Best pen tablets in Singapore: Perfect for creators, on-the-go students & time-hungry execs

All that screen space and you’re not writing on it? Take it from someone who spends all day with tech, using it, testing it, trying it and writing about it: if you buy a tablet, make sure it works with a stylus. Pen tablets make work and play more fun, and can even make you more productive.

Best pen tablets in Singapore 

In this list of the best pen tablets, I have only included models that come with their proprietary stylus and software. So, tablets with stylus support such as the Google Pixel Tablet are good as standalone devices but do not qualify for our roundup.

The stylus tablets here were designed around stylus use and offer the widest and most integrated software and applications. In deciding the ranking, we prioritised factors that work best with a stylus.

For the integrated stylus, that includes:

• Latency – how quickly a pen stroke registers on the screen
• Pressure levels – how realistically the strength of a pen stroke translates to digital lines

For the tablet itself, we considered:

• Screen size – A large screen makes for a realistic, versatile notepad and canvas
• Screen resolution – High-resolution screens accurately register and display pen strokes
• Processor – The best processors make for the smoothest use across pen applications
• RAM – Higher RAM means less lag with pen-intensive applications
• Battery & charger – A large battery and quick charging keep you powered through power-hungry pen apps and bright displays

Here are the best tablets with pen that you should buy in Singapore right now.

1. Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Samsung’s flagship pen tablet, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is a beast of a device. A massive 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, over 11,200mAh of juice in the tank, 45W charging and a lightning-quick 2.8ms latency on the Galaxy Tab S9 Series S Pen and S Pen Creator Edition make this cutting-edge device the hands-down leader of the pack.

In this iteration, the Tab Ultra also gets full IP68 protection. Amazingly, Samsung extends this to the Galaxy Tab S9 Series S Pen and S Pen Creator Edition as well! At less than S$1,700, it’s still a few hundred dollars cheaper than the iPad Pro 13‑inch (M4). Though unsurprising given it has the largest screen and biggest battery here, the 732g weight may be too much for some.

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm)
• RAM: 12/16GB
• Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB GB
• Size: 209x326x5.5 mm
• Weight: 732g

Stylus – Galaxy Tab S9 Series S Pen and S Pen Creator Edition

• Latency: 2.8ms
• Levels: 4,096
• Charging: Wireless

Screen

• Size: 14.6-in Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• Resolution: 2,960×1,848

Battery

• Capacity: 11,200mAh
• Charger: 45W

Buy now from S$1,659 at Samsung Lazada

2. iPad Pro 13‑inch (M4) 

If you’re part of the Apple ecosystem (voluntarily or otherwise), there is no better pen tablet for you than the iPad Pro 13‑inch (M4). With its 3nm architecture and 2,752×2,064 resolution on a 13-inch screen, the iOS frontrunner is a deft 579g light.

Choose from a wide range of on-board storage all the way up to 2TB but RAM remains the same at 8GB. The ~10,500mAh (38.99 Wh) battery will keep you powered for hours. My only gripe with this device is the 9ms latency of the Apple Pencil; though not quite noticeable, it’s one of the slowest on our list and miles away from the 2.8ms of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra’s stylus.

• Processor: Apple M4 chip (3nm)
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB
• Size: 216x282x5.1 mm
• Weight: 579g

Stylus – Apple Pencil

• Latency: 9ms
• Levels: 4,096
• Charging: Wireless

Screen

• Size: 13-in
• Resolution:2,752×2,064

Battery

• Capacity: 10,500mAh
• Charger: 27W

Buy now from S$1,792 at Lazada Shopee

3. Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

With specs identical to the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, last year’s Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is pipped at the post only because of its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor (the S9 Ultra has the Gen 2). Otherwise, you get the same huge 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, 11,200mAh battery and 45W charger.

There is also the same IP68 dust and water protection for both the Galaxy Tab S8 Series S Pen and S Pen Creator Edition. Given that you can now get it at less than S$1,100, there is little reason not to. Of course, the 728g heft presents the same heft issue as the S9 Ultra but I think it’s a reasonable trade-off for the 14.6-inch screen and great pricing.

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4nm)
• RAM: 8/12/16GB
• Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB
• Size: 209x326x5.5 mm
• Weight: 728g

Stylus – Galaxy Tab S9 Series S Pen and S Pen Creator Edition

• Latency: 2.8ms
• Levels: 4,096
• Charging: Wireless

Screen

• Size: 14.6-in Super AMOLED
• Resolution: 2,960×1,848

Battery

• Capacity: 11,200mAh
• Charger: 45W

Buy now from S$1,099 at Lazada Shopee

4. OnePlus Pad 2 (Aug 2024)

OnePlus may not be one of the most recognisable names in pen tablets but the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered OnePlus Pad 2 (2024) with the super-powerful OnePlus Stylo 2 stylus is no slouch. At nearly a third of the price of the iPad Pro 13‑inch (M4), this very affordable device still delivers a 12.1-inch screen, 12GB of RAM and 9,510mAh of power, all inside a nimble 584g frame.

The really amazing feature is the OnePlus Stylo 2 stylus. This digital pen blows away even the strongest competition from Apple and Samsung with a blazing 2ms latency and 16,000 levels of pressure. Add that to the 67W SUPERVOOC charging and you have a monster pen tablet for an irresistible price.

If I had to nitpick, the solitary 256GB storage option and 6.5mm thickness would be nitpicked. The OnePlus Pad 2 releases in Singapore on 1 Aug 2024.

