This article was originally published in 2019 and was updated in March, 2023.
Curious whether or not the Apple Pencil is worth buying?
Whether you’re a new iPad user or you’ve had one of Apple’s mobile tablets for years, you’ve probably heard about the Apple Pencil.
Since its first release in 2015, Apple’s high-tech, low-profile input device has changed the way iPad users interact with their favorite apps.
Apple has gone out of its way to make sure that the Apple Pencil is more than just another iPad stylus.
But do the benefits really justify the price tag? Is the Apple Pencil worth buying, or is it just a fancy finger replacement for Apple fans?
In this guide, we’ll help you cover the basics of the Apple Pencil and whether it’s worth buying for your specific needs.
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#caption#Image: Luiz Felipe
#alt#An Apple Pencil 2 (logo visible) sits atop an iPad.
Apple Pencil: The basics
Before we talk about who uses the Apple Pencil, let’s cover the basics.
In short, the Apple Pencil is a touch-sensitive, precision selection tool that functions as a replacement for tapping the screen when used with a compatible iPad. Because it’s the size of an actual pencil — something everyone is familiar with — it fits easily in the hand and feels intuitive to use.
There are currently two versions of the Apple Pencil. Let’s take a closer look at each model:
#caption#Image: Paperlike
#alt#The Apple Pencil (1st generation) sits on a table beside an iPad.
Apple Pencil (1st generation)
This was the model that started it all: The original Apple Pencil. The first generation of the Apple Pencil was released in 2015 and is compatible with older iPad models.
Key features
This version of the Apple Pencil offers the following features:
- Pressure-sensitive tip.
- No lag during use.
- Tilt and pressure sensitivity.
- Compatible with a screen protector.
- Doesn’t require a battery pack.
- Completes software updates while charging.
- Contains no moving parts within the casing.
- Works simultaneously with other iPad accessories, like the Apple Smart Keyboard or third-party Bluetooth keyboards.
But it comes with a major downside: To charge the device, you’ll need to plug it into the Lightning port on your iPad.
Even though Apple says it only takes about 15 minutes to charge the device, charging the first-generation Apple Pencil feels clumsy and awkward. Some users even prefer to buy female port adapters for the lightning connector — like this one on Amazon — to avoid charging the Apple Pencil via the iPad.
Compatibility
The first generation of the Apple Pencil is compatible with all versions of iOS, as well as the following devices:
- iPad (6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th generations).
- iPad Air (3rd generation).
- iPad mini (5th generation).
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st and 2nd generations).
- iPad Pro 10.5-inch.
- iPad Pro 9.7-inch.
#caption#Image: nyc russ / Alamy Stock Photo
#alt#An Apple Pencil (2nd generation) sits on a yellow table beside its original packaging.
Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
The second-generation Apple Pencil is the current model of the product, and Apple seems to have hit its stride with this updated version.
Key features
This version of the iPad offers the following features:
- Pressure-sensitive tip.
- No lag during use.
- Tilt and pressure sensitivity.
- Change tools with the double-tap gesture.
- Compatible with a screen protector.
- Doesn’t require a battery pack.
- Completes software updates while charging.
- Contains no moving parts within the casing.
- Wireless charging and pairing.
- Magnetic attachment using ferrite magnets.
- Works simultaneously with other iPad accessories, like the Apple Smart Keyboard or third-party Bluetooth keyboards.
This version of the Apple Pencil comes with a smooth, matte finish rather than the plastic casing on the first-generation model.
Overall, the device feels sturdier and nicer to hold, and the new material allows Apple to offer free engraving if you want to personalize your Apple Pencil. Rather than a fully cylindrical body, this version also features a flat side to prevent it from rolling away.
Because this Apple Pencil attaches magnetically to your iPad and charges wirelessly, it’s easy to park it on the side of your iPad and use it when you need it.
But, be warned: While the magnetic adhesion feels firm, it isn’t foolproof. The Apple Pencil can be knocked off your iPad with relatively little effort, and some accessories can interfere with charging.
You may also need to rethink your case selection if you want the Apple Pencil to accompany your iPad in its magnetically locked position. If the case doesn’t have a spot for the stylus, you’ll have to keep track of it separately.
Compatibility
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th generations).
- iPad Pro 11-inch (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generations).
- iPad Air (4th and 5th generations).
- iPad mini (6th generation).
#caption#Image: Luis Furushio
#alt#Architect Luis Furushio’s desk set up including two iPads, an Apple Pencil, glasses, and a cup of coffee.
