Unleash Your Creativity: The Best Smartphones With Stylus Pens

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# The Ultimate Guide to Smartphones with a Stylus Pen in 2025

The humble stylus. For a long time, it was an afterthought—a flimsy plastic stick that came bundled with a resistive touchscreen phone, destined to get lost in a drawer or snapped in half. But oh, how times have changed. The smartphone stylus has evolved from a simple tool for tapping and swiping to a powerful instrument for creativity, productivity, and a whole lot more.

In 2025, the smartphone with a built-in stylus isn’t just for a niche market of artists or business professionals. It’s for anyone who wants to do more with their phone. Whether you’re a student taking notes in class, a designer sketching on the go, a multitasker who loves the precision of a pen, or just someone who enjoys a good doodle, a stylus phone can completely change how you interact with your device.

This guide is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about stylus-equipped smartphones. We’ll dive deep into the history of the stylus, explore the benefits of having one, and then break down the top models you should be considering in 2025. We’ll cover everything from the premium flagships that are the undisputed kings of the stylus world to the budget-friendly options that bring this powerful feature to the masses. So, grab a cup of coffee and get ready to learn all about the best smartphones with a stylus pen.

A Brief History of the Smartphone Stylus

To really appreciate where we are today, it’s worth taking a quick trip down memory lane. The stylus as we know it today didn’t just appear out of thin air. Its roots are deep, going back to the very first PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and early touchscreen phones.

Think about devices like the Palm Pilot or the original Windows Mobile phones. Back then, screens weren’t designed for a finger-friendly experience. They were resistive, meaning they responded to pressure rather than a simple touch. This made a stylus not just a convenience, but a necessity. You needed that fine point to navigate the tiny icons and menus.

When the iPhone launched in 2007, it changed the game. Steve Jobs famously declared, “who needs a stylus?” as he introduced the capacitive touchscreen, a technology designed for the human finger. And for a while, he was right. The stylus disappeared from the mainstream, relegated to a handful of niche devices.

But Samsung saw an opportunity. They took a different approach with their Galaxy Note series. Instead of just adding a basic stylus, they integrated a highly advanced, pressure-sensitive pen called the S Pen directly into the phone’s body. The S Pen wasn’t for navigation; it was for creation. It was for artists, writers, and power users who wanted a more precise way to interact with their massive new “phablet” devices. The S Pen offered a new level of functionality that no other smartphone could match.

Over the years, the Galaxy Note line became synonymous with the stylus, building a loyal following. Then, in a move that shook up the industry, Samsung began to integrate the S Pen into its top-tier Galaxy S Ultra models and even some of its foldable devices. This showed that the stylus wasn’t just for a separate product line anymore—it was a flagship feature, a core part of the premium smartphone experience.

Now, in 2025, other manufacturers have followed suit, recognizing the demand for this powerful tool. We’re seeing a new wave of stylus-equipped smartphones, each with its own take on what the stylus can do. The market is more competitive and more exciting than ever before.

Why You Should Consider a Smartphone with a Stylus

So, you’re used to using your fingers to navigate your phone. Why should you bother with a stylus? The answer lies in the subtle but significant ways a pen can enhance your mobile experience. It’s about more than just drawing.

Precision and Detail: Your fingertip is great for swiping and tapping, but it’s not ideal for tasks that require precision. A stylus allows you to perform detailed edits on photos, select small text, and navigate crowded interfaces with pinpoint accuracy. For anyone who works with graphics, spreadsheets, or even just wants to sign a PDF on their phone, this precision is a game-changer.

Note-Taking and Writing: This is one of the most popular uses for a stylus. Jotting down a quick note, sketching out an idea, or even writing an entire document by hand on your phone feels incredibly natural and intuitive. Many stylus-enabled devices have advanced software that can instantly convert your handwriting to text, making it a seamless transition from pen and paper to digital.

Creative Expression: For the artist in you, a stylus is essential. The pressure sensitivity on many modern styluses allows for a truly expressive drawing and painting experience, with varying line thickness and opacity based on how hard you press. You can create digital art, sketch ideas, and even color in digital books with a level of control that’s impossible with just your finger.

Enhanced Productivity: A stylus can be a powerful productivity tool. Imagine quickly circling a key point on a screenshot to share with a colleague, signing a document without needing to print it, or even using the stylus as a remote control for your phone’s camera. The possibilities are endless, and they all contribute to a more efficient and streamlined workflow.

