Stylus & Pen Test
Draw in the browser to inspect pointer type, pressure, tilt, and contact data exposed by your device and driver.
Stylus & Drawing Tablet Test
Test your stylus, pen, or drawing tablet using the browser Pointer Events API. Draws pressure-sensitive strokes and shows real-time pressure, tilt, and pointer data. Also works as a general pointer test for mouse and touch input.
Pressure levels: Professional tablets support 4096 or 8192 pressure levels. Browser reports normalized 0–1 regardless of levels.
Tilt support: Tilt (tiltX/tiltY) requires a compatible stylus and driver. Wacom Pro Pen 2, Apple Pencil 2, and Surface Slim Pen 2 support tilt.
Palm rejection: Handled by your tablet driver, not the browser. Enable palm rejection in your tablet driver settings.
Run a reliable test
Connect and prepare the pen
Pair the pen or connect the tablet, then install the current manufacturer driver when the device requires one.
Draw light, heavy, and tilted strokes
Use the canvas while changing pressure and pen angle. Watch pointer type, pressure, tiltX, and tiltY.
Compare the signal
If a value stays flat, repeat in another browser and a native drawing app before treating it as hardware failure.
Understand the result
Pressure
A normalized browser value. It confirms changing pressure but does not reveal the pen’s raw pressure-level count.
Tilt
Changing angles confirm that the pen stack exposes tilt. Zero can be normal for a pen model without tilt support.
Pointer type
The browser should normally identify an active stylus as a pen rather than a mouse or touch contact.
Drawing continuity
Broken strokes or intermittent contact can indicate a worn nib, driver issue, connection problem, or digitizer dead zone.
Accuracy & methodology
This page reads Pointer Events delivered by the browser after the device, driver, and operating system have processed the pen input.
What this test measures
Browser-reported pointer type, normalized pressure, tilt angles, contact geometry, and drawing continuity.
What it cannot measure
It cannot count raw pressure levels, calibrate a pen, test palm rejection, inspect firmware, or certify hardware latency.
How to interpret the result
Changing pressure and tilt confirm that the browser receives those signals. Flat values may reflect the pen model, driver, OS, or browser.
What to do next
Compare another browser and a native drawing app, then inspect the manufacturer driver before arranging hardware repair.
Compatible devices and expected signals
Model specifications describe hardware capability. The signal visible here can still be limited by the device, driver, operating system, and browser.
Wacom
Intuos, Intuos Pro, Cintiq, One
Model-dependent pressure + tilt
Pressure and tilt depend on the tablet, pen, driver, operating system, and browser. Pro Pen 2 hardware supports 8192 pressure levels.
Apple Pencil (pressure models)
1st generation, 2nd generation, Pro
Apple does not publish a level count
Supported models can provide pressure and tilt, while browser behavior still depends on the iPad, iPadOS, and Safari version.
Apple Pencil (USB-C)
USB-C model introduced in 2023
Tilt only—no pressure sensitivity
Apple lists tilt sensitivity for this model but not pressure sensitivity. A flat pressure reading is expected.
Microsoft Surface Pen
Surface Pen, Slim Pen 2
Model and device dependent
Pressure and tilt support varies by pen generation, Surface model, Windows driver, and browser.
XP-Pen and Huion
Artist, Innovator, Kamvas
Model-dependent pressure + tilt
Install the current manufacturer driver. Browser support can differ from the vendor drawing app.
Samsung S-Pen
Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab S, Galaxy S Ultra
Device and browser dependent
Many S-Pen devices support pressure, but the values exposed to a web page depend on Android and the browser.
Generic stylus
Passive or capacitive stylus
No pressure
Basic rubber-tip styli emulate a finger, so pressure and tilt data are not available.
How compatibility claims are verified
HardwareTest does not infer raw pressure levels from the normalized browser value. Device-specific claims are limited to manufacturer specifications or repeatable observations that record the device, OS, browser version, pointer type, pressure change, tilt change, and test date.
Troubleshooting
Pressure stays at 0 or 0.5
Restart the tablet driver, inspect the nib, reconnect the device, and compare a native drawing app.
Tilt never changes
Confirm that the exact pen model supports tilt. The Apple Pencil USB-C model, for example, supports tilt but not pressure sensitivity.
Pointer type shows mouse
Install or restart the manufacturer driver and confirm the browser supports Pointer Events on the current operating system.
Strokes break or skip
Try another port or wireless connection, replace a worn nib, and test several areas of the digitizer surface.
Frequently asked questions
How many pressure levels do drawing tablets support?
Pressure sensitivity is measured in levels—the number of distinct pressure values a stylus can report. Entry-level tablets may support 512 or 1024 levels, while current professional hardware can support 8192. The browser Pointer Events API normalizes the available pressure signal to a 0–1 value, so this page cannot count the raw hardware levels.
Is a stylus more accurate than a mouse for drawing?
A pressure-sensitive stylus is generally more natural for illustration because it can expose pressure, tilt, and pen-like movement. A mouse remains better suited to workflows that prioritize low-latency cursor movement without pressure input.
How do I set up a Wacom tablet for this test?
Connect the tablet, install the current Wacom driver, and open this page in a modern browser. Draw on the canvas and confirm that pointer type, pressure, and tilt change. If they remain flat, compare the browser result with the Wacom driver panel and a native drawing application.
Does this test support tilt detection?
Yes. The test displays tiltX and tiltY when the pen, digitizer, operating system, driver, and browser expose those values. A zero value can be expected on pens without tilt support and does not by itself prove a fault.
What is palm rejection and how does it work?
Palm rejection is normally handled by the device, operating system, or tablet driver. The Pointer Events API can report pen and touch input, but this web page cannot configure or certify palm rejection behavior.
My stylus is not working in this test. How do I fix it?
Confirm the driver is installed, inspect the nib, reconnect the tablet or pen, and compare another browser. Then test a native drawing app. If native pressure works but browser pressure does not, the problem is more likely in the browser or operating-system input path than the pen hardware.
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