Smartphones with a stylus. The best smartphones with a stylus: review and reviews All Samsung phones with a stylus

Alas, smartphones with a stylus are like an endangered species, because every year the choice becomes less and less. And yet there are several devices on the market that still come with a stylus, which is good news. We have prepared for you a small list of current models.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 64GB

Of course, it’s worth starting with the most important new product in the world of smartphones with a stylus - the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Many users probably remember that the company was forced to withdraw the Galaxy Note 7 from sale: as soon as it went on sale, the media immediately reported cases of explosions. There were even rumors that Samsung would abandon the Note line altogether, but fortunately this did not happen. Moreover, the demand for Galaxy Note 8 is huge all over the world, which means the model turned out to be successful.

Galaxy Note 8 received a new large 6.3-inch display, an Exynos 9 Octa 8895 processor, 6 GB of RAM, water protection, a dual camera (by the way, perhaps the best on the market), wireless and fast charging, etc. In short, before us is a typical flagship, which contains all the best. And of course, there is a stylus.

• Screen diagonal: 6.3 inches

• Resolution: 2960×1440

• Weight: 195 g

• Number of SIM cards: 2

• Processor: Exynos 9 Octa 8895

• Memory capacity: 64 GB

• RAM capacity: 6 GB

• Memory card support: yes

• Support for 4G networks: yes

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 256GB

From now on, the Galaxy Note 8 is sold with 256 GB of memory, and this is provided that memory cards are supported. There are no other differences from the 64 GB version.

By the way, it is worth noting that the new product turned out to be compact thanks to the so-called frameless body: with a screen diagonal of 6.3 inches, the width of the smartphone was only 74.8 mm.

• Screen diagonal: 6.3 inches

• Resolution: 2960×1440

• Weight: 195 g

• Number of SIM cards: 2

• Processor: Exynos 9 Octa 8895

• Memory capacity: 256 GB

• RAM capacity: 6 GB

• Battery capacity: 3300 mAh

• Main camera: dual 12/12 MP

• Memory card support: yes

• Support for 4G networks: yes

LG Stylus 3 M400DY

LG also continues the tradition of releasing smartphones with a stylus. New to the LG line is the LG Stylus 3 M400DY smartphone. This is by no means a flagship device, but it comes at an affordable price.

Stylus 3 M400DY has a 5.7-inch display, HD resolution, 8 MP rear camera, and a 3200 mAh battery.

The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek MT6750 processor, with RAM and ROM capacity of 2 and 16 GB, respectively. Android version - 7.0.

• Screen diagonal: 5.7 inches

• Resolution: 1280×720

• Weight: 149 g

• Number of SIM cards: 2

• Processor: MediaTek MT6750

• Memory capacity: 16 GB

• RAM capacity: 2 GB

• Battery capacity: 3200 mAh

• Main camera: 13 MP

• Memory card support: yes

• Support for 4G networks: yes

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 32GB

And here we have... Another Samsung. And it is not surprising that the Galaxy Note 5, which was announced back in 2015, is still often found on sale - it has almost no competitors. Well, maybe the newest Galaxy Note 8, which only costs almost twice as much.

But the Galaxy Note 5 is the same flagship, albeit from 2015. It is equipped with a 5.7-inch display with QHD resolution, a Samsung Exynos 7420 processor, 32 GB of internal memory and 4 GB of RAM. Wireless charging is supported, and the battery capacity is 3000 mAh.

Of course, compared to the Galaxy Note 8, this smartphone does not look like something amazing, but even if you buy a Galaxy Note 5 now, it will be enough for you for several years to come. Of course, if you don't change smartphones every year.

• Screen diagonal: 5.7 inches

• Resolution: 2560×1440

• Weight: 171 g

• Number of SIM cards: 1

• Memory capacity: 64 GB

• RAM capacity: 4 GB

• Main camera: 16 MP

• Memory card support: no

• Support for 4G networks: yes

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Duos 32GB

Almost a complete analogue of the previous model, but there is still a difference, and it lies in the presence of a slot for a second SIM card. Yes, the “regular” version of the Galaxy Note 5 only supports one SIM card.

