The best touchscreen winter gloves

By Nick Guy

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. Read the full article here.

Over the past four winters, we've tested more than 30 pairs of touchscreen gloves while moving half a ton of stumps, climbing on ice, and just walking and biking around town. For the first time since we published our initial guide, we have a new pick: Moshi's Digits gloves are our favorite touchscreen gloves for most people, offering the right combination of warmth, dexterity, and grip. They aren't the absolute warmest touchscreen gloves you can buy, but they are warmer than anything that's better at handling touchscreens, and better at handling touchscreens than anything that's warmer.

How we tested

We tested a lot of gloves. Many of them were pretty good, but none of them were as good as our pick. Photo: Michael Zhao

Aside from simply wearing the gloves and using our devices, we attempted to standardize our experience with each pair by standing in a temperature-controlled walk-in cooler at Resurgence Brewing Company in Buffalo, New York, for 15 minutes at a time. While the 42F cooler was actually warmer than the outdoor temperature at the time, it gave us a consistent level for our tests. With each pair of gloves, we thumb-typed the first verse of Weezer's "My Name Is Jonas" (which we picked before 2016's big East Coast storm!) on an iPhone 6s Plus with autocorrect turned on to test accuracy.

For the remaining time, we used the phone as we normally would, checking Twitter, sending texts, and playing games. We also tested durability by running strips of Velcro across one glove from each pair 10 times.

Our pick

The grip on the palms of the Moshi Digits helps to keep your phone from slipping. Photo: Kevin Purdy

First and foremost, the Moshi Digits are very good knit winter gloves, as they kept our hands pretty warm even in subfreezing weather. On top of that, we found ourselves able to thumb-type with little issue; with autocorrect turned on, we had zero typos in our typing tests. The Digits are warmer than anything that's better at handling touchscreens, and better at handling touchscreens than anything that's warmer. A rubberized grip on the palm helps to keep your phone from slipping away, and the light gray (in small/medium size) and dark gray (in large) colors won't clash with most outfits.

A runner-up for colder climates

The ThermoBall Etip fits tightly and offers great insulation against the cold. Photo: Michael Zhao

If our main pick sells out, or if you live in a colder climate and you use your touchscreen for only simple tasks, The North Face ThermoBall Etip (available in both men's and women's versions) is the warmest touchscreen glove style that allows for decent dexterity, with a design that features full-finger conductive technology licensed from U|R Powered.

For warmer climates

The Glider Urban gloves are not nearly as warm as our top pick, but they work very well with touchscreens.

If you live in a more-temperate area or don't venture out into the cold often or for long, the Glider Gloves Urban Style Touchscreen Gloves have great conductivity, and because they're thin, they're also very accurate if you get a good fit (we recommend sizing down if your fingers are shorter than average). They stop being warm enough somewhere in the high 30s, though.

The stylish leather upgrade

The Aiden looks just like a leather glove from the back but has a fleecy lining and a spandex-like palm. Photo: Michael Zhao

U|R Powered's Leather & Tech Stretch Gloves offer a great compromise between the classic look of a leather glove and the snug fit required for easy touchscreen interaction. They achieve this feat by combining a sheepskin-leather back with a stretchier spandex-like palm and (front of the) fingers. They're available in men's (Aiden) and women's (Sasha) styles.

Wrapping up

After two months of testing, we found that Moshi's Digits are the best touchscreen winter gloves; in our tests, we were able to thumb-type without making any mistakes while they kept our hands warm in a 42F walk-in cooler. We recommend The North Face ThermoBall Etip (available in both men's and women's versions) if you live in a colder climate and Glider Gloves Urban Style Touchscreen Gloves if you reside in a warmer climate. And U|R Powered's Leather & Tech Stretch Gloves (available for men and women) are a great choice if you want a stylish leather upgrade.

This guide may have been updated by The Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.