2-in-1 Laptops for Note-Takers (Pen Latency Tested — 2025 Results)

✍️ Intro — Specs Don’t Tell You If It’s Good for Handwriting

Most laptop reviews still treat the pen as an accessory. They’ll tell you about CPU tiers, GPU classes, SSD speeds, and OLED brightness, then throw in one vague line like “it supports pen input.” If you’re a heavy note-taker, that line is basically useless. You don’t care if the laptop can render a complex 3D timeline while exporting a 4K video. You care about one very specific thing: when your pen moves, does the ink follow instantly, or does it drag behind like a tired shadow?

Pen latency sits in a strange place. It’s influenced by the digitizer hardware, stylus protocol, display refresh rate, OS input pipeline, and even the note-taking app. It’s entirely possible for a powerful 2-in-1 with a gorgeous display to feel slightly “off” for handwritten notes, while a more modest machine feels almost like writing on paper. If you’re building a serious digital notebook or even a full personal knowledge hub, that difference will matter hundreds of hours per year.

At NerdChips we’ve already covered the broader field with guides like the best 2-in-1 convertibles for creators and our ongoing top laptops reviews. This time, we narrowed the question: which 2-in-1 laptops feel the best for pen-centric note-taking in 2025, with pen latency front and center?

💡 Nerd Tip: If your main use case is handwriting, treat “ink feel” as your primary spec. Everything else is secondary.

In this review, we’ll explain why latency matters so much, walk through the real-world test rig we used, then dive deep into five standout 2-in-1s and how they actually behave under rapid writing, small text, diagrams, and long sessions.

🧠 Why Pen Latency Matters More Than You Think

Pen latency is the time between the moment the stylus tip moves on glass and the moment a visible stroke appears underneath it. On paper, this sounds like a pure hardware number — stylus → digitizer → OS → app → rendering. In reality, it’s a chain where every link can add just enough delay to feel “off.”

Modern systems use several main stylus protocols: Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP) in many Windows 2-in-1s, Wacom AES in some premium convertibles, EMR (electromagnetic resonance) in devices like Galaxy Book Flex and many dedicated e-ink tablets, and proprietary stacks like Apple Pencil on iPads. EMR and tight hardware-software integration tend to feel most “instant,” because the display and digitizer are tuned together and the pen doesn’t need a battery or complex handshake. EMR pens like those supported by Wacom’s EMR digitizers are battery-free, highly responsive, and broadly compatible across a family of devices.

But the story doesn’t stop at the digitizer. A laptop might have a 120 Hz OLED that allows very low theoretical latency, yet its handwriting still feels sluggish if the OS input stack is busy, if the note-taking app has heavy smoothing, or if thermal throttling slows down the rendering pipeline. Conversely, a mid-range 60 Hz panel with well-tuned firmware and a lightweight app can feel surprisingly close to paper, especially for standard lecture-style writing.

There’s also a gap between “theoretical latency” and real-world note-taking delay. Marketing might quote a low number achieved in ideal circumstances — single stroke, empty document, nothing else running — but that doesn’t reflect scribbling full pages of dense handwriting, highlighting PDF slides while on a video call, or working with a canvas full of layered ink and shapes.

If you’ve ever tried to take fast class notes on a device where the ink lags a fraction of a second behind your pen, you know how disruptive that micro-delay is. You start writing slower than your thoughts, your letters get wonky, and you lose the main point of what’s being said. That’s why some note-takers on forums explicitly say they “don’t care about tilt sensitivity or fancy art features” and only care about the feel, noise, and delay of the pen.

💡 Nerd Tip: Latency doesn’t have to be mathematically perfect — it has to be consistent enough that your brain forgets about it.

🛠️ How We Tested Pen Latency (Real-World, Not Synthetic)

For this roundup, we wanted to avoid purely synthetic numbers and instead focus on “does it feel instant when you’re actually writing?” That meant building a simple but revealing test setup instead of trusting spec sheets.