• Screen diagonal: 5.7 inches

• Resolution: 2560×1440

• Weight: 171 g

• Number of SIM cards: 2

• Processor: Samsung Exynos 7420

• Memory capacity: 64 GB

• RAM capacity: 4 GB

• Battery capacity: 3000 mAh

• Main camera: 16 MP

• Memory card support: no

• Support for 4G networks: yes

LG Stylus II K520

In some places you can still find the LG Stylus II K520 on sale, although it’s worth trying for it.

In many ways, the model is similar to the Stylus 3 M400DY smartphone, which is described above, but less modern. The device is powered by an ARM Cortex-A53 processor, it has 1.5 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. The battery capacity is 3000 mAh, there is a slot for a memory card, support for 4G and one SIM card, the rear camera resolution is 13 MP.

Display diagonal - 5.7 inches, resolution - 1280x720 pixels. The model is budget, its cost is low.

• Screen diagonal: 5.7 inches

• Resolution: 1280×720

• Weight: 145 g

• Number of SIM cards: 1

• Processor: ARM Cortex-A53

• Memory capacity: 16 GB

• RAM capacity: 1.5 GB

• Battery capacity: 3000 mAh

• Main camera: 13 MP

• Memory card support: yes

• Support for 4G networks: yes

Now many experts are inclined to believe that the touch control technology for smartphones was developed and successfully implemented by the progenitor of the American company Apple, which has become a world legend. The technology quickly passed through its first stages and is currently used in mobile technology everywhere. If ten years ago they were quite common, today only a small assortment of them flaunts on store shelves.

Smartphones with stylus are gaining popularity

Such successful companies as Samsung, LG and others declare every year that the popularity of such devices (in which you can use not only your finger, but also a special device called a stylus) is increasing. What explains this? This is explained by the fact that smartphones with a stylus are more convenient to use. This accessory allows the user to quickly cope with editing spreadsheets, for example, or entering text. The point here is precisely the accuracy of the typing. Let's talk about which models from this segment are the most popular.

Samsung with a stylus: Galaxy Note 4 smartphone

At the moment, sales of this device have reached very high levels. It is unlikely that this is the case. The popularity of the device can be explained by the fact that it successfully combines its strongest features, such as a powerful iron part and an excellent design, clearly worked out with taste. The pride of the device is, of course, its screen. It has a diagonal of 5.7 inches. A SuperAMOLED panel is installed as a matrix.

Designed for Readers

The device was created by South Korean developers for people who love to read e-books or browse pages on the international network. A processor with eight cores cannot be ignored. The first four of them operate at a clock frequency of 1.9 GHz. The second four are at 1.3 GHz. The smartphone comes pre-installed with three gigabytes of RAM. It provides an excellent opportunity to multitask even with fairly demanding applications. The built-in capacity is 32 gigabytes, and this volume can be increased by integrating an external device in MicroSD format up to 128 GB.

The Samsung smartphone with a stylus boasts a camera. She takes incredibly high quality photographs. The matrix of the main module has a size of 16 megapixels. The device is equipped with an intelligent optical stabilization function. It will be more modest, only 3.7 megapixels, but this will be enough for the eyes to take high-quality pictures with it. The stylus is an electronic pen called S-Pen. It perceives requests and signals much better, and therefore has increased accuracy. There were no negative reviews about this device.

LG G3 Stylus D690

This LG smartphone with a stylus was designed by the company for fans. The developers promised to please the fans - they did it! Another, but original product with a name that brings clarity to the situation. The main advantage of this device is its screen, the diagonal of which reaches 5.5 inches. unfortunately, it is small, only 540 by 960 pixels. It is still unknown which processor model is installed in this phablet. However, there is reliable information confirming that the iron filling contains four cores. They operate at a clock frequency of 1.3 GHz. There is one gigabyte of RAM and 8 GB of long-term memory. Not as much as I would like. However, this is also enough for multitasking. And the problem with the lack of long-term memory is solved by integrating an external, more capacious drive.

Fly in the ointment

In its photographic part, the subject of the current review is similar to Alcatel’s solution called OneTouch Hero 2. The main module has a resolution of 13 megapixels. The additional camera did not perform as well as expected. Its resolution is 1.3 megapixels. It seems that this should be enough to create good selfies. However, be careful when purchasing a device if you like to customize the camera, as they say, to suit your needs. As it is written in the reviews about this phablet, the choice of configurations and their changes are very limited, so not all photography lovers are satisfied. Nevertheless, the LG G3 Stylus D690 is exactly the device that belongs to the class of smartphones with styluses for little money.