Major benefits
Going beyond the technical details, the Apple Pencil offers a few major advantages over your fingers when it comes to interacting with your iPad.
#caption#Image: Elizabeth Gray
#alt#An iPad screen featuring hand-drawn hands holding a cup of tea reading “brew your own positivitea.” Elizabeth Gray holds an Apple Pencil beside the iPad.
Improved versatility
Hands and fingers are great for a lot of things, but they’re clumsy and awkward when compared to the precision that we get from using specialized tools.
And we’re not just talking about the Apple Pencil! That’s true for any tool — stylus or otherwise.
With the Apple Pencil, you’ll have finer-grained control over your hand movements. This allows you to use your iPad in new and exciting ways, from writing and journaling all the way to drawing and digital design.
Protip: You can add even more versatility and control when using your Apple Pencil by picking up a Paperlike. Our screen protectors emulate the feel of paper. Combined with the Apple Pencil, drawing and writing on your iPad feels just like working in a sketchbook or physical notebook.
#caption#Image: Victoria Pritchard
#alt#Victoria Pritchard’s hand holds an Apple Pencil as she draws a face on her iPad.
Pressure & tilt sensitivity
Another major advantage of the Apple Pencil comes down to sensitivity when touching the stylus to your screen.
Teardowns of Apple Pencil units have shown that the device isn’t capacitive — meaning that it doesn’t conduct a charge through the screen like your finger does when you touch the iPad. Instead, the Apple Pencil uses emitters to determine angle, tilt sensitivity, and applied pressure.
That’s a major difference between what you’ll see in third party styluses for Android and iPad devices, which may only provide limited pressure sensitivity — if they even offer it at all.
Because the tip of the Apple Pencil understands how hard or soft you press against the screen, it’s possible for iPad users to create everything from handwritten text to incredible digital artwork, like lettering and calligraphy, without any other specialized tool.
What’s more: Many app developers have also discovered how to take advantage of these unique features.
- With creative apps like Procreate or Adobe Fresco (comparison here), artists can adjust the size, texture, and consistency of the brushes and erasers they use to paint and draw.
- Notetakers using GoodNotes 5 or Notability (comparison here) can emphasize key points in their notes by pressing down harder while using the fountain pen tool.
While Apple hasn’t revealed any pressure sensitivity levels for the Apple Pencil, the stylus is diverse enough that professional artists are able to create incredible works of digital art without resorting to specialized equipment like Wacom tablets or expensive desktops.
#caption#Image: Lauren Hom
#alt#Image of an iPad with a design that says, “Forever Bettering My Lettering” with a hand holding an Apple Pencil over it.
Who uses the Apple Pencil?
Without a doubt, there are a ton of uses for the Apple Pencil, and many consider it to be a must-have Apple product and the best stylus on the market.
While it might not seem like a fit for the everyday user at first glance, the Apple Pencil is a nifty little gadget when placed in the right hands.
So who thinks the Apple Pencil is worth buying? Let’s take a look at some specific use cases to find out.
#caption#Image: Kevin Cordovez
#alt#Image of an iPad with a drawing of snails wearing sunglasses in a car, with a hand holding an Apple Pencil over it.
Artists
The Apple Pencil gives artists almost everything they need to sketch, draw, and colorize artwork on their touchscreen device. This is because the Apple iPad supports technologies like palm rejection and pressure sensitivity, both of which are fundamental to most digital artists.
Combine that with an active imagination and a few powerful artistic apps like Procreate, Affinity Photo, or Photoshop for iPad and you’ve got everything you need to start creating amazing digital art.
You can even grab a Screen Protector by Paperlike to make the surface of the iPad feel like real paper.
This combination of hardware and software makes your Apple devices powerful enough to compete with dedicated drawing tools like the Wacom Cintiq. The iPad apps, combined with features built into the iPadOS software, save Apple users from a hefty investment into specialized hardware.
After all, why purchase a dedicated art device when the iPad can get the job done at no additional charge?
That’s especially true when you use the macOS Sidecar feature or an app like Astropad Studio (for increased low latency performance) to transform your iPad into a graphics tablet for your Macbook while still using the Apple Pencil as your primary stylus.
Keeping professional artists out of unnecessary investments and allowing hobbyists to improve their craft by utilizing technology that they already own makes the Apple Pencil a worthwhile purchase for millions of iPad users.
#caption#Image: @selfeduni
#alt#A college student takes notes using an iPad and Apple Pencil.