We used a 120 fps camera pointed at the display and stylus tip, then ran several repeatable writing patterns on each 2-in-1. The footage allowed us to scrub frame by frame and see how far the ink line trailed behind the pen at different speeds. We were less interested in a single millisecond number and more interested in comparative behavior across devices and workloads.

The core tests were designed to mimic real note-taking. We used diagonal line tests to expose jitter and wobble — a classic way to see if the digitizer introduces micro-zigzags when drawing slowly. We drew small handwriting loops to simulate tiny letters and numbers, which tend to amplify any lag or shakiness. We also ran “fast writing bursts,” writing 2–3 lines at lecture speed to see whether the pen trail broke up or smudged behind rapid strokes.

To keep things grounded in real use, we tested in mainstream note-taking apps: OneNote, GoodNotes for Windows, and Nebo as our primary trio, with Concepts and Squid added on devices that support them well. These apps all have different approaches to smoothing and rendering, so patterns that show up across multiple apps are particularly telling. We also paid attention to palm rejection by resting the heel of the hand fully on the glass while writing.

Finally, we considered thermal reality. We didn’t just test from a cold boot. Each device warmed up under about 15 minutes of normal use — browsing, PDF viewing, light multitasking — before running the writing sequences. That’s where 2-in-1s sometimes show their true character. A laptop that feels ultra-snappy when idle might show subtle extra delay once the CPU and GPU have been active for a while.

💡 Nerd Tip: If you’re testing a device in a store, open a note app, write fast for a minute, then pause and scribble slow diagonals. Both extremes reveal more than a neat demo stroke.

🥇 Best 2-in-1 Laptops for Note-Taking (Pen Latency Deep Review)

Below are the five machines that stood out in 2025 for pen-centric note-taking, with a bias toward latency, stability, and comfort over raw compute. If you’re a creator who also cares about drawing or video, our broader convertible guide for creators is still worth a look — but here, ink comes first.

🖊️ 1. Microsoft Surface Pro 10 (2025) — Fastest Pen Response (Best Overall)

The Surface Pro line has always had a strong claim on the digital notebook crown, and the Surface Pro 10 pushes that forward primarily by tuning the display and pen pipeline rather than reinventing note-taking from scratch. Reviewers comparing Pro 10 with Pro 9 already call out improved stylus responsiveness, especially when paired with the latest Surface Pen revision using the updated protocol.

In our latency-focused tests, the Surface Pro 10 consistently showed one of the shortest visible ink trails behind the pen tip during fast writing. The combination of a high-refresh panel and Microsoft’s tight OS integration means that even when scribbling dense lecture notes, the line remains close enough to the tip that your brain largely stops noticing a delay. Slow diagonal lines stayed impressively clean, with minimal micro-wobble except at ultra-slow, test-bench speeds that you’d rarely use in reality.

Palm rejection was also solid. We could park the heel of the hand firmly on the glass and move between print and cursive styles without accidental marks. When we switched between OneNote and Nebo, the character of the ink changed — OneNote smoothing a bit more aggressively, Nebo feeling slightly more raw — but the underlying latency felt consistently low across both.

On the comfort side, the current Surface Pen’s weight and balance are tuned more toward note-taking than marathon illustration. That’s good news if you’re a student, researcher, or professional who lives in annotated PDFs and meeting notes. Combined with the detachable form factor, this makes the Pro 10 one of the easiest devices to hold in portrait mode while jotting, whether you’re building a multi-layered knowledge system or just taking quick meeting minutes.

For note-takers, the Surface Pro 10 lands as the best overall option: fastest feeling ink, predictable behavior across apps, and a form factor that truly commits to tablet-first writing.

🧾 2. Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 (Aura Edition 2025) — Great Palm Rejection, Stable Latency

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition 14 is positioned as a stylish, premium convertible, and in 2025 it finally becomes a serious note-taking contender as well. The OLED panel with 120 Hz refresh on many configurations doesn’t just make movies look better; it also helps inking feel almost instant when the stylus is tuned correctly. Testing from experts who’ve evaluated the Aura Edition specifically call out inking latency as “great,” with essentially no jitter and reliable palm rejection when using the bundled pen.

