iPad mini iPad mini 6 as a note taking device...

[SpitUK]

I have a 12.9" iPad Pro but its too big to carry around all the time. The new mini looks perfect for just taking notes on the go with the Apple Pencil instead of taking paper notebooks. Really tempted to get one for this use case, what are the best note taking apps?

 

[Shirasaki]

Google best note taking apps and those big names will pop up. I don’t take notes much so apple notes work just fine.

 

[ascender]

I like GoodNotes for this purpose, but there’s quite a few out there - a lot is down to personal preference, so it might be worth trying a few of them based on reviews. I know I tried a couple before settling on GoodNotes - they were all highly regarded, but GN was the one I got on with best.

 

[ParagJain]

I have a 12.9" iPad Pro but its too big to carry around all the time. The new mini looks perfect for just taking notes on the go with the Apple Pencil instead of taking paper notebooks. Really tempted to get one for this use case, what are the best note taking apps?

I had the same requirement but, after a while it starts feeling small especially if you want to work on 2 apps side by side. Just too small for multiple-window.. at best you can have 1 full window and 1 floating window like messages or twitter ..

I use Notability for all personal notes and onenote for all work related notes.
I also use apple Notes for all the notes that needs to be shared across multiple apple devices.

 

[RoadWarrior56]

I have a Mini 5 and use Notability and a Logitech crayon for note taking and marking up PDF's. It is a very useful application, especially the size. The Mini is a great notetaking device. The upcoming Mini 6 should be even better. I plan to update to the Mini 6 myself in the near future. BTW, I am presuming that the Crayon will still work with the Mini 6, since it apparently works with the Pro and the Air. I am not even close to having artistic talent, and the Logitech Crayon allows me to mark, hand write and highlight just fine.

 

[jdb8167]

The only downside with the new mini is that it doesn’t have the 120 Hz display so it might feel like the pencil ink is lagging a bit. I’ve been using the pencil 2 with the iPad Pro for a few years now and this has me a bit worried. I guess I’ll find out next week.

 

[Saturn1217]

I love my iPad mini 5. Use it all the time. But it is a little too small for more than occasional note taking in my experience. It’s hard to describe but at least for me, even with the Apple Pencil I cannot write as small as I can on real paper. Especially if you are used to the 12.9” which I also used for note taking, the iPad mini will be a big step down for that.

 

[kazmac]

I was fine with note taking and drawing in Procreate on the Mini 5*, so I’m looking forward to a little more screen real estate with the Mini 6.

*Touch issues forced a return of the Mini 5.

 

[sracer]

I regularly use my Mini 5 as a digital notebook/planner/journal. I use Goodnotes (and sometimes Google Keep, and Microsoft OneNote). I DID have to tweak my 2021 Planner to accommodate the smaller screen. (which reminds me to get working on the 2022 planner)

But when I used to use a dead-tree notebook, it was a padfolio form-factor (which is 1/2 a US Letter sheet), and the Mini 5 is nearly identical in size so it was a natural fit.

 

[Aka757]

The two main applications for hand-written note-taking from what I’ve seen are GoodNotes and Notability. Having used both, I use GoodNotes on an iPad Pro 11” and prefer it to Notability, but ultimately they are fairly similar. I am thinking of doing the same thing as you; the idea of having a digital Notebook the size of an A5 notebook that syncs with iCloud is great.

If you’re also interested in typed notes, I would recommend Craft. It‘s somewhat similar to Bear if you’re familiar with that app. The only issue I would see is that there is no real keyboard case for the mini (at least not a first party one), so I am wondering what the typing experience will be like on the mini. Typing on the iPP 11” works perfectly fine when in landscape using the on-screen keyboard.

 

[Davidalan]

I use Notability most fully featured.

 

[kazmac]

I use Notability most fully featured.

Same here.

 

[yabeweb]

CollaNote deserves a mention, it’s free and well done.

 

[diane143]

Old iPad but I have Notability on that, my phone and laptop. It records as well. Great app!