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The Rundown
- Best for Beginners:BaseTronics Stylus Pens at Amazon, “A great introductory stylus that's 100 percent compatible with all touch-screen devices.”
- Best Splurge:Apple iPad Pro Pencil at Amazon, “The stylus has built in sensitive pressure and tilt sensors that can recognize the physics of your pen wielding.”
- Best Budget:MEKO Disc Stylus at Amazon, “The MEKO is designed to work with all capacities of touch screen devices.”
- Best Compatibility:AmazonBasics Stylus at Amazon, “This stylus is built for use on multiple touch screen devices and provides a smooth writing experience.”
Adonit Pixel ($75) The Pixel stylus is compatible with iPhone 5 and higher, third and fourth-gen iPads, all iPad Minis, the iPad Air, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Like Adonit’s other wears, the Pixel has a 1.9-millimeter tip instead of a disc, allowing for easy drawing and sketching. The stylus’ tip has improved drag performance as well.
Our Top Picks
Best for Beginner’s: BaseTronics Stylus Pens
BaseTronics Stylus Pens are inexpensive and a great introductory stylus that's 100 percent compatible with all touch-screen devices, from the Apple iPad 1 and 2, to the iPhone, to the Kindle Touch and Samsung Galaxy.
In addition, the .09 tip stylus is said to work decently with writing programs like Evernote. Of course, with its affordable price, you’re not going to find a neuro-system of feeling in it; its value provides enough to not have you see it as a literal touch-screen-stick that you’d find in even cheaper styluses that could end up turning you off to your investment.
The pen measures 5.5 x 0.3 x 0.3 inches and weighs .3 ounces and is made of stainless steel aluminum with no plastic parts, giving it the feeling of a real pen. The package comes with two pens, and six replaceable soft rubber tips, so you don’t have worry about losing one, but even if you did, there’s a one-year warranty. Colors come in blue and black, but include an option for an 11-piece set with multiple colors ranging from pink to purple.
Best Splurge: Apple Pencil for iPad Pro
What hasn't Apple made? And what’s so appealing about a pencil with their brand on it? For those unfamiliar with the capabilities of styluses, the Apple Pencil presents a broad range of functionalities. If you’re an experienced stylus buyer and want the most bang for your buck, this is the stylus for you (but it's important to note that it's only compatible with the iPad Pro's Multi-Touch subsystem).
The Bluetoooth connected Apple Pencil is smart enough to recognize how hard you're pressing on a surface, as well as your shift in angles. The stylus has built in sensitive pressure and tilt sensors that can recognize the physics of your pen wielding. For those running drawing programs, this stylus can vary line weight, create subtle shading and produce a wide range of artistic effects, replicating that of a conventional pencil. Users have noted that the Apple Pen is great for creative control, and if you’re using Photoshop, it’s ideal for touchups and reworking photos.
The stylus measures 6.92 inches in length, has a diameter of .35 inches and weighs .73 ounces. Despite being the top-of-the-line stylus, it lacks the basic function of an eraser at the end. Users who are in the middle of drawing will have to suffice with tapping two fingers on the iPad Pro’s screen in order to go back and forth between writing and erasing.
This is one of the only styluses on the list that is powered. Plus, it comes with an Apple lightning adapter to charge.
Best Budget: MEKO Disc Stylus
You’ll find that some styluses have a bulb point that doesn’t make for great note taking. These types of styluses are cheaper in that their design is primarily used for navigation, and not for note taking or drawing. Fortunately, fine-tipped functional styluses don’t have to come with a heavy price tag for their precision functionality.
The MEKO Disc Stylus is a stainless steel aluminum fine-tipped stylus with no plastic parts and is one of the favorite styluses on the market. The unit measures 5.5 x .3 x .3 inches and weighs only 1.6 ounces. The package includes replaceable tip ends: a 6.8mm clear disc point, a 2mm rubber tip and a 6mm fiber tip. The clear disc tip allows the pen-wielder to see exactly where your mark is being made to ensure accuracy. The fiber tips are good for standard web browsing, drawing and overall navigation.
You won’t find compatibility to be an issue, as the MEKO is designed to work with all capacities of touch screen devices such as the Apple iPad, iPhone, iPod, Kindles, Samsung Galaxy and more. Thanks to its compatibility, price and multiple tip functionality, the MEKO is the best precision stylus on a budget.
Best Compatibility: AmazonBasics Stylus
Yes, Amazon is throwing their chips into the stylus industry, and with a great introductory stylus that just so happens to be the No. 1 Best Seller in Digital Pens on their website. This stylus is built for use on multiple touch screen devices and provides a smooth writing experience with its weight and design.
The AmazonBasics Stylus weighs .2 ounces and measures 4.1 x .3 x .3 inches. Amazon boasts its product’s compatibility with other devices (and can adapt to them) such as the Apple iPad, iPhone, Kindle Touch, Kindle Fire or other tablet devices. And it’s one of the only styluses on the market that comes with a threaded loop at the end of it. The tip is also durable and provides a steady balance. Colors come in blue, black and silver.