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I am typing these words in Samsung Notes. These days, I do so much of my work here that it, rather than Microsoft Office, feels like my primary office suite. Don’t let the name fool you—this app can handle far more than just your notes.

Typed and handwritten notes all in one place

I find Samsung Notes to be a spectacular way to jot down ideas. It only takes a couple taps to begin writing something new from just about any screen, and I know I’ll easily be able to retrieve that note later.

A big part of this accessibility has to do with my love for using an S Pen with my foldable phone. I use my stylus so heavily that I’ll pick my S Pen over a keyboard if forced to choose. With an S Pen, I can click a button to pull up the air menu and start a new note. I can even tap the stylus against the screen to wake up my phone and begin writing right away.

Whether I type out my notes or write them by hand, they’re stored side-by-side as equal citizens within the same app, allowing me to simply choose which input method I’m in the mood for without having to segregate my writings into separate bits of software.

Enough formatting to be a basic word processor

When I’m writing more than a note, Samsung Notes usually has enough formatting options to accomplish the job. I can bold text and change font size to simulate headers. I can create bulleted or numbered lists. I can center text or align my words to the right side of the screen. This is enough to create basic documents, which are often the only kind of document I need to create.

Would I use Samsung Notes for a research paper that requires citations? No. Does it even let you change the font style? No—it’s locked to whatever font I have my system set to. I’m not going to argue for a second that it’s a Word replacement for all things, and if you want to leave a comment telling me there’s no way Samsung Notes could replace your workflow, I’m sure you’re right. But I personally find that when I need to create a simple letter to mail out or generate a report for a non-profit I’m involved in, Samsung Notes is often the most convenient and accessible tool for the job.

A clean, near distraction-free interface

I have long found most office suites to feel too convoluted to be conducive for writing. There is just so much on-screen at one time that I find distracting. Samsung Notes hones down to the few features I actually use, and I have the freedom to remove the occasional icon I never tap from the toolbar. On that note, since the Notes Assist feature on the toolbar gives me the option not to process any data in the cloud, this is one of the few Galaxy AI features I don’t mind leaving enabled.

I admire most of the presentation, which I find to be one of the best examples of how to cram a lot of power into an app that looks and feels rather basic. Plus, the fullscreen icon is ever-present, and it hides all but a toolbar at the top of the screen when tapped.

This is one of my favorite things about Samsung phones—they come with a PDF viewer built-in. You do not need to scour the Play Store for a way to open that PDF that someone emailed you, exposing yourself to intrusive ads and expensive monthly subscriptions. The PDF format is open and quite old, so there’s little reason to pay someone for a program that can do what free software has been able to do for decades.

Samsung Notes isn’t just capable of viewing PDFs. It can edit them, too! Here’s a tool that can delete pages from a lengthy PDF or rearrange their order. This is something I occasionally do when I purchase DRM-free comics, which occasionally have a page that appears before the cover and looks tacky in Moon+ Reader. And when I need to fill out a PDF by hand, I can pull out my S Pen, draw on the document directly on my Galaxy Z Fold 6, save the PDF, and send it back.

Exports to whatever format I need

Samsung Notes has its own proprietary format, but you can easily export each note to a format that will open in other apps. I prefer to export to PDF, since that guarantees I’ll be able to view or print the file in a consistent way. It’s also the best format for sharing with others. But if I need to transition to a more powerful tool for more advanced edits, I can export my creations as Word or PowerPoint files.

The available exporting options reflect the many ways Samsung Notes can be used. Since Samsung Notes is also a drawing tool, I can export each note as an image. If I’m looking to preserve a typed note that lacks formatting, I can just stick to saving it as a text file. I’ve set people all kinds of documents that have all originated within Samsung Notes, with them none the wiser.

Samsung Notes is exclusively available on Galaxy devices, and it’s a real gem of an app. While there are alternatives available, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that can perform all the same tasks and do so in a way that integrates so seamlessly with the rest of your phone.