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XPPen Magic Note Pad: Two-minute review
The XPPen Magic Note Pad aims to deliver the best of both worlds – a digital writing pad that’s easy on the eyes while also functioning as a true productivity tablet running Android 14. It claims to be the first of its kind, being a digital note pad with an X-Paper display featuring three modes: Ink Paper, Color Paper and Regular.
While other brands have provided similar functionality (like TCL‘s Nxtpaper series), I think XPPen’s first foray into writing tablets is a home run. From the moment I unboxed and powered it on, I was hooked to its paper-like color tablet. While it might be a notepad first, my initial download was the Kindle app and my favorite comics were its first test.
I’ve had plenty of experience reading on tablets before, from cheap Android ones to an iPad Pro, and while the experience is fine, it can get tiring on the eyes after a while. With this tablet – which happens to use TCL’s Nxtpaper screen technology – you can use the Regular display mode, which I found less harsh than other LCD displays, you can easily switch to color ink at a moment’s notice. Of course, the colors aren’t as vibrant when switching because of the filters on the screen, they’re a lot better than when using a color ereader like the Kobo Libra Colour or the Kindle Colorsoft.
This tablet sports a 10.95-inch display, offering what I think is the sweet spot in terms of portability for a digital slate, but adding in the extra dimensions of the chassis itself makes it a cumbersome device to hold in one hand.
Still, using both mitts, or resting it on your lap while cradling it with one hand is a small price to pay for the brilliant and versatile reading experience, although XPPen is keen to tell you that this is a secondary use case. It wants to be a writing tablet first.
And that’s where it’s caught me hook, line and sinker because now I don’t ever forget to carry a notepad when I need to jot something down and I don’t lose the pen I need to do said writing.
The X3 Pro Pencil 2, which ships in the box, sticks to the tablet via a strong magnet, stronger than any writing e-paper tablet I’ve seen.
While the industry-leading 16,384 pressure levels might seem an unnecessary gimmick in what is predominantly a writing tablet – 8,000 is agreed to be enough even for artists – there’s no doubting its superb writing experience with soft nibs. There’s even a helpful shortcut button on the stylus that can open the native notes app when the tablet is sleeping, or it can take a screenshot when you’re reading something, then promptly take you to the notes app for marking up the image it just took.
Writing and drawing feel effortless, even with light pressure. It may not perfectly replicate the feel of pen on paper, but it comes very close and offers a different, equally satisfying experience.
I’m not much of an artist, but given how easy it is to write from even considerably tilted angles, and how precise the Pencil is, this tablet is certainly one that artists not only could consider, but should.
It’s not just a writing, drawing and reading machine either. The 3-in-1 versatility of this tablet means it’s a viable option for watching your favorite content on the best streaming services, too. It’s not the greatest viewing experience, given the lamination on the screen and the 1920 x 1200 resolution of this device, but I still found it easy to watch, even in bright ambient conditions. It’s not the main reason to buy this tablet, but in terms of added versatility, it’s hard to beat.
Further, the XPPen Magic Note Pad aims to boost efficiency in both work and creative expression. That’s why this tablet includes a 13MP front camera and dual microphones that ensure you can easily pop into any meeting or online class. Plus, with multi-window display support, you can write notes and video chat at the same time.
Just 7mm thick and weighing 495g, the XPPen Magic Note Pad is incredibly easy to fit into any bag, even with the included magnet folio that increases its size considerably. And, in comparison to other writing tablets, it’s well priced.
XPPen Magic Note Pad review: Price and availability
- Launched globally on March 19, 2025
- List price of $439.99 / £399.99 / AU$629.99
- Available directly from XPPen and will be sold via authorized retailers
The XPPen Magic Note Pad launched in the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia on March 19, 2025 with a launch price of $439.99 / £399.99 / AU$629.99. At the time of writing, it seems like UK customers are getting short-changed as that £400 price tag is about $520 / AU$815 at the current conversion rate.
