Is getting a tablet with a stylus worth it? When the concept first launched, skeptics opined it would never match up to the paper-on-pen experience. Handwriting to text constituted tricky waters to navigate, and good old paper canvasses constituted ideal grounds for sketching.
But how times have changed! From students and artists to researchers and journal-keepers, tabs with stylus have captured the imaginations of various user groups. In response, top manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft have designed unique, smooth pens that vie to deliver the best experience to the audience.
Best Tablet with Stylus Pen 2023 to Write, Draw & Mark to your Heart’s Content
You may be weighing one of these tablets to add more flexibility to your everyday. After all, having the freedom to edit documents on the go, jot down your thoughts, or sketch the next masterpiece is contagious. Plus, imagine the toasty comfort of using a stylus in cold weather. No need to invest in touchscreen gloves or expose your bare hands to frosty winds!
Fortunately, your choices can start at as little as $300. Let’s survey the pens you can choose from and the tabs that bundle them up.
iPads: The unique Apple Pencil
The Apple Pencil is a genuine technological wonder, delivering the best stylus experience we have recently encountered. It has brilliant pressure sensitivity, and lag is almost absent. So, you won’t experience offsetting between the location of the pencil and what gets displayed on the gorgeous Liquid Retina display. This pen uses emitters to broadcast the metrics (position, tilt, etc.), fine-tuning the result to pixel-perfect wonder.
Tablets like the 12.9” Apple iPad Pro offer the convenience of this next-generation stylus pen, letting you pair instantly without bothering with Bluetooth or USB. It can perform manifold functions: writing in text fields (Scribble), taking notes, drawing, editing photos, etc. Also, it complements the Magic Keyboard, which has developed quite a reputation for a smooth typing experience. It can cost close to $1000 but lives up to the hype with up to 2 TB of storage, a 12MP front camera, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, and brilliant battery backup.
Check out a smaller tab like the 10.9” Apple iPad Air if you have a tighter budget. For around $450, it offers the classic Apple Pencil experience and retains most of the bells and whistles. Most charming are its mobility, efficient performance led by an M1 chip, and the vividness of the screen.
Surface Tabs: The stylish Slim Pen
Microsoft Surface tabs have an immersive focus on style and elegance, making them attractive for aesthetes. The latest Surface Slim Pen 2 is comfortable and infused with haptic feedback. It feels close to a paper texture and renders writing, drawing, and doodling pleasurable. Its storage and charging are inbuilt, making the whole arrangement easy and light for travel.
Moreover, it has 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, making it highly accurate. A distinct advantage of these pens is their usability as a navigation tool; you can flip through menus or browse the internet without feeling any lag or irritating offsetting problems. Its unusual flat shape may seem odd, but it elevates daily comfort.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is a fine choice to experience the joys of this stylus, although it is a hefty investment at $1,599. It runs on a productive SQ3 processor, 16 GB RAM, and 512 GB of storage. Microsoft also offers a built-in kickstand.
Samsung Tablets: Super-responsive S Pens
Samsung has evolved tremendously in the past few years, its latest tablets rivaling iPads for performance and features. The newest 12.4” Galaxy Tab S9+ Plus has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, a bright AMOLED display, Dolby Audio, and a long battery life that keeps you stress-free wherever you go.
But its S Pen is the cherry on the cake, imitating a paper-on-pen feel with excellent latency (can be as low as 2.3 ms). It is suited to writing and drawing but can also perform other activities like controlling your media or switching slides on a deck in a business meeting. The textured material helps build a comfortable grip, while the tilt angles keep things comfortable for extended use.
These tabs (~$999) also offer DeX Mode to recreate a PC-like experience, which is great if your device doubles up as a second screen for work. They are also perfect for travel since they use a sturdy aluminum frame and have an IP68 rating for weatherproofing.
Affordable Tabs with Stylus
Not all products in this category are expensive, thanks to brands like Amazon and Lenovo. The Amazon Fire Max 11 is an all-rounder tab with a stylus and a keyboard with shortcut keys. It has decent specs, such as 4 GB RAM and upgradable storage. Amazon bundles a free three-month trial of Microsoft 365 Personal as a purchase bonus. The multi-functional pen lets you take notes (handwriting to text), mark PDFs, and create designs. The replaceable battery lasts six months. Plus, since it uses the Universal Stylus Interface 2.0, compatibility and attachment (magnetic) are smooth.
Lenovo pens are basic and cheap but good options for budget watchers. The Lenovo Tab P11 will cost around $300 but impart over 11 hours of battery backup, a 13MP camera, and 128GB of storage. The tab also has modes for split-screen and reading. Despite the affordable price, a Lenovo stylus manages to be accurate and easy to use for different daily pursuits.
FAQs
Who should get a tablet with a stylus?
A stylus pen can make things so much more convenient on a tablet that it has become standard inclusion. Most brands, including Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, and Lenovo, have stylus pens with their tablets. At first, they were marketed to artists and designers, letting them sketch and doodle on the go.
But stylus pens can offer a lot to diverse user groups: handwriting you can later convert to digital text, marking up documents, taking minutes during a meeting, working on college assignments, etc. You will find these tablets handy whether you are a student, working professional, artist, or just someone who likes to keep things organized and flexible.
Which features should you check in a stylus?
Comfort, a firm grip, and adequate pressure levels (4096 is standard now) are evident.
But battery backup is also a vital consideration. You can find tabs with pens that charge in the casing. (Some don’t require charging.) Options like an Amazon Fire tab come with stylus pens running on replaceable batteries.
Compatibility with your tablet becomes crucial if you buy a generic stylus. Capacitive pens usually work on most touchscreen devices unless your screen is damaged or the stylus is faulty. But purchasing a compatible pen from the same brand will usually offer features you won’t find elsewhere, for example, more storage, good battery life, built-in erasers, etc. It also makes finding replacement nibs easier.
Finally, you should assess the weight, color options, and shape.
Can a stylus work on any tablet?
The short answer: yes, a universal stylus should be able to work on any touchscreen. A “passive” stylus, i.e., one without electronic components, should go with your tab in the absence of palm rejection. However, active styli are generally device-specific and more accurate.
