21-30k Should my cousin get a tablet for note-taking in college?

OneTapHero

OneTapHero

Explorer
Hello fellow TE members!
I'm posting this on behalf of my cousin, who is in his third year of a Computer Science and Engineering course in India and is considering getting an Android tablet for himself. Although he's already got a gaming laptop, he finds it a hassle to carry both the heavy laptop and charger around daily at college and worries about shoulder pain from carrying a ~3kg backpack every day.

He's looking at the tablet option with a keyboard/mouse and stylus, using RDP to access his laptop for coding. He also desires to keep all his notes in one place.
His college WiFi only allows laptops to be connected, as the firewall blocks phones and tablets. This means if he opts for the tablet, he'll need to rely on his phone's 5G hotspot for internet connectivity. Fortunately, the hotspot is usually fast, and he already carries a power bank for his phone.

He has a few questions before buying one:
  • Does an Android tablet make sense for note-taking and everyday college use in a Computer Science and Engineering course?
  • Is it practical for him to use software like RustDesk or Apollo-Artemis (RDP Software) to remotely access his gaming laptop from college for coding-related tasks?
  • Which tablet would you recommend that’s both budget-friendly (without hurting the pocket) and great for note-taking?
Any insights, personal experiences, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
 
I just graduated from college and had bought a samsung S6 lite for note-takjng. It was just a waste since in the end I had to carry my laptop most of the time to college too. I would suggest a 13/14inch touchscreen laptop for this specific usecase. At the end I feel like it would have been the best option to go with touchscreen laptop than my tablet. Would recommend something like this https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DM58NN7N
 
  • Like
Reactions: soulweaver
OneTapHero said:
He's looking at the tablet option with a keyboard/mouse and stylus, using RDP to access his laptop for coding.
Click to expand...

Tablet keyboards are too small and compact for coding usecase. He'll be trading shoulder pain for wrist pain unless he gets a decent sized bluetooth keyboard which will again add to weight.

If weight is really a problem, its better to get a new/used lower spec 14" inch laptop that is lighter and use it as a thin client. He is in 3rd year so it should be manageable for 1 year.

If he is looking at a tablet for handwritten notes, just get one of those small wired/wireless graphic tablet (2k to 4k). Software wise like xournal++ is good enough for digital note taking.
 
  • Like
Reactions: soulweaver
Microsoft Journal is an amazing app for writing.

OneTapHero said:
Which tablet would you recommend that’s both budget-friendly (without hurting the pocket) and great for note-taking?
Click to expand...
The answer would be a used Tab S series or a new Tab FE series. One can try out the tablet both with and without a matte screen. I personally use a matte screen.

OneTapHero said:
Is it practical for him to use software like RustDesk or Apollo-Artemis (RDP Software) to remotely access his gaming laptop from college for coding-related tasks?
Click to expand...
Nope. It is going to be horrible and laggy on the small screen and the mobile browser.

OneTapHero said:
Does an Android tablet make sense for note-taking and everyday college use in a Computer Science and Engineering course?
Click to expand...
As someone who uses tablets for note-taking, and has been doing so for over 10 years, they could be decent note-book replacements, but not Laptop replacements.

pa1 said:
If he is looking at a tablet for handwritten notes, just get one of those small wired/wireless graphic tablet (2k to 4k).
Click to expand...
I second this. @pa1

PriyankVashiar said:
It was just a waste since in the end I had to carry my laptop most of the time to college too. I would suggest a 13/14inch touchscreen laptop for this specific usecase
Click to expand...
I second this too @PriyankVashiar
 
As he already has a laptop
Practical thing would be to get a ipad, whichever fits his budget, may be a used one from the forum here
Ipads are dependable as far as writing goes, can say with experience.
 
When I was in college I used a Samsung Slate tab with samsung pen (windows 8 based), and used to take notes on Onenote. It didn't feel any different than taking notes on paper with added advantage of easy search, easy sharing and ability to embed images/graphs. With the right note taking app his productivity will skyrocket.
 
Last edited:
Honestly, for coding, an Android tablet isn’t really a practical choice. Even with RDP tools like RustDesk or Parsec, the experience is limited — keyboard shortcuts, IDEs, and terminal usage just don’t translate well to touch-based devices. Latency and lack of full desktop control can get frustrating real quick, especially for serious CSE tasks.
That said, for note-taking, a higher-end tablet like an iPad (9th/10th gen) or a Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 /S7 FE/S9 FE can be amazing. Just make sure it supports:
  • Proper palm rejection
  • An active stylus (Apple Pencil or S Pen)
  • Good display and battery life for long lectures
So if the main goal is to reduce the daily load and have a digital notebook, a solid tablet is worth it — just don’t expect it to replace the coding setup completely.
 
Top Bottom