Alcatel OneTouch Hero 2

We have already briefly mentioned this device. However, now it's time to get to know him in more detail. Smartphones with a stylus, which are reviewed in this article, have their own characteristics. What exactly can a solution from Alcatel offer us? As it turned out, the device will be able to surprise the user in a whole range of areas, from design and style to graphics and overall performance.

The most powerful iron

The work is based on the MediaTek family chipset, and more specifically, the MT6592 model. All eight cores working at a universal frequency work hard in it. By the way, it is equal to 2 gigahertz. The volumes of RAM and long-term memory are 2 and 16 gigabytes, respectively. “Permanence” can be increased by using an external storage device in MicroSD format. All this stuffing is hidden by a six-inch screen that displays images in Full-HD quality. The role of the matrix is ​​played by the IPS panel.

The device's cameras deserve attention. The main module is designed for 13.1 megapixels, and the front one is 5 MG. Fans of creating high-quality photographs will be incredibly pleased with how the modules work. Reviews about this phablet say that it is ideal for those who like not only to take photographs, but also to launch “heavy” toys. Rest assured that the powerful hardware will handle these applications with ease.

Note 3 Neo

The list, which is marked with a stylus as of 2016, is coming to an end, and now we will talk about the model whose name was given above. For the South Korean developer, it has become not just a rule, but a tradition to use an S-AMOLED matrix. The screen resolution of this device allows you to display images in HD quality. The hardware consists of a six-core processor (“Cortex A15”). Four of its cores operate at a clock speed of 1.7 GHz. The remaining ones are at 1.3 GHz. The amount of RAM is two gigabytes. Long-term - 8 times more. Some may think that this is not enough. In this case, you can simply purchase an external MicroSD drive with a capacity of up to 64 gigabytes.

One of the strongest features of this device is its cameras. The rear has a resolution of 8 megapixels and is equipped with an LED flash. The frame rate for video recording is 30 frames per second. Selfie lovers will appreciate the front camera of the device, since it is equipped with a 2 megapixel module. To make yourself a high-quality avatar and upload it to a social network, this will be more than enough. In the reviews of this device, negative aspects regarding product quality were noted. The fact is that a certain batch of smartphones turned out to be defective. Therefore, from time to time users came across just such models. The situation has now been resolved, defective models have been identified and removed from equipment warehouses. Therefore, you can no longer be afraid of shopping.

Equipment

In the box: a smartphone with a stylus, a folder with documentation and a clip for removing the cradle, a USB to USB Type-C cable, an AKG headset with additional ear pads of different sizes, a USB to USB Type-C adapter and a microUSB to USB Type-C adapter.

Design and ergonomics

Note 9 is sold in three colors: indigo, black and copper. Depending on the color, the design of the stylus also differs: the indigo version is yellow, the black version is black, and the copper version is bronze. In my opinion, we got the cutest option - indigo with a dark blue body and a gold S Pen.

The Note 9 is not a frameless smartphone, but due to the rounded edges on the sides, it feels like the screen almost fills the front panel. In this case, no accidental clicks or swipes occur. Beautiful and comfortable. Some users complain about a strange glow along the edges of the smartphone, but this is definitely in vain - it’s just a reflection inside the screen that occurs due to the rounded shape of the display.

The frame on top is dedicated to sensors, front camera and earpiece. On the edge there is a hole for one of the microphones and a “cradle” for a SIM and microSD card. On the left are the volume and call assistant buttons, on the right is the power and lock button. Below is another microphone, speaker, audio jack, USB Type-C input and stylus clicker.

The rear panel houses the cameras, flash and fingerprint sensor. Hell of a perfectionist - the main camera is located a couple of millimeters to the left than necessary.

The smartphone is made of smooth-touch glass and an aluminum frame. It is very thin, but feels nice in the hand. The back panel is quite dirty, but it’s hard to call this a serious drawback when almost everyone makes smartphones with a glass body.

The Note 9 seems reliable and durable - at least, if it falls on the aluminum frame, it's unlikely that anything will happen to it. And it is not at all afraid of dust and almost not afraid of moisture: the degree of protection is IP68. This means that it can be submerged to a depth of more than a meter for longer than half an hour.

