What do we mean by the "best stylus phone"? We mean, quite simply, a phone that comes with a stylus or is optimized for one. The iPhone doesn't come with the Apple Pencil 2, and while the latter is the best stylus for iPads, the iPhone is not optimised for it. So right now, almost all the best stylus phones come from Samsung, with its brilliant S Pen. (We have one alternative option at no.7 on our list, but that's your lot.)
Note, though, that here's not just one S Pen, there are several versions, and they don't all have the same capabilities. In other words, if you have an S Pen for one Samsung phone, don't necessarily assume it will work with all of them.
Why would you want a stylus? Maybe because you want to draw, sketch or take notes on your phone. Perhaps you want to use it to edit photos. Some people even prefer to use a stylus for the little interactions, such as opening an app, rather than fumbling with fingers. Either way, we've draw on our expert experience and testing to bring together the best stylus phones in our list below.
Our top picks
Best overall
The latest Samsung Galaxy flagship comes in the box with the latest version of the S Pen. With 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, it's great for anyone who takes notes or sketches.
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Premium value
The Galaxy S23 Ultra isn't the latest model from Samsung. but it was only released last year and is not really that different. So as a cheaper option, it's well worth considering.
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Best foldable
Want a screen that's as big as that found on a small tablet, but with the portability of a phone? Then you want a folding phone. And this is the best stylus phone with a foldable screen today.
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The best stylus phone in 2024
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The best stylus phone overall
The best stylus phone available today is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. It comes in the box with the latest version of the S Pen, Samsung's proprietary stylus. With 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, this is great for anyone who takes notes or sketches, and features a low 9ms latency. And as this is the latest big phone release by Samsung, it offers the best stylus experience, no question.
You can also control apps remotely using the S Pen via Bluetooth. For example, you can quickly launch apps, such as the Camera app, by pressing and holding the S Pen button. Then, while using said app, you can use it as a shutter release. The Bluetooth will work up to 30 feet away.
The screen is big, bright, and colorful with a near-bezeless curved screen. And the S Pen slots nicely into the side for charging. When you insert it into the slot, charging begins: it's that simple. A full charge takes as little as 40 seconds. That said, if you don't want to drain your phone's battery, you can set it to only charge when the phone itself is charging. Note that the S Pen still works when it's out of charge, you just lose its remote features.
In short, this is the best stylus phone available today, and as long as you can afford it, you don't really have to look elsewhere. That said, this latest model is quite expensive at time of writing, and not so different from its predecessor, the S23. So you may prefer to save money by getting that one instead.
For more details, see our full Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.
The best premium stylus phone for value
The Galaxy S23 Ultra isn't the latest model from Samsung. but it was only released last year and is still a very worthy alternative to the S24. In fact, it's not really that different, and it's a little cheaper, so it's worth considering.
So what are the main differences? Well, firstly the S23 Ultra has a curved panel rather than the completely flat display in the S24 Ultra, and the newer phone has a new type of glass, which is supposed to be four times more resistant to scratches. The S24 Ultra also has a new reflective coating, and a maximum brightness of 2600 nits, compared with 1750nits in the S23 Ultra.
In other words, you're getting a slightly less good screen with this 2023 phone. However, both models have a 6.8-inch, AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, so the difference as a whole is minor.
The 200MP cameras are pretty similar too, with two exceptions. With the S23 Ultra you won't get the 10MP telephoto lens of the S24 Ultra, or the new AI-powered photo editing tools. Finally, the S23 Ultra's processor (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2) isn't quite as powerful as the S24 Ultra's (Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy). It's still no slouch, though, so most people won't notice any difference.
In short, unless you want the very top specs, the S23 Ultra offers far better value than the S24 Ultra at the current prices.
For more details, see our full Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review.
The best foldable stylus phone
Want a screen that's as big as that found on a small tablet, but with the portability of a phone? Then you want a folding phone. And the best stylus phone with a foldable screen today is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.
That said, while the Z Fold 6 supports the S Pen, it doesn't come with one; you'll have to buy that separately. The S Pen Fold Edition is the official S Pen designed specifically for the Fold 6, as well as its predecessor, the Z Fold 5. It features a slim design and a 1.5mm pen tip, allowing for precise writing and drawing.
When unfolded, you're greeted with a spacious 7.6-inch display that's perfect for stylus use. The S Pen support allows for a range of creative and productive tasks, from quick note-taking to detailed photo editing in apps like Lightroom. The phone's powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset ensures smooth performance for even the most demanding tasks.
New AI features enhance the stylus experience, including improved handwriting recognition and a sketch-to-image tool that can transform your doodles into realistic images. The Z Fold 6 also excels in multitasking, allowing you to run multiple apps side-by-side or use the bottom half of the screen as a touchpad in Flex mode.
