Shift to XPPen Magic Note Pad

The author has always had a preference for physical-paper books, and handwritten notes. I rarely use any digital devices like smartphones or tablets in the studio for daily note-taking, even though there’re quite a lot of tablets with paper-like screens in the office. I know my experience doesn’t apply to most people, as I just simply couldn’t read e-books on screens for a long-lasting time. However, in such a digital era, it’s inevitable that from time to time I’ll need to do my work through a screen. Fighting it somehow, I’m still sticking with handwriting to meet my miss of physical page flipping. But the team recently noticed my notebooks had been replaced by something new—the XPPen Magic Note Pad. Well, this is the best paper-like tablet I could find for fitting my reading and writing.

Appearance

As the other reviewers got to try this particular tablet, at the beginning, the XPPen Magic Note Pad looks much like a regular smart tablet. But I really see it differently. The review story is also about how I convinced them.

At first glance, it is like a drawing tablet widely used in the design industry, rather than a common tablet. It features a silver bezel and about an 11-inch display, which is how it could be so special as a note-taking device. I will talk more about the magic display later.

The backcover is in pure white with a light elegant logo printed, with a slightly matt finish. Similar to a smart tablet, the front face features a front camera on the top for facial recognition and video-meeting uses. On the left side, there’s a dedicated slot as a magnetic pen holder. The accompanied pencil can be firmly attached on the slot position.

Screen

As mentioned, one of the primary reasons I chose this Pad is the screen with a fine matt finish. It claims to be the world’s first 3-in-1 Color Note Pad. Unlike other e-ink screens, the Magic Note Pad offers up to three intelligent color modes, including Nature Colour Mode, Light Colour Mode and an special Ink Paper Mode.

With Ink Paper Mode on, the grayscale (black&white) display is sharp and clear, making text extremely comfortable to read, similar to those fine e-ink screens, without causing eye fatigue during long reading sessions. But obviously, it’s not the traditional E-ink pannel with a limited refresh rate. However, its visual effect is still very close to the texture of a paper page, while the whole UI has been accordingly optimized and beautified similarly to those E-ink devices, brief but informative. It’s truly enjoyable to have such a great reading experience with books, line drawings and comics here.

The Light Color mode is designed for various lighting conditions, with low-saturation colors that are gentle on the eyes, which is more about to simulate a color-e-ink effect. But since it has a high resolution (1920×1200) and up to 90Hz refresh rate, it can provide more detailed images and smoother animations.

The Natural Color mode, on the other hand, accurately reproduces colors, delivering a sense of depth and realism. When viewing comics or artworks, it feels like you’re having a fine printed coated paper book rather than a cold electronic device.

Compared to most E-ink displays, the most notable feature is its 90Hz refresh rate. If you’ve ever used a traditional e-ink reader, you’ll understand the patience required for even simple page-turning. I have to emphasize again, the Magic Note Pad excels in this part, offering a smooth experience that traditional e-ink screens cannot match.

Whether writing, drawing, or scrolling, the screen is virtually lag-free, with no noticeable ghosting. Once you’ve experienced this level of fluidity, it’s hard to find an excuse to go back with most E-ink devices, unless you are fine with the E-ink’s compromise in smoothness and image quality. The difference is impressive, by comparing it to the regular e-ink screen.

When it comes to eye protection, which is crucial, given the long hours we spend in front of screens, the screen on this pad is certified by TÜV SÜD for low blue light and paper-like display.

This is not an exaggeration; The ink-like screens genuinely reduce harmful blue light and eliminate screen flicker, preventing eye strain and fatigue.

The screen also features AG nano-etching technology, which minimizes glare and reflection while providing a natural writing resistance, enhancing the authenticity of the writing experience. This is another professional advantage coming from the brand: XPPen truly brings their powerful handwriting&drawing pen experience to the new tablet.

Pen

The writing experience with the XPPen Magic Note Pad is exceptional. It comes with the X3 Pro Pencil 2, which offers 16K ultra-sensitive pressure levels. This is significantly better than the 4096 or 8192 levels found in other brands.