Gaming and Navigation: Some mobile games, especially puzzle or strategy games, can be much easier and more enjoyable with the precision of a stylus. Furthermore, for general navigation, the stylus provides a cleaner, smudge-free way to interact with your screen, especially if you have a large phone that’s a little awkward to handle with one hand.

Breaking Down the Top Stylus Phones of 2025

Now for the fun part. Let’s take a look at the best smartphones with a stylus that are making waves in 2025. We’ll categorize them based on their features and target audience, from the high-end powerhouses to the more affordable, value-driven options.

# The Flagship Titans: Uncompromised Power and Features

When you want the absolute best of the best, a flagship stylus phone is what you’re after. These devices are packed with top-of-the-line specs, the most advanced stylus technology, and a premium build quality.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Galaxy S series has officially taken up the mantle of the stylus flagship, and the S25 Ultra is the pinnacle of this evolution. It’s the spiritual successor to the legendary Note series, and it’s a productivity beast.

The S Pen Experience: The S Pen is what sets this phone apart. It’s seamlessly integrated into the phone’s body, and when you pull it out, a host of powerful features instantly pop up on the screen. The S Pen on the S25 Ultra is known for its incredibly low latency, making it feel just like writing on paper. It’s also pressure-sensitive and tilt-sensitive, giving artists and designers a huge amount of control.

Galaxy AI: This year, Samsung has heavily integrated AI into the S Pen experience. You can use your S Pen to circle objects on your screen to instantly search for them online. The AI can also help you with note summarization, translation, and even creative photo editing. It’s a powerful combination of a physical tool and cutting-edge software.

Performance: Under the hood, the S25 Ultra is a powerhouse. It’s equipped with the latest and greatest processor, a massive amount of RAM, and a stunning display with a high refresh rate. This ensures that every action, from opening an app to editing a 4K video, is buttery smooth.

Camera System: The S25 Ultra is also a photography marvel. Its camera system is one of the most versatile and powerful on the market, with multiple lenses, including a high-quality telephoto lens that’s perfect for capturing distant subjects. The stylus can also be used as a remote shutter button, which is incredibly useful for group photos or long-exposure shots.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

While not a traditional stylus phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 deserves a mention. This foldable phone offers an entirely different kind of stylus experience.

Expansive Canvas: The main draw here is the massive inner screen. When unfolded, the Z Fold 7 provides a tablet-like experience, giving you a huge canvas for drawing, note-taking, and multitasking. The S Pen, while not built-in, is an essential accessory that truly unlocks the device’s potential.

Multitasking King: The Z Fold 7’s large screen is perfect for using multiple apps at once, and the S Pen takes this to another level. You can be writing an email in one window while taking notes in another, all with the precision of a pen. It’s a productivity dream for anyone who needs to juggle a lot of information on the go.

# The Mid-Range Contenders: Striking the Balance Between Price and Features

Not everyone wants to spend a thousand dollars or more on a phone. The good news is that the stylus experience is becoming more accessible. Mid-range phones are stepping up their game, offering solid performance and a useful stylus without breaking the bank.

Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2025)

Motorola has been a long-time player in the stylus phone market, and their Moto G Stylus series has always been about providing an affordable option. The 2025 model is a worthy contender, offering a lot of value for its price.

The Stylus: The stylus on the Moto G Stylus is a simple, yet effective tool. It’s built into the phone’s chassis, just like the Galaxy S series, which is a huge convenience. While it may not have the advanced pressure sensitivity of a premium S Pen, it’s perfect for everyday tasks like jotting notes, editing photos, and navigating the UI with more accuracy.

Display and Performance: The Moto G Stylus 2025 features a bright and sharp AMOLED display with a high refresh rate, which is a great feature for a mid-range phone. It has a capable processor that handles daily tasks and even some light gaming with ease.

Value for Money: The main selling point of the Moto G Stylus is its price. It brings the stylus experience to a much wider audience, making it a great option for students, creative types on a budget, or anyone who wants to try a stylus phone without a huge financial commitment.

