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At this point in the arc of human history, owning a pair of the best possible touchscreen gloves is almost a necessity. The gloves mom tucked into your stocking once upon a time won't even let you send a voice text, nevermind roast your friend's joke with the stock “Ha Ha” response. And the only thing worse than being stuck with a pair of dumb-gloves is when you have to pull them off to expose your thumbs, the dry winter air sapping your skin's hydration and your own resolve.
But that won't be you. Not anymore. Especially because these days, the best touchscreen gloves come in all the same shapes and styles as the best gloves, period. Where, years ago, a touchscreen glove either looked like technical apparel or was made from the thinnest, least-warm leather available, you can now get fluffy fleecy ones, and slope-ready ones, and actually leather ones. They even have touchscreen gloves for you running freaks who still log miles while everyone else is sipping hot cocoa.
Below, you'll find our picks for the best-looking and most-functional touchscreen gloves for men— including plenty of unisex picks—across a wide variety of uses. But all of them are stylish, warm, and ready to let you get off a good joke on the groupchat.
The Best Leather Touchscreen Gloves: Dents Shaftesbury Touchscreen Gloves
If you need a pair of touchscreen gloves that'll work as well with a suit as they will with your phone, Dents' pair is the answer. The brand's been crafting England's finest leather gloves for about as long as the United States has been a country. Their signature Shaftesbury model brings all of that old-world luxury and hard-earned knowledge into the 21st century. These refined lamb leather gloves, lined with heavenly cashmere, both work like a charm and look charming.
The Best Bang-for-Your-Buck Touchscreen Gloves: Under Armour Men's Storm Liner
Under Armour’s performance sports gloves are flexible, touchscreen compatible, and slim enough to be used as a liner when the temperature really drops. While they aren’t 100% waterproof like some of our favorite winter gloves, they will keep snowflakes and mist from soaking your hands. We'd go with the Tracksmith pair below for running, but these will do just fine if you're looking for the cheapest possible pair to knock out a few miles.
The Best Lightweight Winter Gloves: Arc'teryx Venta Gloves
Like all it's gear, Arc'teryx's gloves are cleanly designed, thoughtfully constructed, and imbued with an outdoor cred—even if you're just using them to walk a few blocks for dinner. These unisex touchscreen gloves are thin and agile: more for chilly winter days than googling-frostbite-symptom days, but plenty warm considering how bulky they aren't. The moisture-wicking fleece lining teams up with a shell of GORE-TEX fabric to keep the cold and water out, without your hands turning all clammy. And then there's those useful Arc'teryx details: carabiner-friendly loops to keep you from losing them, slim elastic cuffs to slide under your coat's cuffs, and sizes running from XS to XXL.
The Best Running Gloves: Tracksmith Inverno Running Gloves
Tracksmith is driven by people who truly love to run, and it shows in these unisex running gloves. They great at swiping on your phone or smartwatch, but Tracksmith also added an extra-soft brushed fabric to the side of the thumb and forefinger for easily swiping off snot and sweat, too. (Runners will understand.) The performance polyester is a perfect cold-air barrier while your heart-rate is elevated. They're also surprisingly affordable for a boutique brand, but we're not complaining.
The Best Everyday Winter Tech Gloves: The North Face Men’s Apex Insulated Etip Gloves
Despite the name, we wouldn't recommend these for hardcore mountaineering or shredding the slopes (we have a pick for that below), but North Face's Apex gloves are great for everything else you'll do outdoors this winter. The palm's silicone dots are there for extra grip on trekking poles, but work equally well for snow saucers or just making sure your iPhone doesn't go flying when you start to slip on some ice. They're a little too bulky to bang out work emails, but they'll at least let you see who's texting. And then you can decide if they're important enough to pull your hands from the toasty insides—or just let them stay on read.
The Best Fleece Touchscreen Gloves: Patagonia Retro Pile Gloves
These fuzzy fleece touchscreen-ready gloves are a favorite of ours here at GQ, and we shout them out whenever they're included in Patagonia sales. You know how lots of brands like to brag about using recycled materials, but you have a nagging suspicion that they're, like, one percent of the finished product? These double-sided fleece gloves are made from 100% recycled materials, from the shearling-style fleece fabric to the nylon palm (treated with a water-repellant coating, so you're free to fling snowballs). And it's a small details, but we really appreciate the loop at the cuff, which makes it easier to tug these gloves on and off.
