The Adonit Note Stylus felt nice in my hand from the moment I picked it up. Using it is dreamy; the small tip makes for the kind of precision you'd hope for in a stylus. There is no noticeable lag, so using this stylus feels very much like using a pen. It even has palm rejection, so you don't get stray marks when you rest your hand on the screen.
Price: $48Bottom line: Using this stylus on the iPad is very close to the experience of using a pen on paper.
The Good
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Easy to use, just turn on and go
- No Bluetooth pairing
- No noticeable lag
- Tiny, precise tip
- Automatic palm rejection
- Reasonable price point
The Bad
- Must be charged
- Only works on certain devices
High-end features without the matching price tag
Adonit Note Stylus: Features
The Adonit Note Stylus looks like a regular high-end ink pen at first glance. It's the same size and shape and it has a pointed tip and a clip like pens do. The aluminum stylus comes in two different colors, Black or Gold. Both have a rose gold clip and power button. The back end of the pen has a micro-USB charging port. Just a four-minute charge should give you enough power for an hour's use. A full charge should give you up to 12 hours of use. Though I didn't time test it, this sounds about right. If you have a long enough charging cable, you could even charge as you work, though I didn't find it necessary to do that.
Just above the power button, there is a blue light that lets you know when the Note is on. It's metal with a matte finish. The stylus feels comfortable in the hand. The tip of the stylus is tiny and very precise. It screws on and off, so you can easily replace it if you wear it out.
The precision tip, lack of noticeable lag, and automatic palm rejection combine to make using this stylus feel as close to pen on paper as you can get.
Using the Adonit Note Stylus is a dream. Just click the power button and go. You do not need to pair it via Bluetooth or anything. I tested it out with my 11-inch iPad Pro and it does everything my finger would except tapping to wake up the iPad and swiping to get in and out of apps. Of course, it is more precise than my finger in many situations such as writing, drawing, and coloring. I'm no artist but I let my artist daughter play with it and she found it a pleasure to work with. She did find that it "skipped" occasionally, though she admitted that she never charged it and it may have been running low on power. I used it quite a bit and didn't find that it skipped at all.
If there is any lag time with this stylus, I could not perceive it. It feels so close to using a pen on paper. It has automatic palm rejection, so you can go ahead and rest your palm on the screen as you work; it won't mess anything up or produce stray marks on your screen.
It's important to note that the Adonit Note Stylus is only compatible with select devices: iPad Pro (3rd Gen), iPad (6th Gen), iPad Air (3rd Gen) and iPad mini (5th Gen). The iPad must be running iOS 12.2 or higher. If you have another stylus such as the Apple Pencil connected to your iPad, you do have disconnect it before you can use the Adonit Note. The Adonit Note Stylus is not compatible with any iPhone. If you want a stylus that works on any screen at all, I recommend checking out the Adonit Pro 4 Stylus.
Pure pleasure
Adonit Note Stylus: What I like
This is just an incredibly well-made stylus. It's so pleasurable to use. It feels good in the hand. It's easy to turn on, just click the power button. There is no pairing involved. The tiny tip and palm rejection make using this stylus as close to pen on paper as you can get on the iPad.
Not for every device
Adonit Note Stylus: What I don't like
There are really only two drawbacks to the Adonit Note in my opinion. First, you do have to charge it. It doesn't take long, and the battery life is good, but it's another thing to charge. Second, unlike some styluses, you cannot use this on every device. Be sure to check your iPad's compatibility before purchasing.
Excellent product for the price
Adonit Note Stylus: Bottom line
If you have a compatible iPad, i.e. the iPad Pro (3rd Gen), iPad (6th Gen), iPad Air (3rd Gen) or iPad mini (5th Gen), and you don't mind charging another device, the Adonit Note Stylus is a gem. It looks and feels like an expensive pen. The precision tip, lack of noticeable lag, and automatic palm rejection combine to make using this stylus feel as close to pen on paper as you can get. If you want a stylus that works with any device at all, then take a look at the universal Adonit Pro 4 Stylus.