Still, I think it’s competitively priced for what it offers and potential US buyers will benefit from an additional 10% early-bird discount, bringing the price down to just $395.99 at launch.
To put that price into perspective, e-paper writing tablets like the Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) and Onyx Boox Go 10.3 will also set you back $399.99 / £379.99 / AU$649 and $379.99 / €419.99 (about £355) / AU$699 respectively, but you won’t get the versatile screen on offer on the XPPen. Investing in a budget Android tablet might save you money, but you’ll lose out on the writing and sketching features available natively here.
XPPen Magic Note Pad review: Specs
|
Dimensions |
182 x 259 x 7mm |
|
Weight |
495g |
|
Display |
10.95-inch (1920 x 1200) |
|
Storage |
128GB |
|
RAM |
6GB |
|
Processor |
Mediatek MT8781 |
|
OS |
Android 14 |
|
Cameras |
13MP (front) |
|
Pressure levels |
16,384 (3g activation force) |
XPPen Magic Note Pad review: Display
- 10.95-inch X-Paper display
- 1920 x 1200 resolution and 90Hz refresh rate
- Low blue light
It’s rare to find a product that feels unique in a very crowded tech market, but the Magic Note Pad’s color display does. Admittedly it’s not the first of its kind – we saw the tech in our TCL Nxtpaper 10s review – but it is the first such device to offer three screen modes: Ink paper, color paper and standard tablet modes.
The tablet comes with TÜV SÜD certifications for low blue light and paper-like display standards, and features a respectable 1920 x 1200 resolution with a not too shabby 90Hz refresh rate.
While the Magic Note Pad aims to be a versatile device, its core strength lies in writing and XPPen has done a fantastic job optimizing the screen for that main purpose. I thoroughly enjoyed writing on this tablet, jotting down a to-do list, taking notes during a documentary, or brainstorming article ideas. The included X3 Pro Pencil 2 delivers an incredibly responsive and fluid feel, with even mimics the noise of a pen on paper.
The 90Hz refresh rate ensures minimal latency, making handwriting appear almost instantaneously on the screen. With 16,384 pressure levels – well beyond the 8,000 levels considered sufficient for most digital artists – the stylus allows for a wide range of strokes, from light scribbles to heavy, bold lines.
Writing remains smooth across all display modes, though the viewing exprience changes significantly. The XPPen Magic Note Pad includes a Reading Mode designed to reduce eye strain, but I found this feature to have minimal impact as the tablet’s lamination (aka filters) already improves readability.
The paper modes are best for reading, though not quite on par with the best ereaders. For example, my Onyx Boox Page truly mimics paper, whereas the XPPen Magic Note Pad still feels like a tablet that’s imitating an ereader as it’s a modified LCD display and not an E Ink screen, but the black-and-white Ink Paper mode comes close to the ereader effect.
The color-paper and standard modes shine when reading comics or other image-heavy content. The color-paper mode is less saturated, making it easier on the eyes over long periods and the standard mode delivers vibrant, detailed colors you’d expect from a traditional tablet.
The display also handles video playback well. The eye-protecting screen lamination slightly affects viewing angles, but this has little impact on everyday use. Watching content ranging from Avengers: Endgame to Daredevil: Born Again, Moana 2 and Dune, I found the visuals impressive. The display doesn’t deliver deep blacks, but that’s expected given its nature.
Image 1 of 5
It won’t be used often by most people, but the paper-like modes do support video playback. While unconventional, I found the color-paper mode provided an unique and unexpectedly enjoyable experience while watching Invincible – though it took some time to adjust.
With excellent writing responsiveness, resistance to accidental touches, and enjoyable reading and viewing experiences, the only drawbacks in the display are expected of a device with this kind of screen technology. The XPPen Magic Note Pad stands out as a compelling choice for writers, artists, and casual readers alike, offering an outstanding writing display with solid versatility.
XPPen Magic Note Pad review: Design
- Ships with the X3 Pro Pencil 2
- No rear camera bump (flat back)
- Easily portable
At first glance, the XPPen Magic Note Pad doesn’t stand out. Sure, it’s a nice-looking device, but there’s nothing particularly striking about it.
