This article contains everything you need to know to start using the Lenovo Active Pen 3.

First usage

To use the Lenovo Active Pen 3, simply insert the included 1,5 V quadruple A (AAAA) battery into the pen. There is no need for a Bluetooth connection. As soon as the battery is inserted, the pen is ready to use.

Troubleshooting 

The pen should work immediately. If not, reinsert the battery or try a new one instead. The battery should easily last for months even during intense use. If the pen stops working even on a new battery, try to switch pen protocols by holding both buttons for 25+ seconds.

Pen protocols

On your Android tablet, the Lenovo Active pen 3 supports AES and WGP pen protocols. On your compatible Windows tablet, both protocols also work fine. MPP should also be supported. As far as I know, there’s no way to find out which protocol is currently used.

Button functionality

Without a Bluetooth connection available, the function of the buttons on the Lenovo Active Pen 3 can’t be changed. The lower button (close to the tip) usually triggers the rubber when holding. Depending on the app you’re using, the rubber might work until you stop holding the button or until you lift the pen of the display. The upper button triggers different functions, depending on the used app. In Bamboo paper for example, it opens the color palette. Important: The buttons only work when the pen is in hover-mode or in contact with the screen.

Pressure sensitivity

The Lenovo Active Pen 3 is a pressure-sensitive stylus. Most drawing and writing apps have this functionality enabled by default. The Affinity programs require that setting to be enabled for every type of brush individually. In Microsoft Journal has a general pressure-sensitivity setting for all pens & brushes.

Hover feature

The hover feature works out of the box when the pen tip is placed close to the screen. Windows will display a standard cursor, once the pen is in range. Not all drawing apps support live-preview hover i.e. a preview of the selected drawing tool in hover mode. Some apps that support it are Affinity Photo/Designer, Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, etc.), Paint and SmartNote. If live-preview hover isn’t supported, the standard Windows cursor for digital pens will be displayed continuously.

Tilt functionality

Even though sometimes marketed otherwise, I couldn’t find a way to use the Lenovo Active Pen 3 tilted with changing functionality in any app I tested. As the tip of the stylus suggests, tilting isn’t intended by the design. If you have found a way to take use of tilting the pen, please contact me via mail.

Personal experience

I’ve used the Lenovo Active Pen 3 for writing, sketching, and drawing on my IdeaPad Duet 5i since late 2022. Before writing this article, I already created two videos on my German YouTube channel about the Pen and a separate review about the IdeaPad Duet 5i.  

More information

• Read this article in German

• Lenovo Active Pen 3 Quick Start Guide (EN, FR, ES RU, CN)

• Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5i datasheet (pen protocols on Windows)

• List of of compatible Android tablets & specifications

• How to use the Lenovo Active Pen 3 (1), Video (German)

• How to use the Lenovo Active Pen 3 (2), Video (German)

• My review of the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5i, Video (German)

• Buy the Lenovo Active Pen 3 (UK)

• Buy the Lenovo Active Pen 3 (DE)

• Buy the Lenovo Active Pen 3 (IN) No battery included!

About this article

This article was published first on January 1st, 2024, by Bruno Salzer. There is no guarantee for content accuracy or completeness. For further questions feel free to contact us via service(at)bruhision.de.