The Best Smart Notebooks, Selected by Expert Testers

• Buy the

  if you want a smart notebook and e-reader combo.

• Buy the

  if you want the best smart notebook, period, and don’t mind paying a premium to get it.

• Buy the

  if you want a smart notebook that can fit in your back pocket, or jacket pocket, or bag, or just about anywhere.

• Buy the

  if you want to feel like you’re writing on a familiar surface.

• Buy the

  if you’re shopping for a smart notebook on a budget.

The most important thing to consider when you’re shopping for any piece of tech is your needs. We aren’t all looking for the same thing, and there are a ton of smart notebooks to choose from. Are you planning to take notes? Are you planning to share your work? Are you planning to read e-books? Being certain of what you’re going to use a smart notebook for can be the difference between enjoying your experience and wishing you had splurged for a tablet.

Simplicity front and center

A smart notebook is not the right device for you if you plan to consume a lot of complex digital content. Many smart notebooks don’t have color displays, as they put the experience of writing things down front and center. Most smart notebooks, in fact, utilize e-ink displays, which present on-screen content in a flat, black and white image that’s meant to reduce eye strain. Smart notebooks rely on simplicity and ease of use, much like a piece of paper.

Your proper price point

Another thing you’ll want to consider when it comes to choosing a smart notebook is how much you want to spend. Features, capabilities, and conveniences will go up with every smart notebook’s price point, so if you’re looking for something to write your novel with you may want to consider spending a little bit more than somebody who’s simply looking to keep up with note-taking in class.

Software platforms

You will definitely want to think about your software ecosystem when it comes to choosing a smart notebook. If it’s not made by Apple it’s likely to be powered by Android or its own proprietary operating system, and you’ll want to look for things like compatibility with software and cloud services. In addition to storing your work on an internal solid state drive, most smart notebooks are capable of syncing it to the cloud. Be sure to keep an eye out for which cloud services a smart notebook can do so with, as well as whether or not it can work with software like Microsoft Word.

My choices for the best smart notebooks were made considering a number of factors, with emphasis on a harmony of price, ergonomics, and general smarts offered. It doesn’t make sense to recommend a smart notebook without useful smarts, and it makes less sense to recommend one nobody can afford.

Best smart notebook for most people

Best portable smart notebook

Whether you’re a poet, an idea man, or simply forgetful, you may often have a need to jot something down. In cases such as this you’re going to want ultimate portability out of your smart notebook, as there’s no telling when the next mental impulse worth recording may strike. The Rocketbook Mini is perfect for just such a situation, as it’s just 3.5-inches by 5.5-inches and can easily slide into a purse or back pocket.

The Rocketbook Mini isn’t quite the same as a more obvious smart notebook. It provides a classic pen and paper experience, yet is endlessly reusable. All you do is write in the notebook using the Pilot FriXion pen and your notes are stored digitally. From there you can scan them with your smartphone or send them directly to a number of cloud storage services for storing. When you’re done, you can simply wipe the page clean for reuse.

Best smart notebook for brainstorming

That’s right, the little journal made famous for storing the notes of Ernest Hemingway has gone digital. Writers and artists who are constantly working to give their creative visions some footing should love the Moleskine Pen+ Smart Writing Set. It includes an 8.5-inch by 11-inch smart notebook designed with Moleskine’s legendary style, as well as a Moleskine Pen+ for jotting your notes down. A companion app seamlessly transfers what’s written on the notebook to any number of compatible devices.

With this Moleskine smart notebook combo you can digitize your analog notes, as well as notate, share, search, edit, and organize. You can record audio to sync with your notes in order to help you flesh out ideas and ensure nothing gets lost in translation. Exportable formats include PDF, and you can also upload your notes to Google or Evernote. With this smart notebook combo Moleskine brings the same commitment to culture and imagination to its digital lineup as it has for decades to its notebooks, bags, and pens.

Best budget smart notebook

No frills but still a little fun is on the docket with the Boogie Board Blackboard. It’s a smart scan reusable notebook that comes in letter size for a nice, full writing experience. It’s the perfect gift for any tech lover, but it’s also a smart notebook that can be utilized in the office as easily as it can be in the classroom. It saves notes and ideas instantly yet provides the kind of traditional writing experience that we’ve all grown used to.

The Boogie Board Blackboard comes with four note-taking templates. It works with a super accurate pen to both write and erase exactly what you put down, and it does so with a simplicity that more expensive smart notebooks and e-readers might overlook. The Boogie Board Blackboard is perfect for taking notes, marking up documents, and sketching out ideas in the digital age.

This article is managed and created separately from the Digital Trends Editorial team.

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