By The Verge | Created at 2025-03-20 16:24:04 | Updated at 2025-04-05 17:35:02
2 weeks ago
Andrew Liszewski is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2011, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid.
Unlike those digital notebooks, which are appealing because they lack traditional displays, the XP-Pen Magic Note Pad uses a full-color LCD instead of E Ink. The tablet attempts to emulate the E Ink experience with three quick-access color modes, including a black-and-white option.
XP-Pen says the Magic Note Pad’s nano-etched surface reduces reflection and glare while also simulating the feel of a pen on paper. It has a “Light Color Mode” that reduces the screen’s saturation to create an experience that sounds closer to how colors might appear on E Ink devices like the Kindle Colorsoft. The “Ink Paper Mode” discards color altogether. All three modes are accessible using a dedicated button on the side of the tablet.
The included X3 Pro Pencil 2 stylus, which magnetically attaches to a dock on the side of the Magic Note Pad, uses the same electromagnetic resonance technology as Wacom’s pens, so it never needs to be charged.
The Magic Note Pad is available through XP-Pen’s online store for $439.99 but is discounted for a limited time to $359.99.