Other Notable Mid-Range Phones

While Samsung and Motorola are the most prominent players, other manufacturers are beginning to explore the mid-range stylus market. Keep an eye out for devices from companies like UMIDIGI and others, who are offering phones with a stylus at an even more affordable price point. These phones may not have the same brand recognition or polished software, but they can be a great way to get started with a stylus phone.

Deeper Dive: The Stylus Experience – Hardware and Software

A great stylus phone isn’t just about having a pen. It’s about the entire ecosystem of hardware and software working together to create a seamless experience.

# The Hardware: The Pen and the Screen

Stylus Technology: There are two main types of stylus technology in smartphones: passive and active. Passive styluses are the simplest, essentially just a conductive tip that mimics a fingertip. They’re good for basic navigation but lack advanced features. Active styluses, like Samsung’s S Pen, have their own internal electronics. This allows for features like pressure sensitivity, tilt detection, and even a button on the pen for extra functions.

The Digitizer: The screen itself is crucial. A stylus-enabled smartphone has a special layer called a digitizer beneath the display. This digitizer is what detects the position and pressure of the stylus, allowing for the fine-grained control that makes the stylus so useful.

Haptic Feedback: Some advanced styluses and screens can work together to provide haptic feedback, a subtle vibration that mimics the feeling of a pen on paper. This small detail can make a huge difference in the overall feel and realism of the writing or drawing experience.

# The Software: The Brains Behind the Pen

Quick Menus: Most stylus phones have a quick menu that appears when you pull the pen out. This menu provides instant access to common stylus functions, like creating a new note, taking a screenshot, or drawing on the screen.

Note-Taking Apps: The pre-installed note-taking app is often the heart of the stylus experience. These apps are optimized to work with the specific stylus, offering features like handwriting-to-text conversion, the ability to annotate PDFs, and a variety of brushes and pens for different styles of writing and drawing.

Air Actions and Gestures: On premium devices, the stylus can do more than just touch the screen. It can be used for “air actions,” where you perform gestures in the air to control the phone. For example, you might wave the stylus to navigate a presentation or use it as a remote to take a picture.

Compatibility: It’s also important to consider the stylus’s compatibility with third-party apps. A good stylus phone will have a robust ecosystem of apps that are optimized for stylus use, from advanced drawing programs to professional note-taking tools.

What to Look for When Buying a Stylus Smartphone

Ready to make the jump? Here’s a checklist of things to consider before you buy.

Built-in vs. Accessory: Do you want a phone with a stylus that’s built-in and always with you, or are you okay with a separate accessory? Built-in is a huge convenience, as you’ll never have to worry about losing your stylus. However, accessory styluses often have more advanced features or can be larger and more comfortable to hold.

Pressure Sensitivity: If you’re an artist or designer, pressure sensitivity is a non-negotiable. Look for a phone that offers a high level of pressure sensitivity for a more expressive drawing experience.

Software Ecosystem: The stylus is only as good as the software that supports it. Do some research to see what kind of note-taking and drawing apps come pre-installed and what other apps are compatible.

Performance: A powerful processor and a good amount of RAM are important for a smooth stylus experience, especially if you plan on multitasking or running demanding apps.

Budget: Stylus phones come in a wide range of prices. Determine your budget and find the best phone that fits your needs within that price range. You might be surprised at how much you can get for your money with some of the mid-range options.

The Future of the Stylus in Smartphones

Where does the smartphone stylus go from here? The trend is clear: it’s not going away. The stylus is becoming a key differentiator in a crowded smartphone market, and manufacturers are continuing to innovate.

We’re likely to see even more advanced stylus technology, with features like even lower latency, improved haptic feedback, and more sophisticated air gestures. AI will play an even bigger role, making the stylus an even more intuitive and powerful tool for a wider range of tasks.

The stylus might also play a more central role in the foldable phone market, as these devices provide the perfect canvas for a pen. The idea of a phone that unfolds into a tablet and can be used with a stylus is a compelling vision for the future of mobile productivity.

Ultimately, the smartphone with a stylus pen is no longer just a throwback to the past. It’s a modern, powerful, and incredibly useful tool that can enhance your daily life in countless ways. Whether you’re a creative professional, a busy student, or just someone who wants a new way to interact with their technology, there’s a stylus phone out there for you.

So, if you’re in the market for a new phone in 2025, don’t overlook the humble stylus. It might just be the feature you never knew you needed.