The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE is the strongest value choice for most UK buyers who want a note taking tablet with a pen. It costs £539 for the 128 GB model at Currys, and the S Pen is included. You get a conventional Android tablet with Samsung Notes, a 90 Hz display, microSD support and a two-year warranty.
Choose the reMarkable Paper Pro if handwriting quality and a focused, paper-like experience matter more than apps. Choose the Galaxy Tab S11 if you want Samsung’s higher-end note-taking features, including handwriting-to-text and audio transcription. The iPad Air with M4 is the flexible Apple option.
Prices below were checked on 9 September 2026. Value means the overall combination of price, included pen, screen, storage, software and suitability for work or studies.
The iPad Air price below is for the tablet itself. It supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil USB-C, which are purchased separately.
| Tablet | UK price | Pen included? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE | £539, 128 GB £639, 256 GB |
Yes, S Pen | Best overall value |
| reMarkable Paper Pro | From £559 | Yes, Marker Marker Plus bundle £599 |
Focused handwriting and PDFs |
| reMarkable Paper Pro Move | From £399 | Marker Plus bundle £439 | Compact handwritten notes |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 | £749, 128 GB £829, 256 GB |
Yes, S Pen | AI-assisted notes and premium Android |
| Apple iPad Air with M4 | From £749 | Apple Pencil supported separately | Apple users who want broad app choice |
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE is the best buy when you want a proper tablet and a writing stylus in one purchase. Currys lists the 10.9-inch, 128 GB model at £539, with the S Pen included. The 256 GB version costs £639 and also includes the pen.
Its value comes from combining an included stylus with useful tablet features. The specification includes Android 15, a 90 Hz screen, microSD support and an Exynos 1580 processor. Currys also lists a two-year warranty. That combination makes the S10 FE a sensible fit for lecture notes, reading, web research and annotating documents.
The main reason to choose it over a reMarkable is flexibility. Samsung Notes is a Galaxy app designed for handwritten notes with the S Pen, and Samsung describes additional AI features on supported Galaxy devices. You can use the tablet for notes as well as ordinary tablet tasks. If you mainly want a quiet digital notebook with minimal distractions, the reMarkable models are more focused.
The reMarkable Paper Pro is the clearest choice for buyers who want handwriting to feel close to writing on paper. Forbes Vetted named it the best writing tablet overall after testing a dozen alternatives over several months. The review says its 11.8-inch display is designed to replicate writing on ordinary paper.
In the UK, the Paper Pro starts at £559 and includes the Marker. The Marker Plus bundle costs £599. The tablet has a colour display, adjustable reading light, 64 GB of storage, 12 ms writing latency and battery life of up to two weeks, according to reMarkable’s comparison details.
This is a strong note taking tablet for handwritten lecture notes, reading and PDF annotation. It is a specialist writing device rather than a general-purpose app tablet. Choose the Paper Pro when the writing surface and distraction-free workflow are the priority.
The reMarkable Paper Pro Move suits people who want the reMarkable approach in a smaller format. It starts at £399, while the Marker Plus bundle costs £439 and the polymer Book Folio bundle costs £479.
The Move has a 7.3-inch colour display, adjustable reading light, 64 GB storage, 12 ms writing latency and battery life of up to two weeks. Its smaller screen makes it easier to carry, but gives you less room for diagrams, long equations or several pages open side by side.
It is a good match for short notes, reading and a lightweight daily carry. Students taking detailed lecture notes may find the larger Paper Pro or a 10.9-inch Samsung more practical.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 is the premium Samsung choice. Currys lists the 128 GB model at £749, reduced from a previous list price of £799, and the 256 GB model at £829, reduced from £899. Both configurations come with an S Pen.
The S11 has a 10.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, a 120 Hz refresh rate, Android 16 and microSD support. It is available with 128 or 256 GB of storage. The faster refresh rate and premium display make it appealing if you will combine handwritten notes with reading, media and general tablet work.
Its strongest note-taking feature is the built-in assistance described by Currys. Note Assist converts handwritten notes into text, while Transcribe Assist converts audio into text. These functions make the S11 the best option here for buyers specifically searching for a note-taking tablet with AI. The extra cost over the S10 FE is easiest to justify when those features and the higher-end display matter to you.
The iPad Air with M4 starts at £749 in the UK and supports both Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil USB-C.
It is a sensible option for someone already using Apple devices or who needs a broad app-based tablet alongside handwritten notes. For a focused writing experience, the reMarkable is more purpose-built. For the lowest complete purchase price among the full tablets listed here, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE is easier to recommend.
| Choose this system | It suits you if you prioritise | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Notes | S Pen handwriting, Android tablet features and AI tools on supported models | The experience depends on using a Galaxy device |
| reMarkable | Paper-like writing, PDF annotation and a focused workflow | It is more specialised than a full app-based tablet |
| iPad Air | Apple Pencil support and a wider app-based setup | It is designed around Apple’s app ecosystem |
Samsung confirms that Samsung Notes supports handwritten input with the S Pen on supported Galaxy devices. That makes the S10 FE and S11 particularly convenient for students who want to switch between handwriting, typed text and standard tablet tasks.
Start with the way you take notes, rather than the brand:
Forbes Vetted named the reMarkable Paper Pro the best writing tablet overall after testing a dozen alternatives over several months. For a conventional tablet with included pen support, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE is the better value choice.
The Galaxy Tab S11 is the best Samsung choice for AI-assisted notes because it includes Note Assist and Transcribe Assist. The Galaxy Tab S10 FE is the better value option: its 128 GB version costs £539 at Currys and includes the S Pen.
Yes. Samsung describes Samsung Notes as supporting handwritten input with the S Pen on supported Galaxy devices. This lets the S10 FE and S11 combine handwritten notes with ordinary tablet use.
Yes, if the student mainly needs handwritten notes, reading and PDF annotation. Students who need a wide range of apps should consider a Samsung tablet or iPad instead.
A stylus is useful for handwritten notes, PDF annotation, mathematics, diagrams and marking documents. It is not essential for every student, so the right choice depends on how often those tasks will be used.
The Galaxy Tab S11 has the clearest AI note-taking specification here. Currys describes Note Assist as converting handwriting to text and Transcribe Assist as converting audio to text.