That said, XPPen highlights its 7mm thickness – or thinness – but several tablets on the market are slimmer, including the 13-inch iPad Pro at just over 5mm. Perhaps what makes it feel so thin is the absence of a rear camera bump (or any rear camera whatsoever), creating an exceptionally flat surface made for writing on.
And, while the front and sides feature sleek, metallic silver bezels, the back panel is a letdown. The matte white material feels cheap compared to the rest of the design.
The device has a USB-C charging port at the bottom alongside stereo speakers, while all the buttons are positioned on the top-right. The volume buttons sit on the right side, with the power button and Nxt Paper Mode button – used for display mode options – on top.
The real star here is the X3 Pro Pencil 2, and it’s a pleasure to use. Powered by the X3 Pro smart chip, it requires no charging or Bluetooth pairing – ready to go straight out of the box. Its magnetic attachment is impressively strong too; there were a few accidental knocks that I thought would send it flying, yet it remained securely in place.
I’ll dive deeper into the pen’s performance in the software section, but as a physical tool, it’s fantastic. Lightweight, comfortable to hold and equipped with gel pen-inspired soft nibs, it provides an excellent writing experience. And it has some physical controls of its own
In the XPPen Notes app, the pencil’s down key – used for shortcuts outside the app – functions as an eraser. Positioned right where my thumb naturally rests, I frequently pressed it by accident. Fortunately, the eraser only removes what the pen has touched on-screen, so I never lost significant work. Still, when focused on taking notes, it became a considerable frustration, although it was easy to avoid once I was aware of it.
All said and done, while the Magic Note Pad might not have tickled my fancy from a design perspective, it does look nicer than some premium e-paper writing tablets (I’m looking at you, Kobo Elipsa 2E) and I can wax lyrical about the stylus because it’s one of the best I’ve used on a digital display.
XPPen Magic Note Pad review: Software
- Runs Android 14
- Minimal bloatware
- Time-saving shortcuts
Running Android 14, the XPPen Magic Note Pad will feel familiar to anyone who has used Android devices in the past. The most striking thing upon booting it up though, was the minimal amount of natively available applications, something I absolutely appreciate after coming off doing the Poco F6 Pro review.
The only apps I would consider bloatware are Facebook, Booking.com and Adobe Acrobat. Otherwise, all that’s downloaded is the Google suite of apps, YouTube (Music and Kids), WPS Office, Google Play Store and necessary apps like Settings and Camera.
Opening up the settings, you can change the wallpaper as well as the colors of icons, text and backgrounds. You can also edit the lock-screen shortcuts.
The true customization is less about aesthetics, and more about how you like to use the tablet. On top of the three display modes – Regular, Color Paper and Ink Paper – you can also upgrade the Regular mode with image, video and game enhancement, as well as reading, eye comfort and sunlight display modes.
One of the things I really liked was the ability to hold the down key on the stylus and quickly tap the sleeping screen to immediately open the XPPen Notes app. It’s a small gesture, but it was considerably faster than the alternative.
Image 1 of 3
Holding the down key and tapping the screen can also create a screenshot of whatever you are reading, then immediately open it up in the notes app for you to doodle on or mark up. You can change this button’s function to go back, go to the home screen, recents or the shortcut panel. I also found the ability to screenshot by swiping down on the screen with three fingers helpful versus pressing the power and volume buttons simultaneously.
Also worth noting is the shortcut panel which can be hidden or left floating on-screen. Within, you can quickly open notes, screen record, write an e-signature, make a handwritten GIF and more.
The XPPen Notes app deserves its own special mention, too. The custom-designed application has more than enough tools for any writing scenario, from a 15 second purge of your thoughts to a dedicated list of lecture notes with dozens of formats across seven categories. You can even add your own images from the Gallery or via PDF.
With three pen types – fountain, ballpoint and pencil – an eraser and highlighter, you can do a heck of a lot within the native notes app but, since it runs Android 14, you can download your preferred application (like OneNote) if you wish. Personally, I found no need for any other.
