I am, and always have been, a terrible organizer. As the Editor-in-Chief of a publication, a parent, and an artist, a little bit of structure would help with most things in my life. Despite this, I am known for keeping notes in dozens of notebooks, ignoring even the nicest of planners, and jotting important info down on any little scrap, only for it to be eaten by my desk. XPPen must have seen my mess, because the Magic Note Pad not only did away with my disorganized insanity, it revolutionized the process of my work.
The Magic Note Pad, the newest in XPPen’s excellent line of graphic tablets, is everything you could need or want. It’s a note-taking device, full Android tablet, drawing surface, e-reader, and digital calendar. I went from juggling dozens of items to try and keep order, to just having the Magic Note Pad at my side at all times.
I had no idea how badly I needed this device, and I am so excited to finally find a digital notepad worth investing in.
Key Details
- Developer: XPPen
- Operating System: Android
- Resolution: 1920 x 1200
- Size: 5.83 x 10.95
- Price: $439.99
- Sample Provided For Review: Yes
XPPen’s Magic Note Pad Packs a Punch
Note-taking tablets often struggle to hit the mark for useability and actual value. From no-color screens to low performance, it doesn’t seem worth it to pay over $500 for them. However, XPPen has considered what users need when picking up a device for digital notes.
The Magic Note Pad is compact, with a clear, etched X-Paper display that is lovely to write on. It sits at about 6 x 11 inches in active drawing space and offers three separate settings for color: Nature Color, Light Color, and Ink Paper. These modes can be easily toggled using the first of two buttons at the top of the tablet.
The Magic Note Pad also comes with the stunning X3 Pro Pencil 2, an upgrade from the X3 Pro Pencil. It offers 16k pressure levels, a compact body, and two programmable buttons.
The tablet comes with a magnetic cover, and the X3 Pro Pencil 2 snaps right to a magnetized slot on the left side of the tablet body, making for easy storage.
Sporting excellent battery life, a full Android operating system, and the JNotes app for XPPen, and this little notepad becomes a beast that can be used for handling business, or drawing on the go.
I Don’t Go Anywhere Without My Magic Note Pad
In my time working with the Magic Note Pad, I have become completely reliant on it. The XPPen Notes application has become something of a third arm for me. I have my calendar hand-written in one file while keeping notes from meetings in another, and tracking upcoming coverage in another.
However, what I didn’t think about was how the Magic Note Pad could change game coverage.
The most difficult part of my job is creating guides for upcoming games. I play them, write down everything a player needs to know, and then I organize and compile it for the best and most readable article. In the past, all these notes were dumped into a physical notebook and then painstakingly transcribed to my PC. Typing while playing just isn’t always practical, and sometimes I need to not be checking my email or looking at other things while trying to focus on guiding.
Physical notes get cluttered and they are hard to reorganize. Transcribing takes hours and is even more frustrating when things are crammed into the margins.
The Magic Note Pad set me free. Now, I jot my guiding notes down in an XPPen Notes document. I write down steps, make notes, or even write in paragraphs. When I’m ready to build the guide, I can simply auto-transcribe my handwritten notes to text, copy, and paste. It’s amazing.
What’s even better, is that I can even take photos or screenshots and upload them directly into the app to mark up, allowing me to properly edit images to give people the best directions possible.
The Magic Note Pad Sings in Meetings or On The Go
My Magic Note Pad is critical for any meetings or interviews I may need to tackle. I can mark up transcriptions from recordings, take notes during important breakdowns, or throw something on my calendar while things are busy.
Currently, I am at GDC 2025, and instead of notebooks and planners, I have my Magic Note Pad. I’ve written all my notes for every lecture on the tablet and then transcribed them for my master document with the click of a button.
The best part is writing with the stylus. I love to use the fountain pen tool on the medium size setting in XPPen Notes, and the pencil is such a joy to write with that I am always looking for an excuse to add to my notes. The etched X-paper screen and accuracy of the stylus make it just as tactile as a notebook, and my handwriting looks perfect. No lag, no inconsistencies, just crisp, clean copy.
Did I Mention It’s Also An E-Reader?
Why buy the Kindle Scribe or White when you could get a Magic Note Pad instead? On top of being a calendar, full tablet, drawing surface, note-taking device, and organization tool, it is also an E-Reader.
I have multiple reading applications downloaded that I read on the Ink Paper setting. The screen is perfect for reading and is bigger than most standard Kindle models.
You can also take screenshots of certain pages to save to your XPPen Notes if needed. I’ve done this, especially if I want to mark a page up or highlight certain passages for work. I’d been thinking about getting a Kindle, but now I don’t need to worry about it. My Magic Note Pad does the job perfectly.
Final Score – 10/10
I love my Magic Note Pad and refuse to do anything without it. If you are someone who writes, needs organization, or wants to streamline your workflow, this is the tool for you. If you are a digital artist, a student, or a writer, this is a must-have. You get so much for the money spent on the Magic Note Pad, and it is absolutely worth the investment.
XPPen is a pioneer in useability, and the Magic Note Pad is an example of quality mixing with thoughtful, practical development. The Magic Note Pad takes everything you need to do in a day and puts it all in one place for easy management. It’s a sanity saver that will become a staple of your workflow.
**A Sample of the XPPen Magic Note Pad was provided to Bonus Action for the purpose of this review.**
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