Nowadays, more and more Android, iOS, and Windows tablets are advertising their styluses along with other accessories. But all styluses are not the same. The compatibility of a digital drawing pen used on a touchscreen highly depends on the technology used to build the touchscreen of the tablet or mobile. Therefore when shopping for the best stylus, it’s important to know its compatibility and features.
Types of styluses available in the market
There are basically two types of styluses available in the market, namely capacitive stylus and active stylus. Both of them are described below along with their pros and cons.
Capacitive Stylus
Almost all modern touchscreen devices have a capacitive touchscreen unless it’s a Wii U gamepad that still has a resistive touchscreen. This is why you can simply touch a capacitive touchscreen for it to work, while you have to press down an older resistive touchscreen in Wii U gamepads as well as in a traditional touchscreen.
The simplest and cheapest type of stylus you can get on the market is the capacitive stylus. It works the same way your finger does, distorting the screen’s electrostatic field when it touches it. Below mentioned are the pros and cons of a capacitive stylus.
Pros-
● Works with most devices: Provided that your device has a capacitive touchscreen and you can use your finger to touch it, you can use a capacitive stylus with it as well.
Cons-
● No pressure sensitivity: Just like the touch of your finger, a capacitive touchscreen cannot detect the amount of pressure exerted by a capacitive stylus. Therefore, it is not appropriate for artists who want a pressure-sensitive stylus.
● No palm rejection: A capacitive stylus pen cannot differentiate between a stylus and a palm. Therefore, you cannot rest your hand on the screen while using it.
● No additional functions: A capacitive stylus cannot perform additional functions such as having an eraser on the other end. It works just like your hand.
Active Stylus or Digitizer
An active stylus has a tip similar to a pen and includes internal electronic components. It comprises several features that include memory, electronic erasers, and pressure sensitivity that allows detecting lighter or heavier pressure and depending on that, allows lighter and heavier lines.
An active digital drawing pen works on a digitizer screen which is constituted of a digitizer sensor for actively sensing the pressure of a compatible stylus. This technology allows the inclusion of additional features that are not compatible with capacitive styluses.
Pros-
● Pressure Sensitivity: The most important feature of an active stylus is that it offers the ability to detect various levels of pressure. In this technology, the screen does not detect how much pressure you’re putting on it, instead, the tip of the pen retracts when the user pushes down harder on the screen. The digitizer layer is able to detect a difference in signals.
● Palm rejection: While using your stylus to draw on your screen, the tablet is able to perform “palm rejection”, by ignoring your touches and allowing you to rest your palm on the screen.
● Additional Features: These styluses are capable to perform additional things. These include the availability of an eraser on the other side of the pen, and holding the button on the pen and tapping the screen will perform a right-click. The digitizer layer of the pen allows you to perform hover actions when you’re hovering the pen over the screen.
Cons-
● Supports fewer devices: These styluses don’t work with all devices because of the availability of a digitizer layer.
● Requires app support: Applications need to be coded for detecting the information of the stylus. For detecting the different pressure levels, the app needs to be properly optimized with the pen.
Wrapping It Up
It’s important to have a digital drawing pen along with a touchscreen device, particularly with a tablet. This helps you explore more functions and features than just using it with your fingers. If you’re in search of the best stylus in the market for your child, Quill is the one-stop destination for you.
The advanced features of the stylus, the Quill app, and its compatibility with all iOS platforms make Quill, the world’s smartest color-picking stylus. With an ergonomic design, Quill has the ability to pick 16M+ colors, along with all major features such as pressure sensitivity, tilt sensitivity, and palm rejection. It is designed for hours of creative expression and exploration. Visit the site to know more about the product and place your order.