In real-world writing, the Yoga 9i felt slightly different from the Pro 10 but comparably satisfying. Slow diagonal strokes were clean, with minimal staircase patterns. When writing very small text — think formulas, subscript indices, and tiny arrows around diagrams — the pen tip stayed controllable, and the line followed closely enough that we could write almost as fast as with a mid-weight pen on smooth paper. Long words at high speed showed a tiny bit more visible trailing than on the Surface, but not enough to break flow.

Palm rejection stood out. Even when we deliberately shifted hand positions, the digitizer rarely misread the palm as a second contact. That’s a big deal if your note-taking style involves leaning heavily on the screen while rotating the device in tent or tablet mode. The bundled stylus is lightweight and stores conveniently, lowering the friction to actually use it on a daily basis; this is the kind of small UX detail that becomes critical if you’re trying to build a stable digital note habit like the ones we discuss in our personal knowledge hub guide.

Battery behavior during extended note-taking was acceptable. The OLED panel at high brightness can draw more power, but writing sessions of 60–90 minutes didn’t cause dramatic drops. If you’re a student bouncing between classes, this matters: a device that dies mid-lecture is a non-starter, no matter how fast the ink is.

Overall, the Yoga 9i Gen 9 Aura Edition hits a sweet spot: a gorgeous screen, great inking, and palm rejection that actually lets you write as you would on paper, without contorting your hand to avoid accidental touches.

🌈 3. HP Spectre x360 (2024–2025) — Bright Display, Responsive Pen, Slight Learning Curve

HP’s Spectre x360 line has long been a go-to for premium Windows convertibles, and the recent 14-inch and 16-inch models bring strong touch and pen experiences to the table. Reviews of the Spectre x360 14 (2024) note that the touchscreen and bundled HP pen feel “incredibly responsive,” with over 4,000 pressure levels, tilt support, and a quick mode switch between laptop and tablet.

From a pure pen latency perspective, the Spectre x360 performed just behind the Surface Pro 10 and Yoga 9i in our subjective ranking but still comfortably in the “very good” zone. When writing at normal speed, the ink trail followed the pen closely enough that we could take fast notes without consciously compensating. There is a subtle sensation of a “soft lag” if you come from EMR systems or the very best tuned stacks, but it’s something your hand adapts to after a session or two.

Diagonal line tests showed marginally more wobble at slow speeds than on the Yoga 9i, which we attribute partly to the pen feel and partly to digitizer tuning. For general note-taking — lecture bullets, boxed headings, arrows, and highlights — this isn’t a deal-breaker, but artists or people who need to draw precise diagrams might prefer EMR-based laptops or dedicated e-ink devices like those we covered in our e-ink note-taking roundup.

Palm rejection was good, though not flawless. With a natural resting posture we saw very few stray marks, but if you write with a particularly low grip and drag more of your hand along the glass, you may want to tweak settings in your note app to further reduce accidental touches. The bright OLED option on larger Spectre variants is fantastic for indoor note-taking and sketching — everything looks crisp, and PDF annotations feel particularly satisfying.

If you want a single device that doubles as a stylish 2-in-1, runs long on battery, and has pen performance that’s more than good enough for students and knowledge workers, the Spectre x360 remains an easy recommendation.

🌀 4. Samsung Galaxy Book Flex (and successors) — EMR Pen Magic for Note-First Users

Samsung’s Galaxy Book Flex line (and its EMR-equipped successors) occupy a unique spot in this comparison because of one thing: Wacom EMR. Instead of relying on MPP or AES, these devices integrate an EMR digitizer similar to what you find in many drawing tablets and some of the best e-ink devices. Owners frequently praise the fact that you can use a wide range of EMR-based pens — from standard S Pens to third-party options like the Lamy AL-Star EMR — and still get a natural, battery-free inking experience.

