Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it is no longer available. You can still read our original review below, but Top Ten Reviews is no longer updating this product’s information.
The Smarson Bluetooth Digitizer Smart Pen is a cheap version of the IRIS Notes Air 3, but it lacks the accuracy to make it worth purchasing. Though the pen boasts a battery life of 10 hours, in our tests it inserted multiple extra lines that made the handwriting look messy and illegible.
In our handwriting test, a tester wrote out the Gettysburg Address and compared the digitized version with the physical version to spot any errors. The Bluetooth Digitizer inserted 14 extra lines in the 278-word Gettysburg Address, enough to make it the least accurate of all the digital pens we tested and earn it an F rating.
In the drawing tests, we found seven errors. These errors often occurred in overlapping lines and shading efforts and resulted in this pen getting an F rating for drawing accuracy, as well.
This pen charges with a mini-USB port located at the top of the pen and the transceiver charges through a micro-USB port. The pen comes with a split-cable charging cord that can charge both the receiver and the pen at the same time. The pen can run for up to 10 hours on a charge.
In our setup tests, the Smarson pen took 38 seconds to open the app, connect the pen via Bluetooth and be ready to write. This is slower than some of the pens we used, but still in a time frame that shouldn’t be a hassle to anyone setting up the pen for the first time.
This pen weighs the same as the IRIS pen, 0.7 oz., and is about equal to three Bic pens. The pen felt good in our comfort tests, but there isn’t any place to store the cap once you take it off. Additionally, the pen has a triangular shape, which makes it slightly more awkward in the hand than other pens we tested. Based on our experience, this pen earned a C rating for comfort.
The Smarson pen works with iOS and Android devices, and it uses a transceiver that you can attach to the top of any paper or notepad, so you don’t need to buy special paper. You can record audio through the Smarson app, but it requires you to have your smartphone out and recording.
This pen has a one year warranty, but there aren’t any FAQs or tutorials online that help you know how to use it.
The Smarson Bluetooth Digitizer Smart Pen is cheaper than many pens we reviewed, but its poor accuracy in our writing and drawing tests make it not worth the money. Plus, there aren’t any tutorials to help you know how to use it. You’re better off spending more to buy a better pen.
