Review on Lenovo Active Pen 2: Maximize creativity with 4096 Levels of Pressure Sensitivity and Customizable Shortcut Buttons for ThinkPad X1 Tablet Gen 2, Miix 720, 510, 520, Yoga 720, 920. Includes Replacement Tips and GX80N07825 model. by Shawn Tolbert

This is my first tool of this kind. I've never used a Wacom tablet or active pen, so this was pretty new to me. First, installing the battery was a bit fiddly. Luckily they contain reverse polarity protection, since I installed the button cells the wrong way round at first. They are so tiny that it is difficult to meet them. Second, this pen is slippery. I find it moves excessively in my fingers, in part because I'm constantly adjusting if the stylus slips a little. As a result, I accidentally pressed the buttons. I plan on trying some tape on the pin head to see if that helps with the hold. Coming back to the battery, I feel like a missed opportunity with the pen holder that fits into the USB port. It could have been a wireless charging solution where the stylus could hold a battery and an induction coil in the stylus holder would charge it. Instead, it's just a piece of plastic with a disposable primary cell of relatively unusual size. I don't blame this stylus, but I generally had to reconfigure the way I use the stylus to actually get it to work properly. Advertisement. This is mainly due to my inexperience in these things. Overall I like the concept and it seems to work well. It works out of the box on Linux, which is a bonus. I think the performance could have been better. Edit: I know I've mentioned battery placement errors multiple times, but I can't stress enough how wrong this technical piece is. Not only does it use a combination of battery technologies, but button cells can also be expensive. Depending on your usage, at the current price of this pen of $40, expect the total cost of ownership to double within the first year. AAAA cells are not very expensive and most other pens I've seen only require this type of battery. Since this pen does not have a hard switch, the AAAA element can also be discharged by being in your pocket due to accidental activation of the pen, as is the case with me.