Honestly, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you really are chasing a unicorn here. I spent a fortune testing universal styli when I first got into digital art, and it was a massive headache. Theyre basically just glorified rubber nubs that pretend to be fingers. If you try to draw, the lag and lack of palm rejection make it impossible to get any real detail. You end up with a shaky mess and a sore hand. Since you are heading to the UK, you definitely want something that just works without you fiddling with settings. If you have an iPad, you really need to bite the bullet and get the Apple Pencil 2nd Generation if your tablet supports it. It is pricey, but the pressure sensitivity is night and day compared to those universal ones. For your Samsung, the Samsung S Pen Pro is basically the gold standard. It is way more reliable than anything third-party. I really suggest checking out Proko or some of the digital art forums on Reddit if you want to see how pros handle travel setups. Save your budget for the actual branded pens, because those generic ones will just end up at the bottom of your bag after a week. It sucks that you cant use one tool for both, but your sketches will actually look professional if you use the native hardware. You'll be way happier in the long run, trust me.

Honestly, universal styli are basically just capacitive blobs. They simulate a finger touch, so they lack pressure sensitivity. When I backpacked through Scotland, I used the Adonit Dash 4 for quick notes, but it felt limited for serious art.

• No pressure sensitivity
• Battery life is decent
• Works on any screen Save your cash and stick to the Adonit Dash 4 if you really want one tool for everything, but dont expect professional results.

Been thinking about your search for the perfect tool. Honestly, chasing a universal stylus is a quick way to waste that hundred bucks. I learned the hard way back when I was starting out; I bought a handful of generic pens that claimed to work on everything, but half of them were just glorified screen-scratchers with terrible latency. You really lose out on the tilt and pressure tech that makes digital art feel like actual drawing. Before you commit, keep these things in mind:

• Capacitive pens are fine for sketching layouts but will frustrate you for detailed work.
• Check if your tablet supports active digitizer protocols like MPP or AES.
• Avoid cheap knockoffs with plastic nibs, they wear down screens way too fast. Be super careful about compatibility lists. Most manufacturers are being generous with their marketing, but in reality, you wont get the same experience on your iPad as you would on your Samsung. Better to invest in one solid tool that actually communicates with your specific device.