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Karl Tate

Best stylus in 2024

Onyx Boox Note Air 3 photo, showing stylus on top of tablet eReader.

Finding the best stylus can be a semi-subjective search, since drawing in detail on any tablet (iPad or otherwise) or 2-in-1 laptop can be touch-and-go, depending on which model you own. The typical rubber stylus may have limited uses due to an overly wide tip, and accidental screen taps with your wrist can be annoying when you're in the zone. As an infographics artist, I appreciate all this minutiae. 

Of course, the iPad Pro has the excellent Apple Pencil, of which three generations now exist. We've evaluated the current crop of competing styluses to see which ones are the most tablet-friendly.

A rubber-tipped capacitive stylus interacts with the touchscreen the same way your fingertip does, making for an instantly useful accessory. An active stylus, on the other hand, must be powered on to unleash its true potential. Active styluses often have smaller, hard-plastic nibs in place of the rubber tip, making this style of stylus more precise.

Quick list

How to choose the best stylus

Determining which stylus is best for you comes down to a couple of factors. The first is analyzing compatibility, as built-in firmware can interact with a brand of product and allow for additional features. For example, the Microsoft Surface Slim Pen (2nd generation) features zero force inking, which the company claims helps "ink flow more naturally," but it only works with compatible Surface products like the Surface Pro (11th Edition), Surface Pro 9, Surface Pro 8, Surface Pro X, Surface Laptop Studio, and Surface Duo 2.

This is a big part of why the Wacom Bamboo Ink Smart Stylus (2nd generation) is a particularly excellent choice, as it is specifically designed for Windows Ink, and thus is compatible with any Windows product featuring a touchscreen. For more details on functionality, companies like Wacom feature an extensive list of compatible products.

Other factors for determining which stylus is best comes to use case. If you're planning on using it for nothing more than note taking, you'll survive with a less intricate product. But if you want something perfect for quality sketches, ergonomics and additional features can make or break a product.

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