Styluses don’t require any ink, yet still serve the same utility, sometimes more, than a traditional writing utensil, like a pen or pencil.
Why write notes with your finger when you could with a stylus?
There are dozens of different styluses out there to choose from, but only a few provide a good grip or a natural way to write notes or draw. Even fewer offer a fair set of features.
Here are the best styluses for taking notes available today.
Q: Will One Stylus Work On Other Devices?
The short answer is no. It comes down to the technology used to recreate the feeling of a real writing utensil. Depending on the device, it may not be supported.
Its most useful feature is palm rejection, allowing for notes to be uninterrupted by the resting of your palm on the iPad. You can say goodbye to marks left behind by your hand or the iPad not knowing which to prioritize. And when you’re done, it can magnetically attach to the iPad.
The Zagg Pro Stylus also has tilt sensitivity; a great feature to have for shading and makes up for the lack of pressure sensitivity. Lastly, it charges via USB-C and lasts for a good nine hours.
Want to recreate the feeling of painting? Pop off the ballpoint pen for the brush tip. You also get a fiber tip and precision disc, making it a 4-in-1 stylus. All of the attachments hide within the pen, so you’re never juggling pen tips.
The best part of the Friendly Swede Stylus is the lack of a rechargeable battery. You will never have to set it down to charge for a few hours; an especially helpful feature for long days.
Starting with the stylus itself, the tough aluminum body looks good, gives it great longevity, and will feel comfortable in your hands. Additionally, the mesh tip is equally durable, so it won’t fall apart when you’re doodling or taking notes.
In fact, it has an anti-roll design to keep the stylus from rolling away.
Take one good look at the Staedtler Noris Digital Classic Stylus and you will see why: It looks and feels like a traditional pencil. That’s due to its wood design. With EMR technology, the stylus will never die and never need recharging. As you’re drawing or writing, two features come together to create an authentic experience: Palm rejection and pressure sensitivity.
The stylus lets you rest your hand on the tablet (or other devices) without causing an upset. And with 4,096 pressure levels, the line automatically adjusts on the heaviness of your hand.
To accompany the nibs, the Bamboo Ink Smart Stylus has 4,096 pressure levels, which is especially helpful when drawing or sketching. As for design, it’s made of tough aluminum material, shaped in a cylinder and coming to a point.
This not only provides a similar experience to holding a pen or pencil but also the aesthetic.
Its fine tip has precision performance, specifically 2,048 pressure levels. And with the Adobe Slide that comes along with it, users can create perfectly straight lines and even trace over French curves.
On the other end, the Ink button can open up hundreds of LED colors straight from your custom library.
The Tesh Stylus Pen also has a palm rejection feature, so your hand won’t make any marks while you are drawing or taking notes.
Lastly, the other end of the stylus actually acts as an eraser. The entire package makes it incredibly easy to transition into digital format.
For example, some styluses are active and others are passive (or capacitive). An active stylus will typically have pressure sensitivity and palm rejection technology; passive styluses just simulate the same electrical charge as a fingertip.
In other words, when picking a stylus, always check compatibility.
Q: Do Styluses Wear Down?
Absolutely. However, unlike traditional writing utensils, styluses have an exponentially longer shelf life. There isn’t any ink to replace and the tip doesn’t need to be sharpened. With that said, the tip will wear down over time.
It comes down to quality. A stylus could last anywhere between a few months to over a year. That doesn’t mean you need to replace the whole stylus, but rather the detachable nib at the end. It’s important to replace the nib when it has run its course to keep your strokes accurate, especially with art.
Q: Should A Stylus Be Used?
The kind of precision that writing utensils bring, compared to fingers, is a chasm of difference. That is the appeal of using a stylus. Sure, you could write notes with your fingers, but making fine strokes doesn’t work as well. Furthermore, holding a stylus gives you far more control over what you are doing. And with all kinds of software available, having a stylus allows users to take full advantage of a software’s features.
