The best stylus for Android tablets

Best stylus for Android; five stylus in a fan shape

(Image credit: Samsung / Evach / Wacom / Adonit)

Jump To:

Top picks
How to choose
How we test
FAQ

How do you choose the best stylus for Android? Well that really depends on what you plan to do with it. There are great stylus pens for Android out there from the likes of Adonit and Meko that are inexpensive and straightforward, and are perfect for taking notes or making quick sketches. If you want something more advanced, you might want an Android tablet stylus like Samsung's S-Pen, which offers premium artistry features like pressure sensitivity. Whether you need a best stylus for Android tablets or smartphones, I've found my favourites.

We've reviewed many styluses ourselves, and assessed those and others against criteria such as quality, feature-set, feel and performance (see how we test for more info). If you want to know more, scroll to the bottom of the page, where we've put together a few useful FAQs on Android tablets and styluses. While I have an iPad, I also use an Android phone and have an Android tablet, so I've chosen stylus below that I can honestly recommend.

Adonit Dash 4 product shot Best for notes

01. Adonit Dash 4

The best stylus pen for note taking

The Adonit Dash 4 is very versatile and the best broadly compatible stylus on this list. It's sleek at just 8mm thick, and feels premium in its aluminium casing. Palm rejection works exclusively on iPad, not Android, but it still performs well. Check out our full review for more detail.

Adonit Neo Lite stylus in black on white background Best for art

02. Adonit Neo Lite

Offers Android stylus for drawing

It's affordable, precise, and stable; the Adonit Neo Lite will work with absolutely any touch screen. It comes with a magnetic cap to protect the tip and disc when not in use, and you can very easily replace these at any time. With Tilt and 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, it's great for writing and sketching.

Samsung S Pen Pro product shot Best Samsung stylus

03. Samsung S Pen Pro

The best stylus for Samsung devices

This pen is pressure-sensitive, which is already a huge tick in its favour for artists, offering 4,096 pressure levels (similar to the Apple Pencil). It's pricey, but has lots of neat Samsung-exclusive integrations - but make sure to double-check the compatibility.

Best stylus for Android; a metallic blue Wacom stylus Best Wacom stylus

04. Wacom Bamboo Tip

A Wacom stylus for Android

The Wacom Bamboo Tip brings the build quality of this drawing tablet maker to Android tablets and smartphones. It features a 1.9 mm thin nib, one of the finest on my list, but with no pressure sensitivity or tilt it's aimed at note-taking rather than art; Wacom does offer access its Inkspace and Bamboo Paper apps for notes and doodles.

best stylus for android meko universal stylus Best budget stylus

05. Meko Universal 2-in-1 Stylus

The cheapest stylus pen for Android

If you want something budget-friendly but still good-looking, this one is for you. The Meko Universal 2-in-1 has dual tips; an anti-scratch fibre tip for general use and an ultra-thin disc tip for writing and drawing. It's not sophisticated, but it's simple and sweet.

Staedtler 180 22-1 Stylus Noris Digital angled with shadow on white background Classic design

06. Staedtler 180 22-1 Noris Digital

An iconic stylus pen re-imagining

This is a great choice for digital artists, offering pressure sensitivity, palm rejection, and a nice natural drawing experience. With passive EMR technology, it doesn't require a battery, and comes with spare nibs - but it isn't the most durable or widely compatible stylus on this list.

Digiroot stylus with nips and caps, on white background Affordable stylus

07. Digiroot Universal Stylus

An affordable Android stylus for drawing

The Digiroot Universal Stylus is a budget option that offers impressive levels of accuracy and sensitivity for its price point. It's well-balanced and comfortable to hold, with a level of resistance that makes drawing and note-taking feel natural. While it's compatible with many touchscreen devices, we recommend double-checking for compatibility.

Best stylus for Android; a black pen stylus Best practical stylus

08. Adonit Pro 4

A practical Android stylus

The Adonit Pro 4 may not be the flashiest stylus for Android on my list but it is cheaper than the Adonit Dash 4 and while its designed for general use it can work for drawing, just. The Pro 4 won't wow but it's an affordable and practical Android stylus. In our Adonit Pro 4 review we said it's a "thumbs up for general use" but highlighted it "doesn't feel very accurate".

Best stylus for Android; a slim silver stylus pen Best fine tip

09. Evach Active Stylus

A fine-tip Android stylus

The Evach Active Stylus can be used with most touchscreen devices from iPad to Samsung and even Nintendo Switch. It's a do-all stylus that boasts a 1.5mm ultra fine tip nib, making it ideal for detailed drawing work or for use on small screens (which means its a good Samsung S-Pen alternative). Evach also make the same stylus for various devices, from Lenovo to HP.

A few styluses for Android are capable of connecting with the tablet to provide pressure sensitivity and other advanced features. These are called 'active' styluses, and they require a few things in order to work; for one thing, the tablet in question needs to have what's called a 'digitiser' screen, which not all of them do. Samsung offers plenty of tablets with digitiser screens, as does Lenovo, but you should check with your tablet manufacturer before buying an active stylus, as you don't want to pay for something you won't be able to use.

The other type of stylus is a 'capacitive' or 'passive' stylus. This essentially functions like a finger, providing you with a more comfortable means of writing and sketching on your Android tablet. It's not fancy, but it works. And just because a stylus doesn't have active capabilities that doesn't mean it's totally dumb – many styluses of both types are equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, which allows you to control various tablet functions with buttons on the stylus.

Does my Android tablet have active stylus compatibility?

This will vary from model to model, and with the huge number of Android tablets out there, we can't give a definitive answer. In general, contemporary Samsung Galaxy tablets offer sophisticated pen support thanks to their digitiser touchscreens, so if you are shopping for an Android tablet for drawing, this is a good place to start.

Samsung is not the only player in town here; Huawei, for instance, makes tablets that have active stylus compatibility, such as the Huawei Mediapad M5 Lite. Though bear in mind that Huawei tablets are technically no longer Android; following the split with Google earlier this year, Huawei tablets now run Harmony OS.

So the general rule of thumb is that if you want an Android tablet with active stylus compatibility and all the perks that go with it, you're best off sticking with Samsung for the time being.

Is a stylus worth it on a phone?

That largely depends on what phone you have, and what you plan to use your stylus for. We wouldn't recommend using a stylus with smaller screens, but large screens paired with a stylus mean that your phone can be used almost as a tablet. It's all down to what you feel comfortable with, though, and how much value and use you'll get from a stylus. Styluses are great for note-taking and drawing, so if you want to do those things on your phone, and you've got a big enough screen, then getting a compatible stylus may well be worth your time.

Is a stylus better than a finger?

A stylus will mimic a finger in many ways, but using a stylus does have some advantages. In short, you'll get much cleaner, more precise lines using a stylus than you would your finger. You'll also get finer lines. Using a stylus is also just like using a pen, so you will hopefully avoid cramp or any other issues you'd get from using your finger to draw or take notes over a long period of time.

TOPICS

Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.

With contributions from

Matt HansonManaging editor, computing and entertainment, TechRadar

The best stylus for Android tablets

Best stylus for Android: top picks

The best stylus for Android available now

Best stylus for Android: how to choose

Best stylus for Android: how we test

Best stylus for Android: frequent questions