Best gloves you can use a phone with
Almost every glove now claims to work with a touchscreen. The real trade is that the gloves you can type in are thin, and the warm ones make every tap a guess.
4 products ranked Updated
Our rankings are built from published testing by named outlets, not from our own lab. We earn a commission when you buy through our links, and it never changes the order.
The short answer
- 1 Outdoor Research Sureshot Pro Gloves Best if you need real warmth $75.00
- 2 The North Face Etip Recycled Gloves Easiest to type in $50
- 3 Arc'teryx Venta Glove Best for walking in wind $80
- 4 Achiou Touch Screen Thermal Gloves Cheapest spare pair $11, per OutdoorGearLab
Prices checked 14 September 2026. They move constantly — the retailer's own page is the authority.
Outdoor Research Sureshot Pro Gloves
4.5 / 5
Our reading of OutdoorGearLab — their Best All-Around Winter Glove, warmth 7.5/10 , 2026
The only pick here warm and waterproof enough for a proper winter day, and the phone still works: OutdoorGearLab found the touchscreen fingertips responsive enough to unlock a phone and take photos. Typing is another matter, because the fingertips are broad, so expect short replies. For a commute in real cold, that is the right compromise.
Pros
- Warmth 7.5/10 and waterproof
- Touchscreen works well for taps and photos
- Leather palm and a long cuff
Cons
- Wide fingertips make typing clumsy
- Less breathable
Where these findings come from
- OutdoorGearLab: best all-around; warmth 7.5/10, the warmest touchscreen glove here; waterproof and windproof; goat-leather palm; long Velcro cuff
- OutdoorGearLab: touchscreen sensitivity excellent for the protection, but fingertips wide and imprecise, fine for unlocking and photos, texts kept short; less breathable
The North Face Etip Recycled Gloves
4 / 5
Our reading of OutdoorGearLab — their Best Touchscreen-Friendly Commuter Glove , 2026
The glove to wear if your phone is in your hand all morning: every fingertip works on a screen, the fit is close enough to type, and a grippy palm keeps the phone from sliding out. The price is warmth: OutdoorGearLab scored it 1.5 out of 10, and wind goes straight through. A city glove for chilly days, or a liner under something warmer.
Pros
- All fingers work on a touchscreen
- Near bare-hand dexterity
- Grippy palm
Cons
- Warmth 1.5/10
- Does not block wind
Where these findings come from
- OutdoorGearLab: every finger is touchscreen-friendly and works very well, including sending a quick text; close stretchy fit gives almost bare-hand dexterity; silicone grip palm
- OutdoorGearLab: warmth 1.5/10, among the thinnest tested; does not block wind
Arc'teryx Venta Glove
4 / 5
Our reading of OutdoorGearLab — their Best Town-to-Trail Glove, warmth 3.5/10 , 2026
A thin glove that stops wind, which is what makes cold hands on a brisk walk. OutdoorGearLab rarely took them off to use a phone or tie a lace, and the build quality impressed them. They are not warm for standing still in deep cold and not waterproof. Warmer than the North Face for moving about, less dexterous.
Pros
- Windproof Gore-Tex fabric
- Thin enough to use a phone comfortably
- Very well made
Cons
- Warmth 3.5/10
- Not waterproof
- $80
Where these findings come from
- OutdoorGearLab: Gore-Tex windproof fabric; thin enough to take photos and check messages without removing; great dexterity; high-end construction; breathes well
- OutdoorGearLab: not waterproof; warmth 3.5/10; a little pricey
Achiou Touch Screen Thermal Gloves
3.5 / 5
Our reading of OutdoorGearLab — their Best Backup Pair, warmth 3/10 , 2026
An $11 knit glove that works on a phone and grips well, which makes it the one to keep in a coat pocket or car. It will not stop wind or wet and snags easily, so treat it as a backup. No photograph and a quoted price: it is sold through Amazon, which does not serve product data to us, so the link is a search.
Pros
- $11
- Touchscreen pads and a grippy palm
Cons
- Not windproof or waterproof
- Snags easily
- No photograph or verified price
Where these findings come from
- OutdoorGearLab: great price; touchscreen thumb and finger pads; effective rubberised grip; dexterous enough to tie shoes and zip jackets; dries quickly
- OutdoorGearLab: not windproof or waterproof; prone to snagging; hand wash
The trade-off nobody puts on the label
Touchscreens respond to the electrical charge of a fingertip, so touchscreen gloves weave conductive thread into the tips. That part is easy. The problem is precision. A thin glove puts a narrow, accurate point on the screen. A warm, insulated glove puts a wide, soft pad there, and taps land in the wrong place. OutdoorGearLab's results show the pattern clearly: the easiest glove to type in scored 1.5 out of 10 for warmth, and the warmest scored 7.5 but only managed short texts.
What actually matters
How you use the phone. Taps, maps and photos work in most of these. Typing needs a thin glove.
Wind. On a walk, wind cools hands more than temperature does. A windproof thin glove beats a thicker one that lets air through.
Grip. Silicone or rubber palms stop a phone slipping out of a gloved hand.
Layering. A thin touchscreen liner under a warmer overmitt gives you both: pull the outer layer off to type.
Where this comes from
We do not test gloves. Our source wore everyday winter gloves through a season and ran controlled warmth, water and dexterity tests, noting how each one worked with a phone. The warmth scores quoted on each pick are theirs.
What we are leaving out
Ski gloves and work gloves, and heated gloves, which need batteries and rarely work well on a screen.
Where this comes from
We did not test these. These people did.
Every score on this page rests on the testing below. The ranking is ours; the measurements are not. How we research.
- OutdoorGearLab — Everyday winter gloves worn from trail runs to subzero commutes and put through controlled water-resistance, temperature and dexterity tests, with touchscreen use checked on each. Updated January 2026.
Questions people ask
Why do touchscreen gloves stop working?
Can I make normal gloves work on a phone?
More guides
Best packing cubes
What packing cubes actually buy you, what they do not, and the one component that decides whether a set lasts a year or five.
5 picks Updated
Best carry-on luggage
Cabin allowances, wheels, and the part that actually breaks. What to weigh up before you buy, and how we will decide the ranking.
4 picks Updated
Best travel backpacks for a one-bag trip
Carrying a week on your back means trading capacity against the cabin allowance. The measurements that decide it, and how we will rank them.
3 picks Updated