You can still find fault with the ergonomics of the Note 9. Due to the fact that the case is thin, the thickness of the buttons is barely a couple of millimeters - it is not very pleasant to press them. Plus, the eternal problem of phablets is that in order to use the fingerprint scanner or press the side buttons, your palms have to “move” up and down every now and then. It’s good that the weight is distributed correctly and the Note 9 can be used with one hand without fear of being dropped.

Screen

Diagonal - 6.4 inches. The screen is really large, and it's convenient - especially if you use the mode with two applications on one screen. This can be useful if you need, for example, to simultaneously work in Google Docs and comment on a document in the messenger.

The screen resolution is 1,440 × 2,960 pixels, the aspect ratio is not even 2: 1, but 18.5: 9 - and this again makes it more convenient to work in two applications simultaneously.

Screen - Super AMOLED from Samsung. The characteristics are the same as the manufacturer’s previous models: excellent calibration, high brightness, support for the Always On Display function, which saves battery power when the screen is locked. It’s impossible to find fault with the screen - the colors look natural, you can look at it from any angle, and it’s difficult to use the smartphone only in very bright sunlight.

Sound

The sound, as usual, is loud and clear - you can't expect anything more from small smartphone speakers. There are two speakers here, and they support panorama. This means that with the smartphone positioned horizontally, you can comfortably watch, for example, videos on YouTube.

Note 9 also supports Bluetooth 5.0 - you can connect two wireless headphones or two speakers. And even configure them so that the sound goes to the devices not synchronously, but from different applications. You can play music from a streaming service on a speaker in the office, and watch videos on YouTube using headphones.

Interesting fact. Not that anyone cares about ringtones in 2018, but Samsung still distinguished itself - some of the official ringtones were recorded by famous blogger and musician Andrew Huang.

Headphones

Includes AKG headset. Despite the fact that this is a brand with a reputation, which has a large number of excellent headphones, the sound is not even a compromise. Overall mediocre sound. Ergonomics and tactile sensations are the same as those of most in-ear headphones - not for everyone.

Camera

Note 9 fulfills the title of flagship and has a 12-megapixel dual camera. It allows you to get excellent photos comparable to those you can take on the iPhone X or Google Pixel 2 XL. In terms of hardware, everything is excellent here: there is a double optical zoom and even a mechanical aperture with two values: ƒ/1.5 and ƒ/2.4. The aperture adjusts automatically depending on the lighting. The second lens is used for bokeh when creating portraits.

The main camera can take pictures with a resolution of 4,032 × 3,024 pixels and shoot videos with a resolution of up to 3,840 × 2,160 pixels at 60 FPS. There is also a super slow-motion video mode with an absolutely insane frame rate - 960 FPS. But this doesn’t fundamentally change the situation - for most people this is a feature that can be played with several times, and besides, to create slo-mo video, the camera must first find an object to shoot. By the time this happens, the moment may already be lost.

All this high-resolution stuff takes up a lot of space, and in this regard, the Note 9 breaks all records. If you take a modification with 512 GB of memory on board, and then insert a flash drive with the same capacity into your smartphone, you will get a terabyte. Terabytes of space for your photos and videos.

There's not much to say about the front camera. Resolution - 8 megapixels, aperture - ƒ/1.7. You can take great selfies, create selfiemojis, and take selfie panoramas.

It is worth understanding that when comparing flagship cameras, we often talk about their software work - in terms of hardware, they are all approximately the same. And the results of this comparison often depend on preference. Example: we looked at how portrait modes work on Note 9 and iPhone X, the pictures turned out very different.

The iPhone X stands out for its sharpness and color saturation, while the Note 9's picture is more faded, pale, hazy. The next nuance is clipping. On the iPhone X it is sharper and more contrasty. And similar differences can be found in any shooting mode. What is better is for everyone to decide for themselves.

The standard camera application seems slightly overloaded, which is often the case with Android smartphones. There are not only manual modes and panorama modes, there are also masks, selfiemojis and much more. Fortunately, it’s quite easy to figure this out, and there’s no need - features and add-ons quickly get boring, and classic photos are almost always perfectly processed by automation. The application itself selects the required mode for shooting (for example, macro or night) and even tells you when the photo was unsuccessful.

For those who like to tinker with the settings, there is a manual mode where you can calibrate ISO, white balance, aperture (optical), focus and even the type of exposure metering.

