--- source_url: "https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/tech/g70515205/best-digital-notebooks/" title: "The 4 Best Digital Notebooks of 2026—Shop Esquire's Top Picks" mirrored_at: 2026-08-25T03:01:43.197Z host: www.esquire.com cited_in_42a: true mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/www.esquire.com/lifestyle/tech/g70515205/best-digital-notebooks/index" --- > **Original source:** https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/tech/g70515205/best-digital-notebooks/ Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links. Here’s [how we test products](https://www.esquire.com/about/a61777107/esquire-how-we-test-products/) and why you should trust us. ![e](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/1-sidebyside-69a0b494dde3e.jpg?crop=0.501xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=640:* "e") Courtesy of Montblanc ### Pros - Affordable entry point - Fast and responsive e-ink screen - Chargeless premium pen that attaches magnetically to the tablet - Integrates with Kindle library and notes sync to the Kindle app - Supports handwriting search ### Cons - No color screen - Border on the left gives it a bit of an ugly look The Kindle Scribe is an easy recommendation that won't break the bank. It is, in one mode, a fully functioning e-reader and, in another, a digital notebook wide open to customization. It makes it easy to download PDFs to mark up and you can scribble in the margins of any of your Kindle e-books, which you will immediately have full access to upon logging in. Writing with Amazon's Premium Pen feels natural and, considering it was also the first digital notebook I tried, easy to learn. It's not quite as tactile as pen and paper, but there's no noticeable lag when writing either. If your handwriting is out of practice, you can convert any handwritten note to text for greater readability and organization. Now, this isn't the newest Scribe but it's the one I've spent the most time with. The [newer 2025 model](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DVQQGMCZ/ref=twister_B0FQ6ZP7ZW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&tag=esquire_auto-append-20) is frankly better looking, incrementally thinner and brighter too, but starts at $500 for a 32 gigs of storage (no 16GB option offered). If I was buying, I'd save the extra Benjamin and opt for this slightly older model from 2024. It has got all the same features and software updates, so don't worry about falling behind on Amazon's latest AI whatever. ![Image no longer available](https://www.esquire.com/_assets/design-tokens/fre/static/icons/eye-regular.e612290.svg) ## Features at a Glance Screen Size 10.2 inch Weight 0.96 pounds Dimensions 7.7” x 9.0" x 0.22" Storage Options 16GB, 32GB, 64GB ### Pros - Finally a notebook sized digital notebook - Converts handwritten notes to text - Supports color - Bundle includes folio cover and extra marker tips ### Cons - Handwriting search, file conversion, and other key features locked behind subscription - Won't have your Kindle library on tap If you want something that's a little closer in form factor to a field reporter's notebook and not a tablet or sketchbook, there's finally something out there for you. Last year, Remarkable sized down its [amazing color notebook](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a63532605/remarkable-pro-writing-tablet-review/) into a device you can fit in one hand. The Paper Pro Move is the most portable digital notebook out there. When one of Esquire's writers reviewed the original Paper Pro, she loved the color screen and lag-free writing experience but was discouraged by the weight (a bit too heavy) and the price (a bit too expensive). The Pro Move lands with a pretty much identical suite of features inside a smaller, lighter form factor at a lower price point. Simply put, it's everything we wanted from Remarkable from the start. Like a Kindle, it lets you search for handwritten notes and convert handwriting to text. Unlike the Scribe, it won't just have your Kindle library built in. And some of the features above, handwriting search in particular, are locked behind a three dollar a month subscription. That's hardly a dealbreaker, more of an annoyance. ![Image no longer available](https://www.esquire.com/_assets/design-tokens/fre/static/icons/eye-regular.e612290.svg) ## Features at a Glance Screen Size 7.3 inches Weight 0.51 lbs Dimensions 7.7" x 4.2" x 0.26" Storage 64 GB Advertisement - Continue Reading Below ### Pros - The best looking digital notebook - A writing experience that mimics high-end stationery - A digital pen that could pass as a real pen ### Cons - Expensive - No color display This one got a shoutout in the Esquire [gadget awards](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a68854762/gadget-awards-2025/) last year so you know it's top-notch but expensive as hell. This is the specialist version of the digital notebook, the one that hones in on making the minutiae of the look and feel just right. Montblac is known for making high-end fountain pens and stationary, and this tablet does its damndest to replicate that experience digitally. Writing and sketching on this thing is seamless and satisfying. Montblanc's engineers have managed to perfectly replicate the feel, sound, and stroke of pen on paper—even differentiating between fountain pen nibs of different sizes, ballpoint, and felt tip. And let's be real. The gray and black ones look nice (still head and shoulders above the competition aesthetically), but the Elixir Gold is where it's at. ![Image no longer available](https://www.esquire.com/_assets/design-tokens/fre/static/icons/eye-regular.e612290.svg) ## Features at a Glance Screen Size 10.3 inches Weight 0.96 lbs Dimensions 8.74" x 7.5" x 0.19" Storage 64GB ### Pros - You actually get to write on paper - Seamless real-time uploads to the app - Easy and affordable to purchase new notebooks and pens ### Cons - App isn't compatible with Windows - Pen doesn't always hold a great charge Despite all the praise I've heaped on the devices above, I'm still a firm believer that nothing can replace real paper and ink. Turns out, there's a way to get the best of both worlds. Using [Moleskine's smart writing set](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a44937953/moleskine-smart-writing-set-review/), you can ensure all your handwritten notes have digital copies. Compared to something like Rocketbook where you take photos to transfer them to the app, Moleskine's smart writing system is literally seamless. Once you've downloaded the free app, everything you write in the notebook with the Pen+ will be sent in real time. The app doesn't have a Windows version so if you want to send notes to your PC, no such luck doing it directly. You'll need a workaround. So what happens when you fill up the physical notebook, you may ask? It's simple. You go buy a new one. Moleskine sells extra smart notebooks for roughly $30 a pop and, when you run out of ink, the Pen+ takes standard D1 mini refills.