Whether you're just starting high school or finishing up your college Master's Program, a good note-taking tablet can make all the difference in class success. The latest note-taking tablets from companies like TCL and Boox sport technology that looks and feels a lot like paper, but each gives you all the best features of a modern smart device.

If you've never used a digital note-taking device, know that these are tablet-sized (not e-reader size), so you probably won't want to hold them up for long periods. They are also both powered by Android and include the Google Play Store, so you can download all your favorite apps.

The TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER and the Boox Go 10.3 Gen II both ship with styluses that magnetically attach to the side of the tablet, so you can take notes anytime you need to. Whether that's bedside journaling or attempting to jot down everything important during a lecture, both tablets will give you quick access to recording and handwritten notes, and I've spent the last week putting these two through rigorous tests to find out which should be in your backpack this year.

Not all ePaper is created equally

E Ink is the most common type of ePaper display you'll find today, but TCL's NXTPAPER displays give it a run for its money in several ways. The TCL Note A1 features a special type of NXTPAPER display that works just as well for black-and-white notes as it does for YouTube videos.

The matte display is wonderful for cutting glare from those annoying overhead classroom lights, and the fluid 120Hz refresh rate feels fast and smooth. This makes using apps feel like any normal Android tablet, and it may prove nicer for note-taking for people who want something smoother than E Ink.

While these tablets are primarily designed for handwriting, you can also use any virtual keyboard you choose. I always love using Gboard, but typing on it always feels slow on E Ink. NXTPAPER is fast and fluid and feels like typing on a normal tablet.

But that's about where the positives end and where the Boox Go 10.3 Gen II's E Ink display takes over. One of the inherent advantages of E Ink is that it doesn't need a backlight to illuminate the screen. It's got one just in case you need it, but I rarely find that I need to use it.

If I'm taking notes outside, the Boox Go is the clear winner. That black-and-white E Ink display perfectly absorbs and reflects sunlight, so you can see the display even better in direct sunlight than elsewhere. The built-in front light also gets extremely dim when you need it, which I found important for lecture rooms that can sometimes be too dim.

The TCL Note A1's display is really only easy to see in moderate indoor lighting. It doesn't get bright enough to see outdoors, and it doesn't get dim enough to comfortably use in a low-lit room. There's also no dark mode, curiously enough, which probably would have helped a lot in those dim rooms.

Both displays' lights are fully flicker-free, but TCL's NXTPAPER display uses something called temporal dithering to enhance the colors. This effect can give some people splitting headaches, and since there's no way to disable it, I can't recommend the tablet for anyone sensitive to dithering.

That makes the Boox Go 10.3 Gen II the best display of the two, despite the advantages that color and a faster refresh rate on the NXTPAPER might otherwise seem.

Note-taking gets leveled up

Displays affect more than just readability, too. Boox's E Ink technology looks a lot more like traditional paper and pen, but typing on the display isn't as nice since the refresh rate is lower. Likewise, typing on the TCL Note A1 feels smoother, but I wouldn't say there's any meaningful latency difference when writing.

In fact, I far prefer writing on the Boox Go 10.3 Gen II because the stylus feels like writing with a marker, and the display's textured surface also feels uniquely wonderful to swipe on. TCL's Note A1 stylus offers an incredibly unique built-in haptic engine (yes, into the stylus!), but writing on the screen still feels too much like writing on glass for my liking.

Taking notes is faster on the Boox Go, and I find the default note styles and options are better than TCL's. Both companies offer some great template options to get you started, as well.

Boox also offers a superb handwriting-to-text engine that even understands my terrible chicken-scratch writing. TCL offers some truly fantastic AI writing tools built in, but curiously doesn't offer a direct handwriting-to-text option — the only way to achieve this is to have TCL's AI rewrite your notes, which isn't always preferable.

But TCL offers a suite of AI tools that Boox simply does not. If you're a student who enjoys utilizing AI to help give you better writing, summarize your notes, make things searchable, or even add live transcription of lectures to your notes, TCL is the easy winner in this category. The Boox Go can record audio directly to a note, but there's no transcription option at all, something I thought was very odd in this day and age.

Lastly, the Boox Go 10.3 Gen II passes all Google Play Integrity tests, which means any apps that require an extra layer of security (think banking apps) run just fine on it. TCL's Note A1 doesn't pass any of them, which I thought was curious. I haven't run into issues with normal apps on TCL's tablet, but there are undoubtedly some more secure ones that simply won't work on it.

