Duoyoumi Capacitive Stylus REVIEW | MacSources
Inexpensive touchscreen add-on to enhance your functionality.
When I graduated high school at the end of the 1990s, my parents lovingly gifted me with a PDA. I used it for about a year and then realized that I did not like carrying around my flip phone and PDA. Around 2008, I upgraded to the Samsung SCH-i760, then to the Droid X, and ultimately to the iPhone. Even though I was not an early iPhone adopter, I completely understood Steve Jobs’ anti-stylus sentiments: “Who wants a stylus?” “You have to get them and put them away and you lose them. Yuck!.” Hysterically, the Apple Pencil was released just 8 years later to much huzzah and fanfare. As iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch technology have advanced, there have been more note-taking Apps, drawing Apps, coloring Apps, book Apps, etc. Now, a few devices have taken over my E-reader, my camera, my portable computer, my GPS, and much of my gaming, Television/movie/music, and general enjoyment. Now, my interest in styluses has changed. The stylus has morphed into a useful add-on for enhanced functionality.
The Duoyoumi Capacitive Stylus arrived inside of a standard orange mailing envelope. Within the packaging, I found a 5 7/8 inches long by 2 1/16 inches wide by 11/16 inches thick black rectangular box. Other than the white SKU/Made in China sticker on the back, the only other identifying information was the “Capacitive Stylus Duoyoumi” inscription in shimmering silver font upon the cover. When I lifted the lid off of the box, I found eight individual foam cutouts. Toward the left half of the box, there were two 5 1/8 inch long cutouts that contained the 0.42-ounce black and white pens. Nestled inside of their own cutouts, oriented vertically adjacent to the pens, you will find two extra padded stylus tips and four pen-tip stylus attachments.
I removed the black, 5 1/8 inches long, Duoyoumi pen from the box and quickly realized how lightweight it was. Orienting the pen so that the white Duoyoumi logo was readable, the black rubberized stylus tip faced the right. From left to right, you will find a screw-on 7/8 inches long pen cap, a 1/32 inches long metallic spacer, and then a comfortable, black-foam, 1 7/16 inches long pen grip. The main body of the pen measured 2 3/16 inches long and contained the “Duoyoumi” logo. Lastly, you will find a 1/32 inches long metallic spacer and a screw-on/off black, puffy stylus on a metallic base. Despite the well thought out design, I missed having a pocket clip and the option to have a screw-on/off top for the secondary stylus. Before using either the conductive fiber tip or the disk style tip, I would recommend that you clean your screen with WOOSH. In fact, the company recommended installing a screen protector onto your device to reduce further the chances of scratching your screen.
The conductive fiber tips worked perfectly on my iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPad Pro 11" to reduce fingerprints and to quickly scroll up/down pages. No matter where I touched the pen, the capacitive function allowed the screen to record my touch. This may not seem like that big of a deal, but the ability to conduct touch through the foam-pad grip was quite impressive. If you need more precise touch control, simply remove the screw-top and screw it back onto the conductive fiber tip side to keep track of the tip. It was with that feature that I realized the reasoning why the device only had a single screw-top lid; if the device had two tips, I might have set one down and lost it. With the top removed, I was able to use the fine-tip disc stylus tip. Instead of a single point, as you would find on a standard pen, the stylus had a 9/32 inches diameter clear plastic disk. If you grip the disk and pull outward, you can remove the 9/16 inches long stylus. After nearly a week of use, I can honestly say that I have not had any scratches to my screen, nor any broken stylus tips. I was able to use the disc-stylus to jot down quick notes, to draw, and to use the conductive fiber tip to scroll up/down on my pages.
It is important to note that this device does not require chargers or any kind of charging cable. Thus, the stylus is ready for you whenever you need it. Unlike the Apple Pencil or the Adonit Note Plus, however, the device did not have native palm recognition. However, the flexible disc-stylus allowed for a more comfortable, customizable, writing experience. Since I typically rest my hand on the surface only when fatigued, I did not find quick notes to be a concern with this device. I used the Notes, Good Notes, and InkPad Apps to test this stylus. I loved the ability to upload and annotate PDF files to Good Notes. I loved that I was able to highlight and annotate my textbooks, “The 5-Minute Clinical Consult 2020,” and Martin Tobin’s “Principals and Practice of Mechanical Ventilation Third-Edition. I did not include pictures of this activity due to reproduction/copyright limitations. Honestly, I was impressed with the sub $9 price-point, with the inclusion of two pens, two extra foam tips, and four extra disc-stylus style tips. I would have liked that the packaging was a little more detailed, but this was not a deal-breaker. If you are not one that typically uses a stylus, neither this review nor the device, in general, will be useful to you. However, if you have an interest in using a stylus with your Apple iPad, touchscreen computer/tablet, iPod Touch, or iPhone, this device will enhance your functionality.
Pros:
* Cost <$9.
* Includes 2 Pens
* Replaceable tips
* Includes 2 extra conductive foam tips
* Includes 4 extra disc tips
* Sensitive capacitive touch technology
* No need to charge
* Should work with any touch screen.
Cons:
* Bland Packaging
* No native palm recognition
* No pocket clip
Originally published at https://macsources.com on September 8, 2020.
