Six great active styluses for Android and iOS - time to get your note on

posted by Paul.K / Jan 20, 2015, 7:35 AM

Six great active styluses for Android and iOS - time to get your note on

Hey there, you organized or organizer-needing folks. You guys have probably heard about Samsung's Galaxy Note line and have sometimes felt envious of the proprietary S Pen and its handwriting capabilities. Indeed, a bit of a mystery it may be, but with all the big-screened smartphones out there these days, Samsung is still the only manufacturer to bundle its flagship phablet line with its own, home-brewed active stylus.

However, while the prospect of having a handwrite-supporting digital organizer in one's pocket at all times may sound lucrative to many, there are a lot more factors that people take into account when selecting a smartphone, so many end up with a phone different than a stylus-equpped Galaxy Note.

So, if you miss being able to flip out an active pen and write on the glass panel of your mobile phone, yet you can't bring yourself to buy a Galaxy Note for “x” amount of reasons, perhaps it's high-time to take a look at some third party active styluses?

Here's a list of some of the more famous ones:

Active styli for iOS and Android

Adonit Jot Pro - $29.99

TheJoyFactory Pinpoint Precision Stylus E1 - $49.95

Hex3 YuFu Focus / Pro stylus - $79.99 / $99.99

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Active styli for iOS and Android

Our first stop is Lynktec's Rechargeable Apex. The line is designed to work specifically on iPads, though, Lynktec claims it also functions properly with “several popular Android devices”, though, no list of the devices in question is to be found. We'd say, if you're dead-set on getting an Apex for your Android device, better email Lynktec support first and ask if your Andy is supported.

On to the Rechargeable Apex – it should work right out of the box, no Bluetooth connection or special apps needed. The stylus also doesn't support palm rejection, so using an app which has such functionality (like GoodNotes) is recommended. The stylus' battery can support it for about 20 hours of work time. The power button will notify you about battery levels by glowing in different colors.

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8 Comments

1. AfterShock

Posts: 4146; Member since: Nov 02, 2012

I use the built in stylus on my Shield quite a bit.

posted on Jan 20, 2015, 7:47 AM 1

6. RebelwithoutaClue unregistered

Same here, thought I woudn't use it that much. But it's very easy to use in certain apps/games and doesn't smudge my screen so much. Absolutely love it in Godus.

posted on Jan 20, 2015, 9:27 AM 1

7. AfterShock

Yup, it can be a big bonus in some scenarios. +1 for good taste. 8)

posted on Jan 20, 2015, 10:46 AM 1

2. magnanimus

Posts: 565; Member since: Mar 29, 2013

None of this tech beats wacom as you don't have to charge the stylus and it has considerably low input lag. I hope the iPad pro comes with wacom and not these bluetooth POSes

posted on Jan 20, 2015, 8:34 AM 0

5. KinqElessaR

Posts: 45; Member since: Dec 04, 2014

Samsung uses Wacom panels with their Note, NotePro series. That's why S-Pen is the best.

posted on Jan 20, 2015, 9:19 AM 6

3. Neros

Posts: 1016; Member since: Dec 19, 2014

Without a special digitalizer all these pens are garbage.

posted on Jan 20, 2015, 8:47 AM 5

8. TheOldOne

Posts: 196; Member since: Mar 29, 2012

someone finally said it! the reason why this is true is because the Wacom S-Pen (the one in note series) is using its own digitizer, separated from the one that records finger gesture. They do not have the same resolution: while the finger one is pretty basing, the Wacom is way more refined.