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This is an archive article published on January 24, 2023

No more pen and paper: Top 5 smart ‘writing’ pads that you can buy in 2023

LCD smart writing pads are actually more economical than traditional writing methods thanks to low prices and long life.

The Redmi Writing Pad costs only Rs 699 (Image credits: Xiaomi)

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As schools and colleges move onto digital forms of learning in an increasingly digitalising world, relying on good old pencils or pens and paper for taking notes is almost starting to feel obsolete. While typing out on PCs and tablets serves as a viable alternative, it may not be the best way to go about learning. Physically writing things still helps you remember better and learn more. That’s where smart pads come in, bridging the gap between typing on a keyboard and writing on paper. Today, we check out some of the best smart pads on the market you can buy right now and if you should actually consider them.

How do smart writing pads work?

LCD drawing tablets usually have a resistive screen with multiple layers that detect touch through pressure. One layer is made of liquid crystal. When the layers touch, the liquid crystals change, filling the gaps between electrodes in the screen. This causes the liquid crystals to reflect, displaying whatever’s drawn on the screen.

Advantages of smart writing pads

Cost-saving

Smart pads are so inexpensive these days that you’ll actually be saving a lot of money – no more expenditure on papers, pencils, and erasers – just purchase a smart pad and get all your notetaking needs sorted out for months or even years.

Easy on the eye

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Most smart pads emit no blue light – or light at all, for that matter – making their displays as natural as paper on the eyes. They work similarly to Amazon’s popular e-reader Kindle, meaning they almost read like real paper without screen glare.

Portable

The average smart pad weighs just 150 grams, making it highly portable and versatile – it can be carried around in school bags and handbags. They’re also slimmer than the average notebook.

Disadvantages of smart writing pads

No storage

A Rs 150 notebook will loyally store all your notes for life, these cheaper smart pads lack storage capabilities. They function more like a slate where notes have to be wiped off after they’re jotted down. Storage privileges can only be attained with pricier smart pads.

Harder to share

Where notebooks can simply be handed over to or borrowed from a friend, a smart pad isn’t something that people would want to share unless they’ve got several of those — and no one does that.

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Portronics Ruffpad 15M

The Portronics RuffPad 15M is the only product on this list that lets you save notes (Image: Portronics)

The Portronics Ruffpad 15M is a smart environment-friendly digital writing/doodling pad built for all your writing needs – learning, doodling, drawing, and quick notes. While the Ruffpad lineup offers multiple smart pads with varying features and sizes, the Ruffpad 15M can be considered the flagship offering. It’s got a 15-inch display – the largest in the series – and it even supports colour. It’s also fairly portable with a thickness of 6.6mm and a weight of 340 grams. The coin cell battery is claimed to last “for months.” But perhaps the coolest feature is that your scribbles can be saved and shared through the Ruffpad App, available for both Android and iOS.

Redmi Writing Pad

The Redmi Writing Pad is a cheaper and more compact alternative to the Ruffpad 15M with a Rs 699 price tag and an 8.5-inch display. It’s also significantly lighter at only 90 grams, making it even more portable than the average notebook. Cool features include One Tap for Clean Slate and a lock switch that freezes the content from being deleted off the screen. Redmi claims that you can write up to 20,000 pages on a single cell, so battery worries are out of the question. The only downside to the Redmi Writing Pad is that you can’t save your notes. Think of the device as a slate rather than a proper replacement for an actual notebook.

Amazon Basics Magic Slate

The Amazon Magic Slate comes in two sizes — 15 inches and 8.5 inches (Image: Amazon)

The Amazon Basics Magic Slate comes in two sizes – 15 inches and 8.5 inches. It sports a pressure-sensitive technology where applying more pressure increases the width of the line being drawn across the screen. The built-in coin-cell battery has been claimed to last for up to 1 year. While the 15-inch model (Rs 899) weighs 307 grams, the 8.5-inch model (Rs 279) weighs similar to the Redmi Writing Pad at 90 grams.

Bestor Portable 12 inches LCD Paperless Digital Tablet

The Bestor adopts a slightly unconventional size of 12 inches, making it perfect for people looking for an offering with a screen size larger than 8.5 inches but smaller than the massive 15-inch models. It adopts pressure-sensitive technology, creating lines of different thicknesses based on how hard you push – just like real paper. The battery lasts for 9 months.

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Syncwire 8.5 Inch LCD Writing Tablet

The Syncwire smart tab is very similar to the Redmi Writing Pad in terms of features and offers an 8.5-inch display. However, it’s significantly cheaper at Rs 399. It’s also hugely popular on Amazon with over 25,000 ratings, averaging out at 4.5 stars, making it a tried and tested product.