Microsoft’s New Surface Pen Seems Alive

Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 8 has a stunning 120Hz display and updated internals, but it really was the new Surface Slim Pen 2 that caught my eye. Microsoft added haptic functionality to its stylus for the first time, thanks to a new custom chip inside. It transformed the inking on the Surface Pro 8.

I thought haptic feedback would be a gimmick until I started testing it this weekend. In the Windows Sketchable app, you can choose from a variety of drawing tools, such as brushes, pencils, markers, ink pens, and even chalk. They all feel totally different now, thanks to the haptics of the Surface Slim Pen 2.

It’s not the buzzing haptic feedback you’re probably used to from a phone, the haptics are more subtle here and adjust to give you a slightly different drawing feel depending on the tool selected. It’s hard to describe without feeling it yourself, but the chalk is … chalky, and the inking nib has the slight tension you would expect to feel on real paper.

This tactile feedback goes beyond simple drawing tools, however. In Microsoft Office, you can feel subtle vibrations through the stylus that let you know when gestures are detected, such as drawing shapes, and then converting them automatically. There are subtle haptics that let you know when an action has been taken or when you are selecting objects. It’s very inconspicuous in Sketchable, but it’s a welcome improvement.

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Unfortunately, not all apps support this haptic feedback yet. Developers will need to update their apps to include support, and so far I’ve only been able to get it to work in Excel, Whiteboard, and Sketchable. I expected to see it prominently in Microsoft’s note-taking app, OneNote, but it’s strangely missing. Microsoft says LiquidText, Shapr3D, and Journal all include support for haptic feedback.

The Surface Slim Pen 2 also has a slight overhaul over the original, with a sharper, longer tip. I only had a short time to try it out and I’m definitely not a digital artist, but overall it feels a bit more responsive and precise than the Slim Pen that came with the Surface Pro X.

The big downside to the Surface Slim Pen 2 is its price, at $ 129.99 or as part of the new Surface Pro Signature keyboard priced at $ 279.99. The standard keyboard costs $ 179.99, so if you really want the Surface Slim Pen 2, the plan saves you $ 30 on an already expensive purchase.