but works in a pinch. I just found the functionality want quite where I needed it for me.

If in a MS environment with OneDrive and SharePoint, I'd go with a Surface Pro over an iPad. Maybe your new company already issues Surface Pros. I'd just use my laptop as there's no benefit to me in having a tablet as well, but that's just me.

I do not use AI at all for meetings as I need actual minutes and not summaries.

Are you buying this with your own money?

Is it necessary? I use a notebook and pen. Or just bring my (office supplied) laptop with me to meetings.

I would love this but not allowed for a lot of the calls we are in. Interested to see what you end up purchasing.

Favorite note taking AI based app is Grain.com, but it is optimized for video calls on Zoom/Teams/Google Meet.

For AI based transcription you can do on your phone, Otter.ai is the best, although they're in the news lately for privacy violations, so be wary.

Favorite tablet notetaking device is the Remarkable. Much better writing surface and battery life compared to an iPad, plus a lot cheaper.

I got an iPad about a year ago and it's awesome for note taking

iPad with paperlike screen protector and Apple Pencil or Surface Go and surface pencil. I use Onenote but am tempted to try Goodnotes given the number of recommendations.

I had a supernote for a while and did like it, but remakable2 feels more like paper, and truthfully the RM2 feels better to use; the SN feels kinda cheap and plasticky imo

So I use a Galaxy Tab S6 due to price here in Brazil.

My main use is for studying and flying (using it for maps).

The Note Taking app is the standard Samsung Notes, no complaint here, works for what I need.

I mainly have Apple products but the iPad was way too expensive for me. Everything is so similar in my opinion that depends if you have Samsung or Apple products.

My daily note taking device is my Tab S8+. But I'll check these out! Love learning about different tech

Supernote A6 X2 is in pre-order and you may be interested in the smaller size. But check out www.ewritable.com for all the devices out there, and see if you can narrow down some of the other pressures you might need.

I love my reMarkable 2 it has just the right amount of friction, making it feel like I'm writing on actual paper.

Remarkable 2 is the way to go. LOVE it. I have not written on any piece of paper or paper notebook. This is the best.

I LOVE the RM2 as a note taker, journal, client note for my coaching, and reading PUB files of books.

However there is no “alarm” capabilities for reminders. RM2 is basically the same as a regular notebook. You want a place to take notes. This is it. You want an alert? Nope.