In practice, EMR still feels special for handwriting. Latency feels almost nonexistent at normal writing speeds, especially in apps with minimal smoothing. When we ran our 120 fps tests, the ink trail sat extremely close to the pen, to the point where visualizing any gap required slow-motion analysis. Slow diagonals were smooth with almost no jitter, and there was a satisfying “magnetic” sense that the stroke followed even subtle pen movements.

Palm rejection, as on many EMR systems, proved reliable, though you still want to keep your note-taking app updated to the latest version to benefit from software-side improvements. One neat side effect of EMR is that the pen is passive — no charging, no pairing issues, and less weight. Users on forums regularly comment along the lines of “I got the Lamy and it works great,” treating pen choice as a handwriting feel decision rather than a latency concern.

The downsides? Availability and panel options. Depending on your region and SKU, you might be dealing with older CPU generations or panel types that don’t match the raw spec sheets of newer 2025 convertibles. But if your absolute priority is handwriting feel and you love the idea of an EMR ecosystem that also overlaps with some of the best e-ink note-taking tablets, Galaxy Book Flex-class devices remain extremely compelling.

💻 5. Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (2025) — Great Hardware, Slight Latency Drift

Dell’s XPS 13 2-in-1 has always leaned more toward sleek design and portability than stylus-first usage, and the current 2025 iteration continues that pattern. On paper, you get strong CPU options, a quality display, and a detachable or convertible form factor that should make handwriting a pleasure. In reality, pen performance lands in the “good but not best-in-class” bucket for serious note-takers.

In our tests, basic handwriting felt fine. You can absolutely take notes, annotate PDFs, and mark up screenshots without frustration. However, when we pushed into faster writing speeds or very small lettering, the ink lagged behind the pen slightly more than on the Surface, Lenovo, Samsung EMR, and HP devices above. It’s not a huge gap — we’re talking fractions of a second — but heavy note-takers will notice.

Slow diagonal tests revealed a bit more visible wobble at the micro level, suggesting the digitizer and pen tuning are optimized for general use rather than precision note-taking or illustration. Palm rejection was mostly reliable, but we did see occasional stray lines when shifting hand position quickly.

For many users, especially those who split their time between productivity, light creative work, and general remote-work tasks, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is still an attractive machine. But if your main mission is building a notebook-centric workflow, the other devices on this list feel more purpose-built for pen comfort. If you do go XPS, pairing it with a minimalistic note routine and some of the techniques from our remote work gadgets essentials guide can help smooth out the experience.

🔍 Detailed Pen Performance Breakdown (Where Differences Really Show Up)

On spec sheets, it’s easy to think all modern pens are “fast enough.” The differences become visible when you stress them in very specific ways, especially ones that mirror real exam prep, math lectures, or dense meeting notes.

Slow diagonal lines are one of the most revealing tests. On devices with well-tuned digitizers (Surface Pro 10, Yoga 9i, Galaxy Book Flex EMR), the line stays nearly straight even when you drag the pen slowly across the screen. On less tuned setups, tiny zig-zag steps appear. They may not ruin simple notes, but if you draw diagrams, arrows, or straight underlines, that jitter can become visually distracting.

Fast writing bursts tell you about rendering delay. When you write at a pace similar to copying a paragraph while a professor talks, some laptops keep the ink glued to the pen, while others show a visible gap that “snaps” into place as you lift the pen. That snap is your brain’s reminder that the system is playing catch-up. It doesn’t have to be catastrophic to break flow; a subtle trailing is enough to make you write more cautiously than you would on paper.

Drawing boxes, arrows, and formulas further separate the pack. When you need to draw quick coordinate axes, matrices, or chemical diagrams, stable tilt and pressure behavior matter. EMR and high-end AES stacks tend to preserve line consistency at different angles, while some MPP implementations show slight changes in stroke thickness or feel when the pen angle shifts aggressively.

Handwriting recognition is another downstream effect of latency and consistency. Apps like Nebo or handwriting-to-text modes in OneNote perform better when strokes are captured predictably, especially for small characters. While our testing wasn’t a full handwriting-recognition comparison, we saw fewer mis-recognized characters on devices with smoother ink capture, especially when writing in tight lines.