Stylus

The stylus has changed from the previous version of the Galaxy Note: it now has its own battery and works with a smartphone via Bluetooth - it can be used as a remote control. The charging station is located inside the smartphone, the charge is replenished in less than a minute.

The presence of a stylus can hardly be called a plus, especially considering that electronic pencils have long been considered additional devices for artists and designers. In normal scenarios, it's easy to do without a stylus - it's quite possible that many Galaxy Note owners simply forget about its existence. But the fact is that it’s just a pleasure to use. The dynamic “feather” takes pressure into account, and you can easily spend several minutes just stupidly drawing in notes. The clicker on the end is pleasant to click - a real anti-stress toy.

If we talk about functions, here's what you can do with the stylus:

• create quick graphic notes on the locked screen;
• edit screenshots;
• control the camera and take pictures with your participation without a timer;
• control video playback when connecting a smartphone to a monitor or projector;
• draw with thin lines in ;
• send animated drawings in messages;
• highlight and translate texts.

The stylus is an excellent solution for those who are used to constantly creating sketches, noting and recording something. It can also be useful for those who work with text - highlighting, copying and translating into other languages.

Safety

There are several ways to unlock your smartphone: using a PIN code, fingerprint, face or iris. You can customize each of them and use the one that is more convenient at the moment.

For me, as the owner of an iPhone X, smart unlocking seemed most familiar. This is a mode that combines face and iris identification. The smartphone chooses the preferred method itself, and the system learns to recognize the owner faster and adapt to changes in his appearance. Smart unlocking works confidently and correctly, but is somewhat slower in the speed of fingerprint identification. But you still have to reach the fingerprint scanner. And it’s easy to accidentally stain the camera.

Performance

The modification that is sold in Russia has an eight-core Exynos 9810 processor, working with four cores at 2.7 GHz and four more at 1.8 GHz. Video card - Mali-G72 MP18. The result, as befits a flagship, is excellent. There’s nothing to complain about - everything flies and doesn’t lag at maximum speed. Test results in Geekbench 4:

And here are the “parrots” in AnTuTu:

Autonomy

Note 9 battery capacity is 4,000 mAh. According to the developers, this is enough for 11 hours of video viewing on a single charge. It is quite possible - after three hours of active work with the smartphone and running the Note 9 on benchmarks, the charge dropped by only 15%. It’s more convenient to measure battery life in days - and the Note 9 will definitely last one, even an extremely active day.

With fast charging, the battery is fully charged in just over two hours. Qi and PMA wireless charging are supported.

Interface, control and software

Note 9 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with the classic Samsung add-on. There are no complaints - you can get used to everything, everything works quickly and even looks logical. There are many Samsung, Google and Microsoft services pre-installed - some of them are useful and do not need to be removed. The worst thing is Bixby - the assistant that you have to constantly bump into with the Note 9: it opens by swiping to the left on the main screen, it even has an entire button on the body. You can reassign it, but for me, an adherent of the Jobs sect, this is a real event and dancing with a tambourine. Minus Note 9.

A swipe on the right brings up the quick access panel to applications and contacts, and a swipe on the top opens the control center. The panel that appears when working with the stylus is also convenient - it’s immediately clear how it can be used. In general, the interface can be called intuitive. You can simply turn on your smartphone and use it.

Differences from Note 8

Samsung again did not show any special changes or bold experiments. Here is a list of innovations:

• the screen diagonal has become a couple of millimeters larger;
• the smartphone has become thinner and heavier, but not so much that it can be easily noticed;
• increased memory capacity;
• battery capacity increased;
• The operating system is Android 8.1;
• iron has become a little more productive;
• The location of the rear camera and fingerprint sensor has changed;
• The stylus began to work as a remote control.

Results

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is an excellent smartphone and a strong flagship that is pleasant to use, which has its own features and character. Again - for those who love to draw and constantly sketch, but do not want to carry a tablet with them everywhere, there are simply no alternatives. For those who don't like to draw, but like to choose the best, Note 9 is one of the good options.

But the advisability of purchasing Note 9 for owners of the previous phablet in the series is a moot point. The changes are hardly grandiose, and the price, even with participation in the trade-in program, is decent.

The price of Note 9 is 69,990 rubles for the version with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of physical memory; 89,990 rubles for modification with 8 and 512 GB, respectively. Sales start in stores tomorrow (August 31), and today you can still pre-order and receive a wireless docking station as a gift.