For more details, see our full Z Fold 6 review.
The best value stylus phone
2022's Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra still has a lot to offer. In our review, we found it a joy to use, with low latency, whether we were using brushes in Photoshop Lightroom or doing some digital sketching. You can also use it to jot down ideas, perform Air actions, open a new note directly on the screen, or use the S Pen to text feature to convert your handwriting to text as you write on the screen.
The S24 Ultra and 23 Ultra (numbers one and two on our list) are better phones for a number of reasons, such as their 200MP main cameras, faster processors and better battery life. But these are small differences, and don't really affect stylus use. So if you can find an S22 Ultra at a good price, it may still be worth investing in.
For more details, see our full Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review.
The best cheap stylus phone
Like the S22 Ultra above, 2020's Note 20 Ultra is another lovely Samsung phone with great S Pen integration. However, with the exception of a slightly bigger (6.9 inch) screen, it's beaten by the S22 Ultra in most respects. For instance, the latter has a faster processor, better cameras, and two optical zoom levels (3x and 10x), to just 5x in the Note 20 Ultra.
That said, in our review we found using the S Pen for note taking, sketching and using apps to be an excellent experience. Nicely integrated on the left of the phone's base, the stylus feels beautifully natural on the screen, with the same Bluetooth connection and low latency as on the S22 Ultra. And so you can use it to switch modes, open apps, operate a shutter release with the camera and so on, just like with the latter, and it offers virtually instantaneous action
For more details, see our full Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review.
The best basic stylus phone
The oldest and (potentially) cheapest Samsung phone on our list, 2019's Samsung Note 10+ 5G nonetheless provides a good stylus experience.
Don't get us wrong: its successor, the Note20 Ultra is better. A better phone in general, with superior cameras, more versatile zoom and a faster processor. And of the two, the best stylus phone specifically, with a faster refreshing display and lower latency.
That said, the Galaxy Note 10 Plus is still a powerful and impressive phone overall, with a nice 6.8-inch AMOLED display, 256GB-512GB of storage, and strong battery life from the 4,300 mAh battery. And you may find one at a much lower price than other phones on this list (although do a comparison, because that isn't necessarily guaranteed).
For more details, see our full Samsung Note 10+ 5G review.
The best stylus phone from Moto
As we stated in our introduction to this article, Samsung make the best stylus phones today. But maybe you have a reason for avoiding Samsung products specifically. In which case, here's our top alternative.
Released this year, the refreshed version of the Moto G Stylus 5G 2023 features a built-in stylus that slots into the phone, and does a good job at tasks like notetaking, editing photos, and navigating the interface.
More generally, the phone has a nice 6.7 inch OLED display, with 1080p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, a generous 5,000 mAh battery, and a decent 50MP + 13MP rear camera setup. These are all pretty impressive specs giving the affordable price.
Be aware, though, that the stylus is fairly basic, and can't do all the cool tricks that Samsung's latest S Pen can. But given that that the Moto G Stylus 5G is pretty affordable, that might not be a problem for you.
FAQs
What is a stylus phone?
A stylus phone is a smartphone that comes with a built-in stylus pen, allowing you to interact with the screen more precisely, for drawing, handwriting and other tasks.
Why should I use a stylus phone?
A stylus means you're less likely to miss small buttons, app icons, etc, which makes using a smartphone easier, faster and more relaxing. It also allows for greater precision when doing fiddly tasks on your phone such as handwriting, drawing, and editing photos. And it means you're less likely to leave smudges or fingerprints on your screen, too.
Can I use any stylus with a stylus phone?
You don't always have to use the supplied stylus with your phone; but you normally should. That's because stylus phones are usually optimized to work with the specific stylus provided by the manufacturer. So while a generic stylus may work to some extent, it probably won't offer the same level of functionality and precision as the dedicated stylus designed for the phone.
How to choose the best stylus phone
To choose the best stylus phone for your needs, there are several factors you need to consider. The first is functionality: look for precision, pressure sensitivity, and palm rejection features. The second is display quality, especially if you need a stylus phone for detailed work. Also consider the phone's processing power and RAM: the higher these are, the smoother the performance you can expect, especially if you plan to use productivity apps or engage in creative tasks. Finally, as with any phone, battery life is important if you're expecting to use your stylus over prolonged periods.
How we test the best stylus phones
Testing the best stylus phones involves a comprehensive evaluation process to ensure they meet acceptable standards of performance, usability and functionality. We assess precision, responsiveness and pressure sensitivity by conducting tasks such as drawing intricate shapes, writing long passages and sketching designs. We examine the quality of the screen, including color accuracy, brightness, and resolution, to ensure it provides a pleasing experience for stylus use. And we evaluate how seamlessly the stylus integrates with the phone's software, checking for features such as palm rejection, hover detection, and shortcuts for specific functions.
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