Differences between Dell Active Pen PN556W vs. PN557

Owning a Dell XPS 15 9575 2-in-1 notebook with the brilliant 4K touchscreen, using a pen is mandatory for a great Windows 10 Ink Experience. I decided to buy the PN557W pen (which is compatible) and got a pen labelled as PN556W. Taken all together: Don’t worry, it’s probably the pen which you ordered just with a wrong sticker on it. I’ll give you some hints how to identify your pen.

Confusion

Since the XPS 15 9575 2-in-1 is such a great product (at least for me), I was really looking forward for my new PN557W pen. Although Dell recommends the PN579X for the notebook, the PN557W works perfectly as well. However, you may be confused when you receive the the package with the pen included:

• The package both says PN556W and PN557W.
• The pen itslef has a sticker on it which says PN556W.
• The design of the pen looks like the PN557W.

To clarify the confusion: The labelling on the Dell PN557W is wrong. It is definitely the PN557W pen and not the PN556W pen if it looks like the PN557W pen. There are a few differences:

• The PN556W has a pocket clip, the PN557W not.
• The PN556W has a code with the format MIxxxx oder USxxxx printed on it. The PN557W has a code with the format MIxxx printed on it.

To identify the pens using the different design, here is the difference:

You can get some more help on a German website of Dell:

Recommendation

The PN557W is a great product. It works seamlessly and is compatible with all the Windows Ink features. Additionally, it can be clipped onto the XPS 15 magnetically.