The stylus has not always been something a lot of people want, but it's been around for a long time now. I can still remember the days of old, with Palm Pilots and Windows Mobile phones, each of which with basic sticks that could help you use the touchscreen on the older handsets. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it got the job done.
Now here we are in 2020 and the stylus is sort of great. Samsung has jammed a lot of features into its S Pen over the years, almost to the extent of getting borderline gimmicky with its last entry. But then you have the Apple Pencil which comparatively keeps things pretty simple, and yet it's a truly great accessory for the iPads that support it.
Those cover the high-end options (as long as we're ignoring artist drawing tablets and what not). And then there are the less expensive options from LG, which are tied to large-screened smartphones similar to what Samsung offers in its Galaxy Note lineup. LG wanted an answer to Samsung's popular phablet, but those handsets can't really compare, even with the stylus support.
And now it looks like Motorola is getting in on the fun.
It's described as a "mystery Motorola phone," and that's spot on. It's still early and we don't have much to work with, other than a picture. We get what looks like a pretty big phone, a small punch-hole in the top-left corner, and a stylus. Based on the image, which you can see at the top of this piece, it looks like the stylus will slot right into the bottom of the handset (there's an indent that looks like a slot or a headphone jack, and the safe bet is on the former).
The specs of this handset could go either way, honestly. It could be a mid-ranger, with features to match. We may also have a high-end flagship smartphone here, featuring everything but the kitchen sink. Or it could even be an entry-level handset that's looking to shake things up with a stylus. But all I can say is I hope it's a high-end model.
And what about the stylus? What will Motorola bring to the table to help their accessory stand out, other than including it with the phone itself, of course (which is honestly a smart move). Will we see support for gestures, like Samsung's latest S Pen? Or will the company play it a bit more low-key and just keep thing simple?
Of course, you can buy a general stylus that will probably work with your phone for selecting items, and that's all well and good. But full stylus support would be pretty great for these big phones these days. Taking a note on the Galaxy Note 10+ is pretty great, and it has been for previous generation models, too.
I think stylus support for these phones is pretty great, honestly. I'd love to see Apple follow suit, even if I know it's not possible for the company to make an iPhone that can host a stylus like the Galaxy Note and the S Pen. Which probably makes it not worth it. But, either way, I think stylus support is generally a plus.
What about you? Do you think more phones should have stylus support? Let me know!