Image 1 of 5
There’s a built-in AI assistant that can answer questions and read your document, as well as immediately convert your messy handwriting into text for a more orderly list of notes. I found the handwriting-to-text conversion inconsistent, but it usually got the gist of what I was writing – and my handwriting is messier than most.
Clean, easy to traverse and offering personalization that ranges from the quirky to seriously productive, the XPPen Magic Note Pad is a joy to use. I’d recommend reading the user manual though, as I found it quite complicated to figure out all the possibilities provided by the tablet and its stylus.
XPPen Magic Note Pad: Cameras and audio
- 13MP front camera, but no rear lens
- Dual speakers and mics
Admittedly the Magic Note Pad wasn’t decided to take photos, but it does have a 13MP front-facing camera for video calls (and the odd selfie maybe). With a target audience of professionals and students who a versatile digital notepad, that’s more than enough to meet the usual needs.
Sure, a rear camera would be nice, it would also be near impossible to write on – so the 13MP front camera is just fine for getting through online uni classes and your weekly 9am team meeting. The camera quality is clear, and the dual speakers and precision microphones made certain I could both clearly hear and be heard on the rare occasion when I wasn’t using headphones.
And, while I would prefer to have used headphones in most scenarios, the dual speakers performed more than adequately when watching content.
It won’t be competing for any prizes in the camera and audio category, but it wasn’t designed to either.
XPPen Magic Note Pad review: Performance
- MediaTek MT8781
- Struggles with heavy loads
- Smooth regular daily use
The XPPen is not going to replace your laptop and handle your entire workload, but it’s plenty powerful for what it aims to do.
Powered by the MediaTek MT8781 8-core processor, the Magic Note Pad was fast and smooth when I indulged in some light gaming, watched YouTube videos, wrote notes, reading or did several of them simultaneously when in a video call. It did struggle a little when it was multitasking, but it’s not an iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab S series to take a whole lotta load.
In the 3D Mark Wildlife test, which tests graphic performance, the XPPen Magic Note Pad scored 1244 at 7.45fps. For reference, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 and Alldocube iPlay 50 Pro, two cheap tablets, as well as the Huawei MatePad Paper, boast higher scores.
I used the Geekbench 6.2.2 benchmark to test the Magic Note Pads CPU performance for everyday tasks, and XPPen’s latest tablet scored 728 (single-core) and 1949 (multi-core). These scores place it well behind even a tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (1,198 / 3200).
Still, I didn’t feel any performance issues in my time with the XPPen Magic Note Pad, and across writing, reading, watching and calling, you’re not likely to. This XPPen tablet runs multiple apps with ease and lets you seamlessly write notes while on a call or watching a video, nailing everything a writing-focused productivity tablet should at this price range, but there are certainly similar, more powerful devices on the market.
XPPen Magic Note Pad review: Battery
- 20W charging
- 21% charge in 30 minutes
- 9+ hours video playback at high brightness
Boasting an 8,000mAh battery, the XPPen Magic Note Pad has a greater battery capacity than some other tablets, like the 2021 iPad and ReMarkable 2, which has only a 3,000mAh battery. It’s certainly not large for a tablet though, with big-screen devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 boasting capacities that far exceed 10,000mAh.
After watching Avengers: Endgame and Deadpool & Wolverine back-to-back at 83% brightness – that’s almost 5.5 hours – the XPPen Magic Note Pad was still at a very healthy 40% battery. That means you’ll see at least 9 hours of screentime before it taps out, and plenty more than that when just reading or writing on a lower brightness.
In fact, XPPen states that you’ll get as much as one week of usage out of the Magic Note Pad with a daily usage of 3 hours at 50% brightness. In my experience, reading on the way to work, making a few notes throughout the day and even hopping into a quick online meeting or watching some YouTube, that approximation seems about right.
