The new Surface Pen ($99) also supports 4,096 pressure levels and adds in tilt support for all current Surface devices. My experience tells me Bamboo Ink is slightly better for current Surface Pen users, but Microsoft is stepping it up with Surface Pro for 2017. What about Surface Pen and Surface Pro (2017)? There are no differences in latency – the time it takes the ink to register on a display – because that is dependent on the screen and PC's hardware, not the oen. Both pens take a single AAAA battery to power the Bluetooth component. It weighs 19 grams versus the 21 grams of the Surface Pen. Weight is distributed evenly with the Bamboo Ink. That's a good thing, because it behaves more like a real pen would. That means the Bamboo Ink registers ink on the screen with less pressure. Bamboo Ink real-life useįor the last few days, I tested the Wacom Bamboo Ink on the following devices:Īlthough Wacom does not specify the activation force required to initiate a pen stroke, the force needed for the Bamboo Ink feels much lower than the current Surface Pro 4's pen. To jump between Wacom AES and Microsoft's Pen Protocol you press the two side buttons simultaneously for two seconds.Ī faint blue LED behind the buttons tells you the mode has switched, but it's hard to see. However, unlike the new Surface Pen (due later in June) Bamboo Ink does not appear to support tilt features. There are also two side buttons that work with Windows Ink or Wacom's configuration software. Like the Surface Pen, the Bamboo Ink supports Bluetooth so that users can program the top 'eraser' button.

Wacom bamboo ink stylus tilt