In this review, we will be checking out the latest stylus pen by Adonit. The Adonit dash 4 stylus and this is not the first time we have tested products from this brand after reviewing the Adonit Note -M.
The Adonit Dash 4 is a budget-friendly alternative to the Apple Pencil and it’s also compatible with both Apple & Android devices. Other key features include no Bluetooth required it’s not reliant on an app to operate.
Unboxing
The Adonit Dash 4 comes in a very simple looking box with an image of the pen on the front and some of the key features to the rear of the box. Inside the box, you get the Adonit Dash 4, Additional tips, a USB-C charging dongle and a manual with instructions on how to get the best out of the dash 4.
Design
The Adonit Dash 4 is a combination of aluminium on the body of the pen with some plastic used mainly for the tip of the pen. You have a small Adonit logo towards the top of the pen and a small clip to either store in your pocket or within the pen holder on your iPad case. The pen comes with a matt finish for style purposes.
The top end of the pen has that clickable power button that also has a LED indicator which is quite important in terms of functionality and design. More on that shortly. Weight-wise it’s 15g meaning it’s very lightweight in your hand and offers that balance when in the hand. You can also get the pen in either Silver or Black. In this review, we got the black version of the Dash 4 in this review.
Performance/Use
As mentioned there is a clickable power button at the top of the pen with an LED indicator. When pressed once it will switch to blue and a second press turns it green and finally press and hold for a few seconds and this will switch the pen off.
The green light will indicate it’s ready to use on older tablets such as the iPad 2017 model or earlier. It can also work on android tablets which we also tested this pen on.
If you put the Blue light on this will only work with tablets such as newer models with palm rejection built-in. This will allow you to rest your palm naturally on the screen while writing.
The Adonit dash 4 has about 15 hours of use and when you’re down to 20% power you will get a sold red light which will then start to flash when you are down to 10% battery life. When it’s time to charge you are also given a USB-C charging dongle it has a small magnetic tray that holds the dash 4 in place when charging which should only take about 1 hour to fully charge.
My only concern it the charging dongle is very small and can be lost with ease. So consider this when using the pen keep the dongle in a safe place as if lost the pen will become useless.
Performance/ Ease of Use
The big bonus of this stylus pen is the fact there is no Bluetooth pairing it’s just a simple click at the top of the pen and start to use it. As mentioned you have the two main options in terms of the device you are using. It’s so simple to use anyone could get using it from my teenage son to my nan it’s that user friendly.
Now testing the Adonit Dash 4 we got a chance to put it through its paces on an iPad Air as well as a Samsung Galaxy Tab S and also my iPhone 12 and I will be honest I did not have any real compliments.
Yes, when using the pen it works better on some apps compared to others and when it’s not performing as you would like. You get the odd missed stroke but it’s very random in terms of when it happened and only seemed to happen on the Samsung Tablet.
I found when making notes or drawing a spider diagram for example it performed with ease. Overall the performance of the stylus pen won’t give anyone any reason to complain it’s an excellent product for the casual user. However, if you are a pro user looking to use this as your main tool in design it might be worth considering an option with Bluetooth and a dedicated app.
Verdict
The Adonit Dash 4 is a great option for a casual user. The pen is well built and the option to replace the tips is welcomed. The pen is nicely designed, lightweight and comfortable to use even for long periods of time. The fact there is no need to use Bluetooth is a blessing and curse all rolled into one.
It’s a blessing that you can use it on a range of tablets from the brand new iPad to older models and some android tablets as well without the need for a Bluetooth connection. It’s a curse as some users who have more pro demands from their stylus will require a Bluetooth connection and the use of an app. I also feel that fact on some devices you suffer from the odd missed pen stroke might put some users off as it’s not the near-perfection they require.
However, for the affordable cost and its multifunction on both IOS & Android tablets then this will be ideal for the casual user.
Product Rating:
Overall Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars – 4.0 Stars
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