Students & teachers
Digital technology has a variety of uses in the classroom. It can help young students explore their creative side, stay organized, and learn using interactive tools.
For high school and college students, leveraging the iPad with notetaking apps like Evernote, Microsoft OneNote (comparison here!) or any of the other great notetaking apps in the App Store can help learners capture detailed, handwritten notes, and organize their digital classwork.
Accessories like our own Paperlike for iPad can improve this experience further by helping students take neater and more precise notes.
But that’s only scratching the surface of what the Apple Pencil can do for students. Many modern educational apps use advanced technologies like augmented reality and cloud computing to provide unique educational opportunities while keeping students and teachers even better connected.
A great example of an app packing this tech is Froggipedia, which allows students to use the Apple Pencil as a scalpel to digitally dissect and explore the inner workings of frog anatomy all through the view of the high-resolution retina display.
Taking a step in the opposite direction, apps like Showbie help teachers run a paperless classroom while the Apple Pencil allows them to mark up homework and grade quizzes without leafing through endless stacks of paper.
Thanks to creative app developers and their initiatives in education, the Apple Pencil is worth buying for teachers and students who want the best tools possible for an efficient and immersive classroom experience.
#caption#Image: Marc Calleja
#alt#Image of a woman holding an iPad and writing on it with an Apple Pencil.
Musicians
Beginning pianists and professional musicians alike love the iPad for its ability to store sheet music and connect with modern electronic instruments like keyboards and guitars.
Plus, incredible apps like Simply Piano, Flowkey, and others make it easier than ever to learn a new instrument.
So, where does the Apple Pencil come in? Musicians find the Apple Pencil useful when annotating and marking up music. Any musician will tell you that writing the fingerings for a tricky chord or highlighting a change in time signature is a major help when committing those details to memory.
The Apple Pencil works in conjunction with sheet music apps like forScore to make annotations simple, easy, and convenient.
If you want to go even further, the Apple Pencil can play a key role in creating your own music. Apps like StaffPad allow you to create brand new sheet music completely from scratch! With the Apple Pencil, you’ll simply add your notations to an empty page and StaffPad’s handwriting recognition will transform your marks to a professional-looking musical score.
For maximum flexibility, a Paperlike can make this process even better by replacing the slick, glassy surface of the iPad with something that feels like real paper so that your strokes stay quick and precise.
No matter where you are in your musical pursuits, the Apple Pencil rounds out the complete digital kit for musicians who want to ditch physical books while still customizing their music to suit their unique, personal style.
#caption#Image: This is E
#alt#Image of an overhead view of a desk set up with a monitor, keyboard, and iPad as a second monitor.
Business users
In many office environments, laptops are often seen as a distraction — to the point that some companies disallow laptops during meetings because workers can become preoccupied with their screens.
Used for notetaking (especially with an Apple Pencil and a Paperlike to round out the experience), the iPad can serve as a middle ground where notes can be made without obstructing the user’s line of sight.
Plus, the iPad’s lighter weight and enhanced mobility, coupled with the ability to connect to large monitors and display devices, make it an ideal candidate as a meeting presentation tool.
Where the Apple Pencil shines in a business situation actually has little to do with the technology itself and everything to do with managing the one thing that every business person hates to deal with: paperwork.
File digitization has gotten more popular, and the iPad boosts productivity in this area by giving iPad users the tools they need to actually interact with the documents that now exist in a digital format.
Looking for a great example? Check out PDF Expert. Grab an Apple Pencil and open the app. Suddenly it’s easy to mark up, redesign, and digitally sign PDF documents on the fly, whether you’re meeting with business partners, negotiating with clients, or trying to get a little more work done while lounging in your favorite recliner at home.
You can even take your business in an entirely new direction. One of our Paperlike artists, Guillaume Wiatr, uses the Apple Pencil and iPad Pro to help business leaders better understand how to refine their messaging through a process known as “graphic facilitation.”
It’s just another innovation that makes the Apple Pencil worth the investment.
#caption#Image: Dion MBD
#alt#Image of an iPad with a drawing of two people on it, sitting on a Paperlike package.
FAQ
Do I really need an iPad stylus?
It depends.
Above, we covered some of the main use cases for the Apple Pencil based on profession and career choice. But what about the everyday user who just wants to play with their iPad after a long day on the job?
If that’s you, we have to ask: How do you feel about coloring?
Adult coloring books took off a few years ago and the trend is stronger now than ever. Thanks to apps like Pigment for the Apple iPhone and iPad, it’s possible to color while on the go.
