Huion Note E Tablet REVIEW A Digital Notebook for Notes and Reading
The Huion Note E combines a responsive stylus, handwriting recognition, and Android apps in a portable 8.4-inch tablet. Here’s how it performed in everyday use.
My fiancé’s grandmother passed away a few weeks ago, and in boxing up her belongings, we discovered some handwritten notes she made detailing daily habits. It was simple things like “went to the store” and “had a hamburger for dinner. It was good.” But even with those simple notes, I started thinking about how much you can learn from someone’s life just by observing their routines. I’m not much of a pen and paper person, but I liked the idea of handwriting notes like that. So I picked up the Huion Note E to start writing.
About the Huion Note E
The Huion Note E is an 8.4-inch Android-powered digital notebook designed to bring handwritten note-taking, document annotation, and digital organization together in one portable device. Equipped with a pressure-sensitive, battery-free stylus, it allows users to write, sketch, and mark up documents directly on the screen. The Note E also supports handwriting recognition, audio recording synchronized with handwritten notes, and digital note management to help keep information organized and accessible. With 128GB of internal storage and Android 15, it offers additional flexibility for productivity apps, reading, and everyday tasks, making it an option for students, professionals, and anyone looking to move beyond traditional paper notebooks.
Features & Specs
- Model: X50
- Appearance
- Color: Black
- Dimensions: 203 × 143 × 7.4 mm
- Working Area: 180.3 × 112.7 mm
- Net Weight: 348 g
- Interface: USB-C (supports USB 2.0 for charging and data transfer, compatible with USB-C headphones)
- Screen
- Resolution: 1920 × 1200
- LCD Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
- Brightness: 300 nits (typical)
- Color Gamut Volume: 99% sRGB
- Technical Specifications
- Digital Pen: PW510
- Pressure Sensitivity: 8,192 levels
- Report Rate: Greater than 400 PPS
- Hardware
- RAM: 6 GB LPDDR4
- Speaker: 1
- Connectivity and Battery
- Wireless Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
- Charging Time: Approximately 2 hours
- Battery Life: Approximately 6.5 hours at 50% brightness
- Battery Capacity: 4,500 mAh
- Operating System Compatibility
- Operating System: Android 15
Pricing & Availability
The Huion Note E has a list price of $369.00, but can currently be found for $332.00 on store.huion.com and Amazon.
User Experience
The Huion Note E comes in a simple box and is packaged with its stylus and a USB-C charging cable. It comes with some replacement tips for the stylus and a short user guide. Because it runs on Android, getting set up did require a Google account. So, I entered that information and was met with the home screen.
The home screen on the Huion Note E is a bit different from a standard Android device. It’s set within a dashboard-style interface, and you have to tap on the Apps to access the full device settings. There is a ‘Settings’ icon in the sidebar, but that only includes Handwriting Recognition Language, Cloud Service Node, and the Current Version. If you don’t access the Apps, you will only have access to the Notes, To-Dos, Favorites, and Files.
Get MacSources’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
The next step I tried was to go to the Google Play Store and, unfortunately, I was met with an error message stating the device was not Google Play certified. I also experienced unusual behavior with Chrome. Rather than closing in the traditional sense, it would return me to the device’s Home Screen after a few seconds. When I reopened Chrome, however, my existing tabs were still there. Clearing Chrome’s cache did not resolve the behavior.
I looked back through the box and found a small card that instructed me to “complete registration” using the Google Device Registration code on the device. All the card does is direct you to where to find the code on your device though so I still had to look up a few things on my own. Here’s how I resolved it on my device.
- Enable Developer options: Open Settings → About tablet and tap the Build number seven times. Enter your PIN if prompted. You should see a confirmation that Developer options have been enabled.
- Locate the GSF ID: Return to Settings and navigate to System → Google Device Registration. Copy the device’s GSF ID.
- Open Google’s registration page: Using another phone or computer, visit Google’s uncertified device registration page.
- Sign in: Use the Google account associated with the Huion Note E.
- Register the device: Enter the copied GSF ID and submit it.
- Verify the fix: Return to the Huion Note E and open the Google Play Store. The certification warning should disappear once the registration takes effect. If it doesn’t, restart the device and check again.
Registering the GSF ID resolved the certification issue on my Huion Note E without requiring a factory reset. Although this additional setup step was unexpected, it allowed me to access the Play Store and continue using the device.
Note: Menu names may vary depending on the installed firmware. If Google Device Registration is already available in Settings, you may not need to enable Developer options first.
Once the initial certification issue was resolved, I started exploring the functions of the tablet. One of the biggest features I was most interested in was the handwriting recognition, but I was also curious about how the tablet’s general performance measured up to its specs.
To get an idea of its performance, I ran Geekbench 7, where the Note E scored 643 in single-core performance and 1,248 in multi-core performance. These results point to modest processing power, which is in line with a device designed primarily for digital note-taking rather than demanding computing tasks. In everyday use, however, performance was more important to my experience. The tablet felt responsive during routine tasks, and I didn’t find its performance to be a significant obstacle when using it for note-taking and general productivity.
Writing with the included stylus feels natural and responsive. The pen is light but balanced, and it’s very sturdy. I am a heavy writer, and I press down on pens pretty hard sometimes. I discovered that I was doing the same thing with the Huion pen. The tablet easily picks up input even if you don’t press hard while tapping on the screen. I really feel like I am writing more on paper than a tablet screen. It’s a very natural-feeling action. That’s a big plus for people who like the tactile experience of writing on paper.
The handwriting recognition is very good. I used the pen to do as much as possible on the screen because I thought that was the best way to get the most out of the Huion Note E. One thing I noticed was that handwriting recognition worked really well when entering text, such as an email address, into an email field or other form fields. It also worked really well with the to-do app on the Huion Note E. However, when it came to the actual Notes app on the tablet, the handwriting recognition seemed to struggle a bit more.
My handwriting style is a combination of cursive and print, and sometimes, when I write quickly, my letters tend to blur together. I tried writing the same way in both the to-do app and the Notes app. The to-do app had no problem recognizing my handwriting and successfully converting it into text, but the Notes app seemed to make more mistakes when translating my handwritten words into a font.
I’m very encouraged by the battery life based on its drain on standby and basic continued use. I charged it to full, and on standby mode, the tablet held a charge for about a week. I noticed while testing (including benchmarking) that after 4 hours of continuous use, the battery only drained by 4%.
I think the screen is another benefit. While some people may not like the matte finish, I found it to be relaxing for my eyes and really enjoyed reading on it. I use the Libby app quite a bit for reading, and I was able to download it and Amazon’s Kindle app with no problems. It’s really a nice e-reader in addition to the note-taking functionality.
Conclusion
Overall, I found the Huion Note E enjoyable to use for its primary purpose. The responsive pen, capable handwriting recognition when printing clearly, comfortable screen, and reliable note management features make it a useful digital notebook. I was a little put out by having to troubleshoot the Google Play certification issue, but the steps required to resolve it weren’t difficult. If you get this little device and run into the same problem, just follow the steps I outlined, and you should be able to get it sorted out, too.
While the Huion Note E may not be as versatile as a professional-level tablet like the Microsoft Surface or iPad Pro, I think it still has a place. It’s designed with digital note-taking in mind, and I’m excited to make it part of my daily collection of devices.
For more information, visit huion.com.
