Resistance: A good stylus offers the right amount of friction between the nib (drawing end) of the stylus and the iPad’s screen.

However, if a stylus cramped a tester’s hand or dug into skin, we dropped that model from consideration, and if we found it impossible to grip a stylus without dragging a hand on the screen or contorting our fingers, we eliminated that contender.

Comfort: Recommending a single stylus design and grip for everyone is difficult some people prefer a thicker body, for example, while others want rubberized grips or angled grip surfaces.

Advanced features: More advanced stylus models include features such as palm rejection, tilt support, and pressure sensitivity, which make for a better drawing and writing experience.

While you’re drawing, the stylus should ink over the same line precisely and repeatedly, and the line on the screen should closely stick to the stylus’s tip without noticeable lag.

Precision: A stylus should write consistently, without overlapping letters or inconsistent vertical spacing.

Sketchbook apple pencil