Boox to replace your notebooks

While the TCL Note A1 offers far better built-in AI tools and a faster refresh rate, I like everything else about the Boox Go 10.3 Gen II better. This even includes the hardware design, as the TCL Note A1 feels like a heavy iPad while the Boox Go is sleeker, lighter, and more ergonomic, with curved sides that rest comfortably in my hands, a lighter overall weight, and a luxurious vegan leather back.

Boox and TCL are running a back-to-school sale this month to sweeten this deal further. The Boox Go bundle I'm using is currently $40 off, while the TCL Note A1 is $50 off. This still makes the Boox Go 10.3 Gen II $100 cheaper than the TCL Note A1, and that's easily enough of a reason for me to recommend it.

TL;DR: the TCL Tab A1 Plus NXTPAPER tablet just dropped in the United States, and it already has a $100 discount at Amazon. 

It took a while for TCL to release its newest Android tablet in the United States, but now the Tab A1 Plus NXTPAPER is here with an impressive launch discount in tow. 

For a limited time, you can score $100 off the 256GB device by clipping the coupon on Amazon's product page. If you want to save even more, you can go with the 128GB version and pay as little as $219 for the device (provided you have an Amazon Prime account). 

It's rare for a brand new tablet to receive a straight discount at launch — especially since the Tab A1 Plus was already pretty affordable — but TCL has never been one to play by the rules. 

Whether you need a new tablet for Back to School season, a presentation at work, or as a road trip companion, the TCL Tab A1 Plus NXTPAPER is a great pick that won't break the bank. 

Straight out of the box, the device boasts a unique 12.2-inch display that's specifically designed to reduce eye strain, letting you instantly switch into Ink Paper or Color Paper mode as needed. 

The tablet comes with a stylus for drawing and taking notes, a solid Snapdragon processor, and a huge 10,000mAh battery, all of which are rare specs for a device in this price range. You also get stereo speakers, some onboard AI features, and 256GB of storage (up to 2TB when you expand using microSD). 

The Tab A1 Plus may not be the most powerful Android tablet ever built, but if you're concerned about eye strain and you want a device that offers good old-fashioned bang for the buck, it's pretty unmatched. And with a $100 launch discount knocking the price down to only $299.99, the TCL device is really starting to feel like a no-brainer purchase in 2026. 

What you need to know

• A new leak reveals Lenovo's first Googlebook lineup, including two laptops and a detachable 2-in-1 tablet.
• The leaked devices feature Google's new Pixel Glow Bar design and a familiar Chromebook-inspired look.
• Lenovo's 2-in-1 Googlebook appears to support a keyboard case, kickstand, and stylus for productivity.

Lenovo is set to launch its first lineup of Googlebook devices later this year, and a new leak has given us our first look at all of them.

Earlier this year, Google unveiled its vision for Googlebook, a new Android-based laptop platform with Gemini and AI at its core. At the time, the company confirmed that the first wave of Googlebook devices would come from partners including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

Now, a new leak from Android Headlines appears to reveal what Lenovo has been working on.

According to the leak, Lenovo is preparing three Googlebook devices in total: two laptops and a 2-in-1 tablet.

The laptops look fairly similar to Lenovo's existing Chromebook lineup. Based on the leaked renders, one of them features a white finish with Lenovo branding on the lid, along with what appears to be Google's new Pixel Glow LED near the top. The larger model also seems to include both a USB-A port and a USB-C port, while the speaker grilles are positioned along the sides.

The leak also gives us our first look at Lenovo's Googlebook 2-in-1 tablet. It resembles a fairly typical Android tablet paired with a keyboard cover and kickstand case, with support for a stylus as well. The Googlebook branding is visible next to the trackpad, while the Pixel Glow Bar appears to have been integrated into the camera housing on the back.

Lenovo hasn't confirmed when these devices will be officially announced. However, since Google previously said the first Googlebooks would arrive this fall, it's likely we won't have to wait much longer.

There's also no word on pricing yet. That said, with RAM prices continuing to climb throughout the year, I wouldn't be surprised if Lenovo positions these devices firmly in the premium segment.

We may also learn more about Google's Googlebook ecosystem at the upcoming Pixel launch event on August 12.