Unlocked GSM tablet recommendation with Samsung S-pen like functionality?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm looking for a tablet that can take handwritten notes, draw, annotate ebooks, etc. Ideally 8"+ since anything smaller is difficult to hand write on.

I tried writing with an S-pen in the store and it was good enough. Good pressure sensitivity and not that much lag. I'm not sure if Samsung is the *only* manufacturer that has S-pen technology? Are there other tablets that also have excellent handwriting capabilities? The S-pen seems to also have been around for quite some time, so an older Samsung tablet might work?

I also need the tablet to be unlockable, rootable, and can take SIM cards for international travel. There have been many times my old 2013 Nexus 7 has saved the day with its SIM card capabilities when my primary phone has died.

 

[Commodus]

I'm looking for a tablet that can take handwritten notes, draw, annotate ebooks, etc. Ideally 8"+ since anything smaller is difficult to hand write on.

I tried writing with an S-pen in the store and it was good enough. Good pressure sensitivity and not that much lag. I'm not sure if Samsung is the *only* manufacturer that has S-pen technology? Are there other tablets that also have excellent handwriting capabilities? The S-pen seems to also have been around for quite some time, so an older Samsung tablet might work?

I also need the tablet to be unlockable, rootable, and can take SIM cards for international travel. There have been many times my old 2013 Nexus 7 has saved the day with its SIM card capabilities when my primary phone has died.

If it weren't for that desire for rooting, I'd explicitly point you to an iPad Pro. For real.

The Apple Pencil costs extra, but it's one of the best tablet styluses in the business. Accurate, fast, lots of subtlety in force and angle... iOS 11 will make pretty explicit use of the Pencil, too, such as instant note taking (you just tap the Pencil on the screen and start writing).

Also, the iPad is one of the few tablets that's not only easy to find in an unlocked cellular version, but easy to find with the capacity (and yes, color) you want. Looking for a 10.5-inch iPad Pro in gold with 256GB and unlocked LTE? You can probably waltz into a store and get it.

Part of the problem you're facing is that most Android tablet makers have abandoned the high-end market, and that means abandoning tablets with stylus support. And on the Windows side... well, the Samsung Galaxy Book might do it, but you're also looking at $1,300 for the LTE model. (The Surface Pro LTE isn't out yet.) Suddenly a decked-out iPad Pro seems like a bargain.

 

[artless1]

The new(ish) ASUS Z500M at 9.7" competition for the Samsung S3,
quite sweet specs with hex-core, dual channel 4GB, and 2048 x 1536 resolution...
also comes with ASUS' own active pen stylus which has gotten good reviews . . .

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

If it weren't for that desire for rooting, I'd explicitly point you to an iPad Pro. For real.

The Apple Pencil costs extra, but it's one of the best tablet styluses in the business. Accurate, fast, lots of subtlety in force and angle... iOS 11 will make pretty explicit use of the Pencil, too, such as instant note taking (you just tap the Pencil on the screen and start writing).

Also, the iPad is one of the few tablets that's not only easy to find in an unlocked cellular version, but easy to find with the capacity (and yes, color) you want. Looking for a 10.5-inch iPad Pro in gold with 256GB and unlocked LTE? You can probably waltz into a store and get it.

Part of the problem you're facing is that most Android tablet makers have abandoned the high-end market, and that means abandoning tablets with stylus support. And on the Windows side... well, the Samsung Galaxy Book might do it, but you're also looking at $1,300 for the LTE model. (The Surface Pro LTE isn't out yet.) Suddenly a decked-out iPad Pro seems like a bargain.

After watching this video I don't think I'm interested in the iPad Pro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ4hLP5cmZc

- no pen tips, only the ultra-slick hard tip
- no buttons on the pen... I mean, c'mon...
- stupid charging design
- requires very frequent pen charging versus 1 year on a single AAAA battery with the Surface pen

I'm seriously looking at the Surface instead of Android at this point since the price of a Surface 3 LTE is very similar to a good Android tablet.