Outside of singular use cases where your favorite apps have really taken advantage of the technology, it’s impossible to say whether or not the Apple Pencil would be a great fit for you.
That’s one reason that we recommend looking around to see if the apps you use every day are made even better by the Apple Pencil.
At the end of the day, the Apple Pencil is designed to be a precision input and selection tool. It gives users the ability to more precisely touch, select, and interact with the surface of their iPad. This can help when you’re taking notes with the Apple Notes app or drawing with a program like Adobe Fresco or Procreate.
If you’re just browsing the internet and sending the occasional email, the Apple Pencil might not be for you — and that’s okay. There are dozens of other iPad accessories out there, from the Magic Keyboard to the AirPods Pro, that might be better suited to your needs.
Is the Apple Pencil the best iPad stylus?
Yes, and it comes down to how the iPad and Apple Pencil work together to provide accurate inputs.
When you draw on your iPad, the screen reacts to the electric charge that your body produces naturally. Many Apple Pencil alternatives use capacitive rubber to emulate this effect.
The Apple Pencil doesn’t do that. Instead, it uses a set of emitters to broadcast the precise position, tilt, and pressure of your Apple Pencil to your iPad.
This approach means that the Apple Pencil provides pixel-perfect information to your iPad in real time, and that information translates to better precision and performance for you.
The downside to this approach is that you need the right Apple Pencil for your device. The first generation Apple Pencil doesn’t work across all iPad Pro models, for example.
Likewise, you won’t be able to use your Apple Pencil on other devices (like a Samsung Galaxy or a Microsoft tablet). It simply isn’t compatible in the way that a device using traditional, capacitive technology will be.
Is the battery life in the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) worse than in the Apple Pencil (1st generation)?
In some ways, this question is irrelevant since you’ll need to pick up the stylus that is compatible with your device.
Though you’ll find several sources indicating that both Apple Pencils are designed to last for 12 hours, Apple has never confirmed this publically.
However, users across various forums have complained that the battery on the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) dies more quickly than the previous model.
This downside is largely offset by the fact that the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) is designed to adhere to the side of the iPad and charge magnetically. While the battery life might be shorter, charging is much more convenient.
Are there any accessories for the Apple Pencil?
For the first generation of the Apple Pencil, you could find stylus holders, specialized cases, and other goodies designed to offset some shortfalls in the design (like not having a great place to store it).
While many of those issues have been solved with the second generation Apple Pencil, there are still a few accessories worth considering:
- Pencil grips. Just like holding a regular pencil, working with the Apple Pencil can get tiring after a while. Exhaustion can lead to hand cramps and fatigue. Pencil grips can help to offset this problem. You’ll find several aftermarket options, but we’re partial to our own Paperlike Pencil Grips, which are designed for maximum comfort and precision while writing and drawing.
- Pencil cases. Think of pencil cases as a full-body sleeve for your Apple Pencil. There are plenty of options available from third party manufacturers. Keep in mind that these cases may change the look, shape, and feel of your Apple Pencil.
- Replacement nibs. Sometimes, nibs break or get scuffed through regular use. If you’re worried about that, it can be useful to have some replacement nibs on hand. Apple sells a 4-pack through their online store, and there are some aftermarket options available. Take care with 3rd party options, however, as they may be made of different materials and could potentially damage your devices.
You can find a ton of variety on Amazon and through tech accessory shops, but make sure that what you pick up won’t damage your device or stop it from charging properly.
#caption#Image: Deniz Kurtoglu / Paperlike
#alt#A title card featuring the question, “Is the Apple Pencil really worth buying?”
Is the Apple Pencil worth buying?
In short: Yes.
For what it does, the Apple Pencil is worth the investment.
While it might not be a great fit for every single user, we believe that the Apple Pencil is worth the investment for users who want to do more with their iPad. The enhanced precision and added versatility unlock the device in ways that just aren’t accessible without it.
In our view, the Apple Pencil turns the iPad from a luxury multimedia device into a robust productivity and learning tool. It empowers users to explore technology in new and exciting ways, and that’s something we support.
It’s definitely worth a look.
And don’t forget! Whether you’ve got an Apple Pencil, a Logitech Crayon, or any other compatible iPad stylus, you can make your iPad screen feel like real paper with a Screen Protector by Paperlike and improve your writing and drawing experience with a set of Paperlike's Pencil Grips.
Maximize the power of your iPad with an Apple Pencil and Paperlike.
