Best Laptops For Note Taking

With school starting back up soon, the best way to be taking notes for your classes is through laptops. With so many options for laptops for note taking, it can be difficult to determine what to look for or what’s best.

Don’t worry about that, though. Below, we’ve put together our recommendations for ideal laptops for this task. Furthermore, we have a brief guide on what to be looking for in a note taking laptop.

Top 7 Best Laptops For Note Taking

Below is our selection of laptops that we think will satisfy anyone. As usual with these descriptions, we provide a component list as well for your convenience.

Microsoft Surface Pro 7

Component List

• Processor: Intel Core i5
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 615
• Memory: 8GB
• Storage: 128GB SSD

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If you’re looking for the best laptop for note taking, then the Microsoft Surface family is a good option to pick from. The Surface Pro 7 is at the top of this family, and for a very good reason: it’s practically a 2 in 1 device.

Being able to serve as a laptop and a tablet can be very convenient for students or note-takers who want more flexibility. The keyboard is fully capable of being detached, and it has a trackpad unit for additional flexibility.

The screen size of 12.3 inches is ideal for many different tasks beyond note taking as well. The screen provides plenty of clarity and color depth. You can’t go wrong with this laptop at all.

Samsung Chromebook

Component List

• Processor: Celeron N3060
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 615
• Memory: 4GB
• Storage: 32GB

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A good runner-up for the best laptop for note taking is Samsung Chromebook. Similar to the Surface Pro, it’s a 2 in 1 device. It also supports multi-touch functionality and comes with a stylus that’s stored in the laptop itself.

The biggest difference between Samsung and Microsoft’s note laptop is the operating system. Samsung runs on Chrome, while Microsoft uses Windows.

Another thing of note is the Chromebook is very light, provides a backup battery that gives 8 to 10 hours of charge, and has an aluminum casing to make it sturdier. In addition, it’s spill-proof.

HP Pavilion X360

Component List

• Processor: Intel Core i3-1005G1
• Graphics: ‎Intel UHD Graphics
• Memory: 8GB
• Storage: ‎128GB

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A good laptop for note taking and a budget option is HP Pavilion X360. Like others on this list, this laptop is a 2 in 1 device that can serve as a tablet. To make HP Pavilion X360 a budget option, HP has offered downgraded parts compared to other laptops we have mentioned.

But don’t let that fact dissuade you from considering it. For one, there are variants of this laptop available. For example, you can get the ones with larger screen sizes and stronger parts. The only thing you can’t really change is the battery life. It lasts for 7 hours, which is fine, but not as long as the others on this list.

Acer Spin 5

Component List

• Processor: Intel Core i7-1065G7
• Graphics: Integrated
• Memory: 16GB
• Storage: 512GB

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Getting back to another top-rated laptop for note taking, you have Acer’s brand. This 2 in 1 laptop has a few additional features that make the whole note-taking experience better. Combined with the fact it does have variants in terms of RAM and display options, you can have good flexibility for a laptop for note taking.

Notable features to enhance note taking are a rechargeable stylus and a backlit keyboard. It also has a 10th generation Intel Core processor, making it very strong and capable of multitasking along with taking notes.

ASUS Chromebook Flip C433

Component List

• Processor: Intel Core m3-8100Y
• Graphics: Integrated
• Memory: 8GB
• Storage: 64GB

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The Chromebook from ASUS can seem like an unusual choice when you first look at it; however, it’s surprisingly effective. We consider it a hidden gem amongst the top laptop for note taking list we have provided.

It has a 10-hour battery life, an all-metal body, a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, and a full HD touchscreen. Best of all, this is only the start of quality features that make it worth grabbing it. The usage for this device ranges from low to moderate, but if you need it for note taking, it does it spectacularly.

Lenovo Flex S

Component List

• Processor: Intel Core i3-10110U
• Graphics: Integrated
• Memory: 4GB
• Storage: 64GB

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Another appropriate budget option to consider is Lenovo Flex 5. It’s one of the best laptops for note taking thanks to its affordability and a decent level of performance at the same time. Its processor is solid, and you’ve also got 16 GB RAM. The graphics are pretty good, though any Lenovo user would note it’s not using the best graphics processor, and it could be improved.

Even so, the features make it well worth it despite that minor wrinkle. It has a 10 point touchscreen, 360-degree foldable screen, 1920 x 1080 full HD display, a 14-inch screen, and quick charge functionality. All around, it’s great for note taking.

Dell XPS 13

Component List

• Processor: Intel Core i7-1165G7
• Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620
• Memory: 32GB
• Storage: 512GB

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Another apt laptop for taking notes is Dell XPS 13. It offers an i5 processor, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, a foldable screen, touch screen, and is all around a nice fit in this category. The hardware makes it easy for someone to use this laptop for various purposes beyond taking notes. If you’re looking for a universal option for note taking and the capability of doing something extra, this laptop has got you covered.

The Ultimate Guide to Buying the Best Laptop for Note Taking

If you’re looking for the best laptop for taking notes, here are the aspects worth considering before purchase.

• Budget – Knowing how much money you have is always a key thing to remember when it comes to these lists. There are plenty of budget options available, but there are some that offer more. Be sure to keep in mind your expectations and compare that to the costs.
• RAM (Random Access Memory) – RAM isn’t a huge priority for note taking; however, it’s still an important aspect to keep in mind. RAM determines the loading speed of applications. It’s going to be the difference between booting up an application during a lecture or having to bring them up before it starts.
• Processor – This is what determines how fast and effective a program will run. Slower and lower quality processors will guarantee your laptop to lag and function slowly. For the best note taking laptop you can get, you want something with a processor of i5 or greater. Each one in the list above has at least that.
• Battery Life – The last thing you want is for your laptop to shut down in the middle of a note-taking session. As such, it’s definitely important to have a longer battery life. That is unless you don’t mind carrying around the charger with you.
• Storage – While documents don’t take up a lot of space on laptops, you still want plenty of storage if you plan to use it beyond note-taking. The laptops above have decent storage, with some having SSDs available.
• Graphics Card – Not as significant since your laptop is mostly going to be used for note taking. However, a decent graphics card does come in handy if you’re using it for artistic reasons.
• Weight – The lighter, the better. This isn’t too much of an issue on this list since most of these laptops are essentially heavier tablets.
• Display – Larger screens allow you to have multiple things on them. You’ve also got more space to work with, so split-screen windows are a lot easier to do.
• Portability – The best note taking computer will be very portable. This isn’t too much of an issue either, as the laptops we’ve discussed can effectively become tablets. However, it’s worth thinking about it in comparison to your other gear and backpack space.
• Ports – While not mentioned at all in this list, ports still are important for those who wish to use external items to enhance their experience. Keep this in mind if you’re the type who uses wireless devices or wants to store files on hard drives and will need USB ports.

Conclusion

While searching for an ideal note taking laptop isn’t too difficult, you should still take your time to look at the various features. Especially keep this in mind if you plan to use the laptop for more than jotting down notes for classes or important meetings. We hope that this list has given you plenty of options to pick from and that it makes your decision-making easier.