The 5 best tablets with active Digitzer support

Active digitizer support makes tablets ideal for university, work or school. We will show you the five best models in our practical tip.

Tablet with active digitizer: Microsoft Surface Pro 3

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is more than a tablet: it can replace your computer.

The device is equipped with full Windows 8.1. How to use the device like a PC: With two interfaces, you can access apps and install programs.
With a screen size of 12 inches and an HD resolution of 2160 x 1440 pixels, the Surface has a large, high-quality screen.
The tablet is about 30 by 20cm tall and 0.91cm thin. At 800 grams, it is relatively light.
The performance is variable: the smallest model with Core i3, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB flash memory costs 799 euros, the top model with Core i7, 8 GB RAM and 512 GB memory costs around 1, 500 euros.
The i3 version is completely sufficient for everyday use. If you want to use sophisticated programs on the device, you should choose a more powerful version.
The device's battery life is estimated to be around 9 hours. This is a very good value in terms of performance.
Accessories for the Surface include an optional type cover as a keyboard for around 110 euros and a digitizer pen for around 50 euros. Both parts make the Surface Pro a much more flexible tablet and are therefore recommended.

Lenovo's ThinkPad 10 also runs on Windows, but has less performance than the Surface Pro 3.

Windows 8.1 Pro runs on the tablet. This allows you to use apps and install programs.
The device has a 10-inch screen with a resolution of 1, 920 x 1, 200 pixels. This means that the display and its resolution are slightly smaller than those of the large Surface Pro 3 - it has a typical tablet size.
With dimensions of 25.6 x 17.7 x 1.0 cm, the tablet from Lenovo is not particularly thin. It only weighs 580 grams.
The processor is the new Intel BayTrail Z3795 QuadCore processor (64-bit support) with 1.6 GHz (burst mode: around 2.4 GHz). This is supported by 2 GB of RAM. Depending on the model, the internal flash memory is 64 or 128 GB.
This means that the tablet has less power than the Surface. Nevertheless, you can also do all everyday tasks with the Thinkpad.
In contrast to the Surface, the Lenovo tablet offers LTE support. So you can also surf mobile without WiFi.
The battery life is about 6 hours. That is a mediocre value.
The price of the device is between 650 euros for the 64 GB version and 850 euros for the 128 GB version.
The digitizer is included. There is an optional ultrabook keyboard (around 115 euros at Amazon).

The Galaxy Note 10.1 from Samsung works with Android. No programs can be installed with this, but there is a huge number of apps available.

The tablet has a 10.1-inch screen with a resolution of 1, 280 x 800 pixels. The resolution is therefore comparatively low.
It has dimensions similar to the ThinkPad 10: 26.2 x 18.1 x 1.0 cm. The weight is also similar at 600 grams.
A quad-core CPU based on Cortex-A9 is used as the processor. The four cores work with a clock rate of 1.4 GHz each, 2 GB are available as working memory. 16 GB of flash memory is available for your data, which you can expand using a microSD card.
This enables you to navigate briskly through everyday applications and use all apps smoothly. The device cannot match the performance of the Surface Pro 3.
The battery life is just under 6:30 hours. Given the flat design, this is a good value.
The price of the device is currently around 500 euros. Given the features, this is a proud price.
An active digitizer is included. There is officially no adapted keyboard solution. However, there are solutions from third-party providers, such as Sharon.

A larger version of the Galaxy Note 10.1 is the newer Galaxy NotePro 12.2.

Like the Surface Pro 3, the tablet has a 12-inch screen and has a resolution of 2, 560 x 1, 600 pixels.
The dimensions are the same as for the Surface: 29.6 x 20.4 x 0.9 cm. At just under 760 grams, it's a bit lighter.
The Snapdragon 800 from Qualcomm is a very fast computing unit, clocks at 2.3 GHz and is supported by 2 GB of RAM. This combination ensures that the NotePro 12.2 runs smoothly and quickly in all situations.
The battery life is 8:15 hours. This is a good value, but is overshadowed by the poor charging time of over seven hours.
The price of the device is around 700 euros. This makes it a little cheaper than the Surface Pro 3, but it also offers far fewer features.
The active digitizer is also included with this Samsung tablet.

The VivoTab 8 from Asus is a small tablet with Windows 8.1 RT.

Windows 8.1 RT is installed on the tablet. You can use apps to do this, but you cannot install programs.
The display measures 8 inches and has a resolution of 1, 280 x 800 pixels. This makes the display comparatively small, and the resolution is completely sufficient for this.
With dimensions of 22.1 x 13.4 x 1.2 cm, the tablet is quite thick. It only weighs about 390 grams.
The device works smoothly with an Intel Atom Z3740 processor (1.33 GHz) and 2 GB of RAM, but does not come close to the competition. 64 GB of memory are available.
The battery life is almost seven hours. The tablet's average is good.
The VivoTab 8 is available from around 250 euros.
An active stylus is included, a keyboard is unfortunately missing.

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The tablets presented differ in terms of performance, size, operating system and price.

The most powerful device is the Surface Pro 3. At 12 inches it is also very large, but can be used as a notebook replacement thanks to the keyboard and Windows 8.1.
If you prefer something a little more handy, but don't want to do without performance and universal use, you can use the Lenovo ThinkPad 10.
The Asus VivoTab is a small, inexpensive alternative to the competition.
The two Samsug devices are the Android representatives. You cannot install programs here, but you have a much wider choice of apps.

In our next practical tip, we will compare current Windows tablets with a keyboard.

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