What can I use to write on the display of a smartphone?

[Biffos]

What can I use to write on the display of a smartphone? E.g. to sign a release of rights for images or to draw anything?

And how could I use the smartphone as a drawing pad for the PC / notebook?

 

[Hadron]

Depends on the smartphone. For most the answers are "your finger" or "an inexpensive passive stylus (usually metallic with a soft rubber tip)". These screens aren't designed for high-precision input, though you may be able to get something that will work for simple purposes.

If you want something more precise then you need something like Samsung's Galaxy Note series, which have support for a more precise stylus. The difference is analogous to a Wacom drawing tablet compared to a laptop's trackpad, but if your phone doesn't already support something like that (and you'd know if it did) there is no way of making it do so. You can get a tablet with support for such a stylus for much less than you can get a phone that supports it.

I can't answer the second because I have no experience in that area.

 

[Biffos]

Sorry, I thought the make, etc. of my phone would be shown here:

I have a Sony Xperia X F5121.

So a piece of plastic, a stylus with a pike of plactic or such would not be good for the display, I assume.

You can get a tablet with support for such a stylus for much less than you can get a phone that supports it.

Yes, but I had to additionally take a device with me then not fitting in the pocket.

Many thanks!

 

[ocnbrze]

I have a Sony Xperia X F5121.

So a piece of plastic, a stylus with a pike of plactic or such would not be good for the display, I assume.


Yes, but I had to additionally take a device with me then not fitting in the pocket.

Many thanks!

if you want something to fit in your pocket then get the samsung note series phones. i have been using the note since the note 4 came out. i love my stylus and will not ever get a phone that does not have one.

 

[tube517]

I'm a Note fan and use the stylus.

Another option is the LG V60 which has support for styluses but the stylus is not included. I use a Wacom bamboo stylus pen and it has note like features. The V60 is my current phone.

 

[Hadron]

So a piece of plastic, a stylus with a pike of plactic or such would not be good for the display, I assume.

It probably wouldn't harm the glass (the glass will be harder than the plastic), though it could scratch any coating it might have. But it also wouldn't be any use: the stylus would need to be conductive to work, the screen wouldn't respond to a simple plastic stick.

 

[Biffos]

Yes, the Samsung Note phones sound and look good. The LG V60 as well.

But it also wouldn't be any use: the stylus would need to be conductive to work, the screen wouldn't respond to a simple plastic stick.

Oops, I never noticed / knew that (had often seen people using something looking like a plastic stick). So one can write / draw even with a finger nail on my phone but not with a (not conductive) piece of plastic or wood or such.

 

[Hadron]

Yes, just try it and see. It will work through a thin insulator, but not a thicker one (hence the reason why you need special gloves if you want to use a phone while wearing them). So I can swipe my phone through a couple of sheets of paper, but holding a greeting card and swiping with the corner won't work (tests I just performed with items that are to hand - as an experimental scientist my preference is always to test things yourself rather than rely on theory ).

 

[Biffos]

Thank you for testing. Yes I did do it myself before. Didn't even had the thought before it might not work, well. And I didn't know about the gloves (I have big problems hitting the right tiny keys even without gloves).

Many thanks again!