Meet the Ancestors of your PENS & PENCILS
Can you still remember the first tool you used to write, draw, or doodle?
Before all of these options, there was STYLUS. It was first used by the ancient Mesopotamians in order to write in cuneiform. The Romans also writes upon their wax tablet using stylus or “stillus” in Latin meaning, a pointed instrument.
The Modern-Day Stylus
Stylus is said to be an ancient tool, but it’s not out of place in today’s digital era. In fact, it is widely used for wide variety of Tablet PC, Smartphone, and almost any touch screen devices. The technology of it today, is to create a conductive signal between the stylus and the screen of a device. It is also supported by a lot of latest gadgets, one is the APPLE iPad/iPhone one of the leading brand in the market and will be our focus as of the moment.
Different Styluses That Matches Your Style
The importance of learning about this is to help us decide which one will be suitable for our purpose. No need to worry, there is always one for everyone. There are two types of stylus, the passive and active. Check the description below to further understand the difference between the two.
The Passive Stylus
Also known as capacitive stylus it acts just like a finger when touching the screen. There is literally no electronic communication between a device and a passive stylus, just a conductive material in a pen-like form. The tablet/phone cannot really notice the differences between the finger and passive stylus.
One is RUBBER TIPPED STYLUS, it is a basic stylus with a tip of a rubber. It cost less, so it does less also. In terms of durability, this is not intended for a long term of usage, rubber tips will wear out and eventually loses its conductive purposes.
A soft rubber does not have a stable property, making it less accurate when touching in contact with the screen of a device. If you really opt for this, make sure to choose Rubber tippled stylus with replaceable tip, whenever the rubber breaks you just replace the tip without discarding the stylus.
A sturdier candidate is next, the MICROFIBER TIPPED STYLUS. It is more stable which provides more accuracy, its composition is also way better and durable than the latter one. The top of the line is the TRANSPARENT DISC STYLUS, has the same conductive purposes as rubber and microfiber tipped. Making an illusion of holding a pen and writing in pad paper is what makes it stand out. A good quality of transparent disc is also said to last for several years.
The Active Stylus
Often referred as Fine-Point Stylus, it includes electronic components that communicate with the screen controller on a device. This is recommended for those who need high precision, and more detailed work value. It also possesses a great feature called “pressure sensitivity” that makes the line thicker when you press harder, and “palm rejection” This works to turn off the multi-touch feature allowing the palm to rest on the tablet while still recognizing the stylus, meaning the screen will only accept the signal coming from the stylus.
The Best picks for iPad/iPhone Stylus
- Monoprice iPad Stylus
Its compact and lightweight facet makes writing on your iPad/iPhone comfortable even for extended hours. Its high-quality rubber tip let you slide smoothly on your screen, avoiding screeches and smudges. Bringing anywhere with you is not a hassle, thanks to its cord loop which can be plug into the headphone jack or just in your pocket.
- Wacom Gen 3 Bamboo Stylus Solo
The carbon-fiber woven tip is what makes this tool designed for extensive usage. If navigating thru your screen with high precision is your concern, you just found what you’re searching. It also comes with an aluminum cap for added protection of the tip. There are six trendy colors to choose from.
- Cosmonaut from Studio Neat
A dream come true for sharpie and marker lovers, stylus in a size of marker with the comfortable rubber grip that is excellent for doodling, sketching, and writing. It is also easy to hold making it a good choice for the children and elderly.
- Amazon Basics Stylus
If you’re looking for some reliable and budget friendly choice, this is your option. It has three different sizes of tip to choose from according to your needs, whether for writing, drawing, and navigating.
- Kensington Virtuoso
Handy and stylish, a perfect partner for someone who wants to unleash their artistic side. These are good for sketching and drawing, however remember to be gentle if you want to use it for a longer period of time.
- Adonit iPad Stylus
They are made with the same purpose just like the other stylus, but its works on different level. This stylus is a perfect example of an Active Stylus that supports Palm rejection and Pressure sensitivity, which we discuss earlier and appreciate its reliability. It also features shortcut buttons to your writing or sketching app making your task much easier, plus it has over 80hrs of battery life. We could really consider this as one of our picks.
- Magic Wand Mediadevil
This is suitable for multiple device users, because it is known for its wide range of compatibility. In terms of casual or general purpose, this one is a good pick. It also comes in four attractive colors such as black, pink, green, and red.
- Heiyo
For those who value time and a heavy stylus user, this is your catch. It is said to survive 40 hours of continuous usage and only needs 4 hours to recharge. Can you imagine the increase in your work productivity because of this technology? Not only that, it could last up to 30 days in standby mode, plus it has auto-off function to save battery consumption.
- Mixoo
This is an example of a Passive Stylus Transparent Disc type, like we said earlier it creates an illusion of like actually writing on a pad paper, that feeling provides additional precision when using stylus. It is also compatible with other brands of devices out in the market today.
- Gosin
Flexibility is the strength of this last contender in our list, its adjustable tip lets you to utilize the appropriate style to use according to your preference when drawing, doodling, or writing. It can last up to 12 hours in normal usage.
The Chosen One
There you go! After reviewing The Best Stylus for your iPad/iPhone it’s time to decide the most suitable stylus that goes with your style and purpose.
Please designate whether each choice is passive or active.