The Best Ski & Snowboard Gloves: Burton Gore-Tex 3-in-1 Ski Gloves
Burton's Gore-Tex gloves were specifically designed for ripping up the slopes. The fleece liner and shell can each be worn separately, with the shell being windproof, waterproof, and breathable. If using the whole setup together isn't enough, you can slide hand-warmers into the pockets on the back of the shell (or use the zips to let a little air in). The synthetic leather palm-side lining extends up the fingers, all of which work with a touchscreen. And because they're from Burton, they come with a lifetime warranty.
The Best Knit Touchscreen Gloves: Portolano Men's Cashmere Knit Smartphone-Touch Gloves
These aren't so much gloves, as a hug for your hands. Portalano has been making beautiful knitwear for centuries. Since it's the 21st century, these cashmere gloves have been upgraded for touchscreen compatibility—without losing any of the angelic softness of the beloved knit. Since there's no lining, a cold wind will cut through them, same as it would a sweater. But if most of your time outdoors is spent between the door and the car, why not wear the softest gloves possible?
The Best Touchscreen Gloves on Amazon: Coach Men's Tech Nappa Glove
Coach's leather gloves are always a popular gift idea around the holidays, but they also deserve a closer look as your own winter gloves. Crafted from Nappa leather and wool, the gloves are meant to be as soft on the inside as they are on the outside. Nappa leather goes through a special tanning process that results in an ultra-soft feel and extra flexibility, and the end result here is a pair of gloves that keeps you warm without sacrificing any style points.
The Best Fingerless Gloves: The Elder Statesman Cashmere Heavy Fingerless Gloves
Maybe you're looking to channel the attitude of the heart-of-gold punk from an ‘80s teen comedy, or you run warm, or you just want to keep your fingers ready at all times. Whatever the deal, these Elder Statesman gloves swaddle your palms and at least one set of knuckles in heavy cashmere. It’s like a vest for your hand—and absolutely the best way to make sure you don't mis-type something to your boss.
The Best Luxe Touchscreen Gloves: Thom Browne Rib-Cuff Wool Touchscreen Gloves
You'd half expect Thom Browne, evangelist for all things cropped and short, to be pitching fingerless gloves. Instead, here he does that other thing Thom Browne does so well: make a piece that's so sharp and understated, you'll feel like the best version of yourself wearing it. Soft merino wool keeps you warm, particularly thanks to a longer cuff (see, he's always thinking about proportions!) that blocks gusts from getting in. All in a clean—but not boring—gray and navy colorblock.
The Best Liner Touchscreen Gloves: SmartWool Liner Gloves
You know SmartWool from their indomitable wool socks, preferred by dads everywhere for keeping feet warm-but-not-hot, and lasting forever. Which, when you think about it, sounds exactly like what you'd want out of a lightweight pair of gloves. These liner gloves are both a blessing when you need warmth fast (shout-out Prime next-day shipping) and for keeping as a backup in your bag, or your car, or at the office, in that one drawer with the emergency deodorant. Wear these solo before the temp turns truly frigid, then slip them under chunkier gloves when the RealFeel starts hitting single digits. You won't be able to text at the point—but that'll be the least of your concerns.
A Creative Alternative: Keep Your Gloves and Try a Stylus Instead
If you can't find any touchscreen gloves that are quite to your liking (or if you're finding you can't type properly while wearing them), there are alternatives to consider. Over on Reddit, users from the frozen white north of Canada have offered some creative solutions. First, users suggest adapting to the cold and using fingerless gloves (way ahead of you, Reddit). But we have to give credit where its due for this idea: Keep your gloves on and slip a capacitive stylus into your winter coat pocket. Capacitive styluses use silicone or rubber tips compatible with all universal touchscreens, so no matter what model phone, smartwatch, or tablet you're using, these simple tools will let you swipe and tap away without removing your digits from the warm embrace of your wool gloves.
