[Q] best small tip stylus?

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paravorheim

Senior Member
Mar 10, 2011
227
19
Not how capacitive screens work

That's not how capacitive screens work. No matter how fine a stylus is, the screen will recognize the same thing. This is because a capacitive screen does not measure based on pressure, it measures based on current (At least, that's what I've been told).

If you wanted a finer tip to do finer things with,I'd go for an active digitizer display or resistive screen based phone (Which are basically obsolete now due to active digitizers and capacitive displays.

Hope that helps a bit.
 

chromedome00

Senior Member
Apr 22, 2011
87
16
That's not how capacitive screens work. No matter how fine a stylus is, the screen will recognize the same thing. This is because a capacitive screen does not measure based on pressure, it measures based on current (At least, that's what I've been told).

If you wanted a finer tip to do finer things with,I'd go for an active digitizer display or resistive screen based phone (Which are basically obsolete now due to active digitizers and capacitive displays.

Hope that helps a bit.

Yes it is true that capacitive detects current instead of touch, that does not mean that it is less accurate when discussing location of touch. The underlying grid determines this, but in todays screens, I would think it is as accurate as a resistive screen.
 

banes

Senior Member
Apr 11, 2010
135
6
Westminster
www.quarknet.net
That's not how capacitive screens work. No matter how fine a stylus is, the screen will recognize the same thing. This is because a capacitive screen does not measure based on pressure, it measures based on current (At least, that's what I've been told).

If you wanted a finer tip to do finer things with,I'd go for an active digitizer display or resistive screen based phone (Which are basically obsolete now due to active digitizers and capacitive displays.

Hope that helps a bit.

thank you but i am not looking to exchange this phone for a resistive phone, so given this new information, what is the most accurate stylus that isn't too thick
 

armathrillo

Member
Mar 16, 2011
17
13
I was looking for the exact same thing, and ended up going with the "Newest Generation Slim Capacitive Stylus" by A Young Life (AYL). Got it off Amazon, but it might be available elsewhere as well. Works great, slides with minor resistance, and has a much narrower tip than other pens I've used.

While point width doesn't make much of a technical difference, it certainly affects usability. All capacitive stylus models I've seen use a round tip, and the point of contact at the bottom of that little semispherical nub is what registers as a touch on the screen. No matter the size, a sphere is going to converge to a single contact point (with a little give due to material and pressure). But, since you can't see through the pen, you have to estimate the center of the nub when touching it to the screen. The smaller the blind spot created by the nub, the smaller the margin of error.
 
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panflute

Senior Member
Dec 19, 2007
367
38
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
I bought one off Ebay for .99 delivered from China. It's a small cute collapsable pen with a thin point. I haven't tried it yet because while the tip is thin to allow precise pointing, it is also made from a hard material and I'm scared it may scratch the screen. Is that possible?
 

Rred

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2010
251
22
Could anything sold for under a buck from China possibly harm....Anything?

Youbetcha. As Bush and Mao both said "Trust but verify". Even a gen-you-whine Palm stylus could scrtach Palm screens, so why trust the cheapest stuff from a no-name vendor in China to be any better?

Put on a screen protector first, much cheaper than replacing the screen.
 

Dr.Jeckyl

Senior Member
Feb 4, 2009
110
17
-8GMT
If the tip is made for capacitive screens, it should not harm the Atrix gorilla glass.

I just received the one armathrillo is describing a couple posts back and I've got to say this thing is nice. The tip is actually a soft hollow bubble. You couldn't scratch a screen if you tried. It's nice and heavy but not too heavy. It feels like a nice solid pen. The little lanyard attachment is a nice touch. It detaches from the stylus and plugs into a 3.5mm headphone jack for storage. when you're done with the stylus just clip it on and the pen stays with the phone/tab/pad.
 

erebusting

Senior Member
Mar 18, 2010
570
6
i know this is old, but I just recently heard about the jot stylus which seems to be fine point...
 

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    I was looking for the exact same thing, and ended up going with the "Newest Generation Slim Capacitive Stylus" by A Young Life (AYL). Got it off Amazon, but it might be available elsewhere as well. Works great, slides with minor resistance, and has a much narrower tip than other pens I've used.

    While point width doesn't make much of a technical difference, it certainly affects usability. All capacitive stylus models I've seen use a round tip, and the point of contact at the bottom of that little semispherical nub is what registers as a touch on the screen. No matter the size, a sphere is going to converge to a single contact point (with a little give due to material and pressure). But, since you can't see through the pen, you have to estimate the center of the nub when touching it to the screen. The smaller the blind spot created by the nub, the smaller the margin of error.