The pen captures every ounce of pressure applied, and the lines it creates are very natural and fluid. The soft tip design ensures smooth gliding on the screen, avoiding the harsh feel of writing on glass. It feels almost identical to writing on paper.

The pencil operates via electromagnetic resonance (EMR) technology, with no need for charging or Bluetooth pairing.

Additionally, the pen features a convenient shortcut button that enhances workflow efficiency, by providing quick access to eraser and customizable controls. The placement of the feature is particularly well-thought-out.

However, we did notice one minor issue: when the pen cursor is activated, it can sometimes interfere with the writing experience. But at the same time, for fine painting, and it could help with the positioning of the brushstrokes. If you can get used to it, the drawing experience on the Note Pad will be vastly boosted.

XPPen Notes

The stock App, the XPPen Notes, is another standout feature. If you’re looking for a digital note-taking app that matches your imagination and your schedule, XPPen Notes is probably the perfect solution.

First of all, creating notes has never been easier. With just one click on the desktop, you can quickly generate a note in seconds. Need to import lecture slides or project files? No problem with just one step. And XPPen Notes also supports PDF import, then allowing you to gather all important files in one place.

With pen mode, your X3 Pro Pencil 2 is like an extension of your hand, providing a precise writing and drawing experience, just as natural as using physical paper and pen. It’s not often we see such a combo on other brands’ devices. Either the writing experience needs to be optimized, or it’s diifficult to provide wider features beyond writing experience.

Switch to touch mode, you can use your fingers to record ideas or outline plans at any time, perfect for those moments of inspiration. But trust me – you probably rarely write with your finger out of sheer love for this pen.

Back to writing, we can choose from a variety of writing modes, pen, pencil, fountain pen, laser pointer, and highlighter. Each mode has its unique functions.

For example, the fountain pen is perfect for practicing calligraphy or detailed notes, with the great supports adjusting pressure sensitivity and line thickness.

The fountain pen provides even and consistent strokes, while the highlighter makes it easy to highlight the key points. And the laser pointer? It’s like a mini tutor in your hand, with lines and dots that automatically disappear after a while, so you never have to worry about erasing again!

There’s also a single-stroke shaping tool, so you can draw perfect lines, geometric shapes, and even 3D coordinates with a few clicks.

Reading is also enjoyable and convenient. Switch to reading mode and the toolbar disappears, giving you a clean, distraction-free view. But don’t worry, you can still use the underline, annotation, translation, and hyperlink features.

Speaking of translation, XPPen Notes supports 12 languages, allowing you to conquer foreign texts with confidence. And the Text Box Input Tool? It’s like typing on a digital canvas, with support for custom fonts, weights, colors, and spacing. Your notes will be as sophisticated as your style!

Another impressive bonus comes with audio recording. Whether you are in a lecture or a meeting, XPPen Notes instantly turns into a recorder. Record in segments and export as MP4 files so that you won’t miss a word.

In addition to these, the XPPen Note provides four smart eye protection modes. Seamless storage, access anytime, anywhere. Once you finish taking notes on the app, your notes are automatically saved on the device and can be uploaded to OneDrive or Google Drive for cross-device editing and backup.

Android System and Performance

The tablet runs on Android 14, and with the full power of the Google Play Store’s extensive app ecosystem, you can install apps based on your needs and workflow, just as I do.

Conclusion

Overall, while the XPPen Magic Note Pad is not perfect. To be honest, it lacks a built-in book source and library, and its processor doesn’t support more advanced operations. But luckily it runs an Android and you have plenty of third-party options. And its more expanded features will depend on how you utilize external apps to round out your library.

Still, eye protection and writing experience are really good. Whether for a long time learning, working, or creating, it is comfortable for both the eyes and the hand. I’m very happy to see the launch of such a special and powerful tablet. The friendly exeprience also gives me the confidence to recommend it to the audiences. But I must admit there are a lot of details worth exploring on the tablet outside of my review. If any of you are interested in it, it’s a good chance to find out more about the XPPen Magic Note Pad from the link here.

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