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4nm)
• RAM: 12GB
• Storage: 256GB
• Size: 269x195x6.5 mm
• Weight: 584g

Stylus – Stylo 2

• Latency: 2ms
• Levels: 16,000
• Charging: Wireless

Screen

• Size: 12.1-in
• Resolution: 3,000×2,120

Battery

• Capacity: 9,510mAh
• Charger: 67W SUPERVOOC

Buy starting 1 Aug 2024 from S$699 at Lazada Shopee

5. OPPO Pad 2

The only pen tablet from OPPO, the OPPO Pad 2 is readily recognisable by its 7:5 screen aspect ratio. I found this unusual design to be surprisingly immersive for reading and especially comfortable for drawing. Its squarishness makes for a comfortable palm rest whenever I worked on it with the super low-latency OPPO Pencil stylus.

If you are a heavy user, the 67W SUPERVOOC charger keeps you perpetually ready for action. Another thing I like is that even the base model comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. For a device that costs as little as S$549, that’s a really good deal.

Of course, the trade-off is a Mediatek Dimensity 9000 processor (although it does sport a 4nm design).

• Processor: Mediatek Dimensity 9000 (4nm)
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 256GB
• Size: 258x189x6.5
• Weight: 552g

Stylus – OPPO Pencil

• Latency: 2ms
• Levels: 4,096
• Charging: Wireless

Screen

• Size: 11.61-in
• Resolution: 2,800×2,000

Battery

• Capacity: 9,510mAh
• Charger: 67W SUPERVOOC

Buy now from S$549 at Lazada Shopee

Best foldable phones of 2024: Read this before you spend $2k

6. Redmi Pad Pro

The Redmi Pad Pro does a great job of including a very respectable Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 Mobile Platform processor, quite an accomplishment for just S$289, tying for the lowest-priced pen tablet on our list. An above-average 33W charger comes in the box and pairs well with the 9,800mAh battery.

Where this pen tablet loses me is its Redmi Smart Pen stylus, which is described very generically as having a latency of “less than 10ms”. That’s quite a way from the sub-2ms of most of the stylus tablets on our list.

• Processor: Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 Mobile Platform (4nm)
• RAM: 6/8GB
• Storage: 128/256GB
• Size: 280x182x7.5 mm
• Weight: 571g

Stylus – Redmi Smart Pen

• Latency: <10ms
• Levels: 4,096
• Charging: Wireless

Screen

• Size: 12.1-in
• Resolution: 2,560×1,600

Battery

• Capacity: 9,800mAh
• Charger: 33W

Buy now from S$289 at Lazada Shopee

7. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is the workhorse of the Samsung pen tablet range. Sporting a commendable 10.4-inch screen, it still ties for the lightest device here at just 465g. With that, you get a 5nm Exynos processor and a 2K screen.

However, the 4GB version (only one available in Singapore) can be sluggish. While the 26ms latency of the integrated stylus isn’t quite detectable, it is somewhat of a red flag together with the low RAM.

• Processor: Exynos 1280 (5nm)
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 128GB
• Size: 245x154x7 mm
• Weight: 465g

Stylus

• Latency: 26ms
• Levels: 4,096
• Charging: Wireless

Screen

• Size: 10.4-in
• Resolution: 2,000×1,200

Battery

• Capacity: 7,040mAh
• Charger: 25W

Buy now from S$394 at Lazada

8. Lenovo Tab P12

A 12.7-inch screen with 3K resolution and a minimum 8GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration make this a welcome addition to our list of best pen tablets. The 10,200mAh battery is refreshed with a 30W charger.

Lenovo advertises the Lenovo Tab Pen Plus that works with the Tab P12 as having “ultra-low-latency” but does not release the specs. I found it to have average performance in this regard. Coupled with wired (USB-C) charging, this isn’t the most cutting-edge pen tablet, and that makes the S$600+ price a bit hard to justify.

• Processor: Mediatek Dimensity 7050 (5nm)
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 256GB
• Size: 293x191x6.9 mm
• Weight: 615g

Stylus – Lenovo Tab Pen Plus

• Levels: 4,096
• Charging: USB-C

Screen

• Size: 12.7-in
• Resolution: 2,944×1,840

Battery

• Capacity: 10,200mAh
• Charger: 30W

Buy now from S$601 at Lazada Shopee

9. Lenovo Tab M11

A very basic pen tablet but one that’s priced accordingly, the Lenovo Tab M11 is the ideal first foray for someone who has never used a stylus with a tablet before. Compatible with Lenovo’s Tab Pen Plus with its run-of-the-mill 4,096 levels of pressure, it does an adequate job with FHD resolution and a light 465g weight.

The weakest link is Lenovo’s Lenovo Tab Pen Plus which doesn’t just demonstrate troubling latency but is also the only tablet stylus on our list to require wired (USB-C) instead of wireless charging. With the Redmi Pad Pro priced the same but landing a few notches higher on our list, the Tab M11 holds the short straw.

• Processor: Mediatek Helio G88 (12nm)
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 128GB
• Size: 166x255x7.2 mm
• Weight: 465g

Stylus – Lenovo Tab Pen Plus

• Levels: 4,096
• Charging: USB-C

Screen

• Size: 11-in
• Resolution: 1,920×1,200

Battery

• Capacity: 7,040mAh
• Charger: 15W

Buy now from S$299 at Lazada Shopee

Smart ring buying guide – which to pick & why [Dec 2024 update]