I also found that battery consumption is different depending on which display mode you’re in and the activity being performed. While you might think the paper modes require less battery, I found that wasn’t the case. It’s hard to nail down the difference, but for example, one hour of video in Ink Paper Mode used 13%, compared to the 8% in Regular Mode.
Whether or not it lasts a week without charging isn’t really the sticking point, though. As a work and study-focused tablet, it needs to be able to last the six to 10-hour days at work or school when it’s needed. And, while battery drain will depend on what activities it’s used for, it should have no issue doing so.
If you are planning on being a heavy user of this tablet though, draining the battery on a daily basis and requiring regular charging, you’ll want to do so overnight. From dead, the device charges just 3% in five minutes, sitting on 21% after 30 minutes – putting a full charge at around 2.5 hours.
Should I buy the XPPen Magic Note Pad?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Value |
The XPPen Magic Note Pad is an expensive device, but as a regular tablet, ereader and digital note pad all in one, it offers superb value. |
4 / 5 |
|
Display |
Depending on what your needs are from a tablet, there are several drawbacks on this display. However, as a jack-of-all-trades, its 3-in-1 X-Paper display nails it across the board. |
5 / 5 |
|
Design |
Thin and light, the Magic Note Pad gets the important things right. However, a cheap-looking back cover, large Pencil bench and screen border are worth noting. |
4 / 5 |
|
Software |
Running Android 14 with minimal bloatware, an excellent notes app and a ton of helpful shortcuts, gestures and settings, there’s not much to dislike on the software front. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Cameras |
You won’t be taking breathtaking photos or dragging it on a hike for a photo at the peak, but for video calls and the rare selfie it’s more than satisfactory. |
3 / 5 |
|
Performance |
Compared to regular tablets, the Magic Note Pad could be seen as weak. It’s not a regular tablet though, and for writing, reading, watching and a little work, it’s up to the task. |
4 / 5 |
|
Battery |
The XPPen Magic Note Pad’s battery is nothing more than satisfactory in this space, but it should both last long enough and charge fast enough to keep most users happy. |
3.5 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
XPPen Magic Note Pad review: Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
XPPen Magic Note Pad |
ReMarkable 2 |
XPPen Magic Drawing Pad |
Apple iPad 10.2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Price |
$439.99 / £399.99 / AU$629.99 |
$399 / £399 / AU$679 |
$499.99 / £539.99 / AU$799.99 |
$329 / £319 / AU$499 |
|
Dimensions |
182 x 259 x 7mm |
188 x 246 x 4.7 mm |
279 x 192 x 6.9mm |
250.6 x 174.1 x 7.5mm |
|
Weight |
495g |
403.5 |
599g |
487g |
|
Display |
10.95-inches |
10.3-inches |
12-inches |
10.2-inches |
|
Storage |
128GB |
8GB |
256GB |
64/256GB |
|
RAM |
6GB |
1GB |
8GB |
3GB |
|
Battery |
8,000mAh |
3,000mAh |
8,000mAh |
8557mAh (estimated) |
|
Cameras |
13MP (front) |
– |
13MP (rear), 8MP (front) |
8MP (rear), 12MP (front) |
How I tested the XPPen Magic Note Pad
- Review test period = Two Weeks
- Testing included = Regular daily use, writing, reading and watching content, video calls
- Tools used = 3D Mark, Geekbench 6.2.2, built-in Android tools
The XPPen Magic Note Pad was my new best friend for two weeks, coming with me everywhere I went. From making notes in the morning and reading on the way to work to watching YouTube while working and joining online meetings with it, it was a crucial addition to my daily life.
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To test it, I purposefully ran multiple apps during work meetings, multitasking and scribbling gibberish (and actual notes) during the meeting. I ran movies for hours on end and played mobile games like Clash Royale, Marvel Snap and Hearthstone.
I also used the 3D Mark Wildlife and Geekbench benchmarks to put a number to how the tablet was performing, and how it compared to other tablets on the market. I did all this while keeping in mind that this tablet is priced very fairly, aiming to help students and workers with productivity.
[First reviewed March 2025]
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