Following the release of Jot Touch 4 and Jot Script Evernote Edition, Jot Touch with Pixelpoint ($120) is the next evolution of Adonit’s drawing stylus. Like its predecessors, Jot Touch with Pixelpoint is an advanced digital stylus with Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. The tip is wider than Script, measuring 3.18mm versus 1.9mm, but it’s still fine-tipped by iPad stylus standards, and allows for much more precise input than traditional rubber-domed alternatives. This version is especially geared towards Adobe Creative Cloud users, and while you can write or draw with the pen in any app, to wirelessly connect and gain pressure sensitivity, palm rejection, and control of the shortcut buttons, you must use “Jot Ready,” officially supported software. Shipped with a USB charger, Jot Touch with Pixelpoint is good for 20 hours of drawing per charge.
Compared to Script, Touch is just 0.1” shorter at 5.5” long, and ever-so-slightly wider, measuring 0.47” in diameter. The body is the same handsome metal we’ve become accustomed to from Adonit, this time coming in black—really more of a dark gray—or white. Towards the tip, there’s an almost-2” segment covered by a rubber grip, with two metal-matching buttons embedded in it. Finally, there’s the small writing tip at the end.
We found the stylus extremely comfortable to hold and write with; it has a very nice weight and is well-balanced.
This edition of Touch uses the same charging system as Jot Touch 4: the bottom of the pen magnetically attaches to a charging base, which in turn fits into any USB port. For the most part, we like the way it’s set up, although the design does limit exactly where the charger can be used. For example, it’ll plug into a horizontal port on a laptop or wall charger just fine, but it’ll be more difficult to charge the pen on an iMac. The magnet is strong enough to hold Touch parallel to your desk, though, so it’s not impossible—just well out of reach during charging.
During testing, we found that Jot Touch with Pixelpoint was able to connect to the same apps as Jot Script Evernote Edition, even if support isn’t expressly stated. For example, we were able to pair with Penultimate with no issues, other than the pen being identified by the app as Jot Script. SketchBook Pro, on the other hand, sees “Adonit Jot Touch,” not specifying which edition. Adonit is currently spotlighting two Adobe titles that include some Adobe-only features, such as copying and pasting from the cloud, and creating custom color profiles.
Despite the tip being wider than that of Script, Touch is very easy to write with, accurately enabling both drawing and note-taking. There are no huge drawbacks. The palm rejection and pressure sensitivity work well. Of course you’ll never be able to notice all 2,048 levels of sensitivity, but you’ll get a darker or thicker line depending on how hard you press in supported apps. As for the shortcut buttons, they’re a nice touch that can be used for a number of different functions. For example, in Adobe’s Sketch app, pressing the button closer to the tip brings up a menu in the center of the screen, and pressing the one further back undoes your last action. Jot Script was designed without functions like this.
The best way to sum up Jot Touch with Pixelpiont is that it’s Jot Script Evernote Edition infused with Jot Touch 4’s functional DNA. It combines the best features of both, although at a higher price than either.