That’s why touchscreen gloves are a must-have for the colder months. A conductive wire woven into the gloves’ fabric transmits the electrical charge from your body to the sensors on your capacitive touchscreen. That means there’s no need to take off a glove to text or type. Although they’re a fairly simple device, there are still a few elements that vary between brands and types. Sometimes, the conductive element is sewn into the entire glove (so you can use any part of your hand on the screen), at other times it just appears on some or all of the fingertips. The gloves may also have a textured, grippy surface to help you keep hold of your phone. Don’t forget that if you use fingerprint ID to unlock your phone, that obviously won’t work through gloves. So, in the winter months, you might want to change your lock mechanism to something more low-temperature friendly, such as face ID or a PIN. Touchscreen gloves will work with any phone or tablet. These are the best we’ve found.
All-over conductivity Inner layer of polar fleece
Array
Many touchscreen gloves are restricted to a couple of fingers for their operation. The Mujjo gloves work on all parts of the hand: fingers, knuckles, palm or heel – so you can swipe and tap easily. The latest version has been redesigned inside with an extra layer of polar fleece that’s topped with 3M Thinsulate for a glove that’s warm despite being lightweight. It still has a grippy silicone pattern to help save your phone from unfortunate drops. There’s also a new thumb construction which optimises the gloves for larger screens. Just note that the insulation makes the gloves thicker than the originals, so they’re not quite as flexible and it’s a good idea to order one size lager than you usually would. The only real downside is the price – these are Mujjo’s most expensive gloves, although they’re still cheaper than plenty of others out there. They look functional rather than fashionable, with the slightly cat burglar vibe of wearing skintight black gloves. In our winter tests down to around 0°C, we could use a phone freely while wearing the gloves, which felt both comfortable and warm.
Dual layer
Colour options limited by size Only fingertip conductivity
You get a choice of grey colours, but they’re locked into specific sizes for some reason: so the light grey gloves (pictured) are in small and medium, while there’s a darker grey pair only available in a large size. If the tip of your middle finger measures 15-17cm to your wrist, you need small. Medium is 17-19cm, and Large is 19-20.5cm. If you’re at the high-end of either, we’d recommend going for the slightly larger pair. They’re dual-layered (with a seriously soft micro fleece lining), although we found that the layers pulled apart a little when taking the gloves off, so you might find the need to straighten them out again each time. These have a conductive layer on all ten fingertips, so you can use any finger for your phone tapping and swiping (but obviously not fingerprint unlocking), and there’s a grippy pattern across the palm. However, the conductive thread does leave the inside of the gloves with an almost sparkly finish, so bear that in mind.
Good for winter sports
Only tips of the thumb and forefinger are conductive
Waterproof, breathable, and insulated, these should keep you warm even in fairly intense cold, although they won’t compete with the absolute best skiing gloves. Still, they have the benefit of the Etip technology, which means you’ll be able to check your phone without taking your gloves off on the slopes. Just note that it’s only the tips of the thumb and forefinger that are covered, not the whole palm or any other fingers.
Three colour options
Not the warmest gloves
They’re not going to be the warmest gloves in the world, but they’re simple, attractive, and cheap, which should be appealing to lots of people.
Warm and durable
Not suitable for winter sports
North Face rates them as suitable for “Cold” but not “Very Cold” conditions. They come in small, medium and large sizes. They work well with a touchscreen, and we were able to type reasonably fast while outside in the cold.
Anti-slip Lightweight
Only tips of the thumbs and index fingers are conductive Not suitable for winter sports
They have extensive grips, to stop your phone slipping out of your hand. Only the thumbs and index fingers have the conductive material to work on touch screens. These are the main fingers you use on a phone but some other gloves have the material on every finger.
Warm Stylish
Harder to type in than wool gloves
We found that leather touchscreen gloves are a little harder to type in as the fingertips are tougher than wool, but they do the job and are probably more fashionable than a big pair of woolies. They’re available in a range of colours, including black, grey, blue and red. There are also zippered and studded styles at a very similar price point. Emma is Home Tech Editor at Tech Advisor. She covers everything from kitchen appliances to smart home devices, from floor care to personal care to air care technology. She’s particularly interested in environmentally conscious brands and products that save people time and money.
