A:Answer The choice of a stylus and whether one will work with your device or not can be very confusing. The stylus doesn't necessarily have to be a stylus made by HP. Don't get me wrong, they are very good and they are also $70 to $80 each and I have never found one at a meaningful discount. The price of the HP pen is well worth it to the small segment of people that need or use all the pen has to offer. Most everyone else can utilize a stylus that does everything we need it to do for half the price. I need like just the caveman version of an active stylus to maybe jot a note down or sign something or manipulate the touchscreen to move onto something else. I am not going to be drawing or coloring anything. Spending almost $100 for a stylus would be foolish for me and for others it's the right decision. There are many third party styli that utilize the MPP 2.0 technology that are compatible with this HP laptop and many others. Just make sure to compare the model number of your laptop with the model compatibilities of the stylus that your are interested in. That's it. It doesn't have to be any more difficult than that. (Even with HP styli, you have to check model compatibility) Also, make sure to check the features available on the less expensive stylus because it may turn out that it would be worth your money to get the HP stylus if you require more features. The take home message is there are many options available to you to find the stylus you want/need at a price that is more palatable. With the money you saved, you could buy a very nice sleeve to house your new laptop when you have to carry it somewhere.