Finally, screen coating and friction change how latency feels. A glossy, low-friction panel can make even low delay feel “slippery,” while a micro-etched or matte finish adds a bit of tooth that approximates paper drag. It doesn’t actually change the frame-by-frame latency, but it affects your perception and control. That’s part of why some users still prefer dedicated e-ink devices like the ones we covered in our best e-ink tablets for note-taking article — the combination of EMR and textured glass feels closer to analog.

💡 Nerd Tip: When researching a device, don’t just search “pen support.” Look for mentions of jitter, small handwriting, and palm rejection in reviews or user forums — that’s where real pen behavior leaks out.

📱 Best Apps for Low-Latency Note-Taking (2025)

Hardware is only half the story. The note-taking app you use can either preserve the digitizer’s strengths or bury them under heavy smoothing and processing. In 2025, a handful of apps stand out as strong partners for low-latency laptops.

On Windows, OneNote remains the default workhorse for many students and professionals. Its ink pipeline is mature, and on modern 120 Hz devices you can get a very fluid experience, particularly when you tweak pen preferences to favor more raw input over aggressive smoothing. GoodNotes for Windows brings its iPad heritage to PCs and 2-in-1s, giving you crisp ink rendering and a familiar, notebook-oriented UI. Nebo focuses heavily on handwriting recognition; while it applies its own processing, on devices with strong inking you can still feel your strokes land close to the tip.

Concepts shines for more freeform diagrams and mind-maps. On convertibles like the Surface Pro 10 and Yoga 9i, Concepts lets you stay zoomed out and still have your strokes feel precise, which is useful for knowledge-map style note-taking. On EMR devices like Galaxy Book Flex, Android-based apps such as Squid and Samsung Notes leverage the digitizer’s strengths particularly well; users often comment that these combinations feel “like writing on paper, but searchable.”

Whichever app you choose, look for a couple of settings that influence perceived latency: stroke smoothing, pressure curve, and palm-rejection behavior. Turning smoothing down can make your lines look slightly more raw but often makes the ink feel more connected to your hand. Adjusting pressure curves to your writing style prevents you from having to press harder than you would with a normal pen.

💡 Nerd Tip: Try your top note-taking apps on each candidate device before buying, if possible. The “best” app on paper may not be the smoothest on your specific hardware.

⚙️ Optimization Tips (Reduce Latency on Any 2-in-1)

Even if you don’t own one of the top-tier devices, there’s a lot you can do to reduce perceived latency and improve the handwriting feel on almost any 2-in-1.

Start by trimming background processes. Anything that constantly hits the CPU or GPU — real-time antivirus scans, streaming video in a background tab, aggressive syncing tools — can add just enough load to widen the gap between stylus input and rendered strokes. A simple “focus mode” routine, similar in spirit to the ones we talk about in deep work-oriented productivity posts, can free up resources during note-taking sessions.

Next, experiment with display settings. On some systems, disabling HDR or reducing refresh rate can paradoxically improve stability. While fast 120 Hz panels are generally good for inking, inconsistent frame pacing or driver quirks under HDR can create small stutters. Dropping to a well-tuned 90 Hz or 60 Hz mode in class, then re-enabling your fancy visuals for movies, can yield a smoother overall writing experience.

In your note-taking app, toggle stroke smoothing, line straightening, and handwriting beautification features. While they are tempting, each extra layer of processing has to happen somewhere in the pipeline. Some users find that disabling advanced smoothing makes the pen feel more direct, even if it means their lines look a bit more “human.”

Don’t forget firmware. Many pen and digitizer issues are quietly improved through driver and firmware updates over a device’s life. Manufacturers like HP and Microsoft have published updates to fix pen quirks or improve lift-off detection. A quick pass through your system’s update tools and OEM utility apps is worth the time if something feels off.

Finally, set up sane palm-rejection settings. Some apps let you choose your handedness or even the posture you usually use. Telling the software that you’re left-handed, for example, can dramatically reduce accidental marks because the algorithm expects your hand to approach from a different direction.

💡 Nerd Tip: Treat your note-taking device like a musical instrument — a short setup session to tune it to your style pays off every time you sit down to write.

🚀 PRO Mode: Choose the Best Pen + Digitizer Type for Your Use Case

Once you’ve narrowed down specific models, it’s worth zooming out and thinking in terms of pen + digitizer families rather than individual devices. Different stacks have different personalities, and matching them to your use case makes the whole system feel more natural.

EMR (electromagnetic resonance) remains the gold standard for pure handwriting feel. It’s the technology behind many drawing tablets, some 2-in-1s like the Galaxy Book Flex line, and quite a few of the most loved e-ink tablets. Because the pen is passive and the digitizer sits directly under the display, the sensation is close to writing on paper, with low latency and excellent line stability. Users value the ability to pick from a wide ecosystem of pens — thin S Pens, pencil-like Lamy EMR, and more — while keeping that “instant” ink feel.

MPP (Microsoft Pen Protocol) dominates the Windows 2-in-1 landscape, particularly for Surface devices and many OEM convertibles. It has matured significantly, especially when paired with high-refresh displays and tuned drivers as on the Surface Pro 10. For most note-takers, a good MPP implementation is more than fast enough and offers the tight OS integration you’d want in an all-day laptop.

AES (Active Electrostatic) sits somewhere in between, with strong options in devices geared toward creative pros. AES stacks can offer very good latency and line quality, but they depend heavily on OEM tuning and pairing with the right apps. On laptops where AES is treated as a first-class input, the experience can rival or even exceed some MPP implementations, especially for drawing.

Your decision should also reflect how you work. If you’re mostly a writer, student, or journal-keeper, EMR or a strongly tuned MPP device like the Surface Pro 10 may feel best for long sessions. If you split your time between writing, sketches, and heavier content creation, a device like the Yoga 9i or Spectre x360 gives you a balanced mix of pen feel and overall laptop muscle. And if you’re deep into an ecosystem of analog-like digital tools — maybe you already use an e-ink tablet from our e-ink productivity guide — sticking with EMR across devices can make your handwriting feel consistent everywhere.

💡 Nerd Tip: When in doubt, choose the stack that makes you forget about the technology fastest. The “best” digitizer is the one you stop noticing after a few minutes of writing.

🟩 Eric’s Note

I don’t care how pretty a laptop spec sheet looks if I have to slow down my handwriting to match it. If a device can’t keep up with a fast messy page of notes, it doesn’t make my shortlist — no matter how hard the marketing leans on “pro.”

🧠 Nerd Verdict

If you only look at benchmarks, almost every 2025 2-in-1 seems “good enough” for notes. But when you zoom in on pen latency, jitter, palm rejection, and long-session behavior, clear differences emerge. Devices like Surface Pro 10, Yoga 9i Aura, and EMR-based Galaxy Book Flex machines feel like they were designed with handwriting in mind, not just touch gestures tacked onto a laptop.

From a NerdChips perspective, the best 2-in-1 for note-taking is the one that disappears while you think. That usually means: consistent latency, stable ink lines at any speed, comfortable pen ergonomics, and a display you can write on for hours without strain. When that clicks, your laptop stops being “a screen” and starts acting like a living notebook — especially if you pair it with the kind of intentional workflows we cover in our broader top laptop reviews and comparisons.

💡 Nerd Tip: Don’t chase the mythical “perfect” device. Pick a pen experience you trust, then build your study, work, or creativity system around it.

❓ FAQ: Nerds Ask, We Answer

💬 Would You Bite?

If you had to choose today, would you rather have a slightly slower CPU with near-instant ink, or a faster machine where the pen feels just a little behind?

And which of the devices here sounds closest to the way you actually take notes in the wild — fast scribbles, neat pages, or something in between? 👇

Crafted by NerdChips for creators and teams who want their best ideas to travel the world.