Complete your iPad with one of these less expensive options
An iPad can unleash your creativity, but for the optimal experience, you want a stylus. The first-gen Apple Pencil and its more recent sibling, the Apple Pencil 2, will always be the best styluses for iPads, but not everyone wants to pay the steep price for them. That’s why there are so many third–party Apple Pencil alternatives out there that are just as good, but at a fraction of the price. The biggest selling feature of the Apple Pencil 2 is its wireless charging on newer iPads, and its pressure sensitivity, which you need for digital art. But if you don’t mind not having those features, then the savings are really worth it.
Adonit Note+
>£69.99 FROM Adonit, adonit.net FEATURES 10-hour battery life, programmable shortcut buttons, tilt support, palm rejection, pressure sensitivity, replaceable tip
1 The Adonit Note+ has a precise tip, palm rejection, and pressure and tilt sensitivity. It also has two programmable shortcut buttons, so you can customise it to the tools that you need the most, such as undo, but only in supported apps.
The stylus feels great in the hand, and writes and draws with no noticeable lag time. It has a one-millimetre fine point tip, which means it’s quite precise, and there are 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity. The precision and fluency make this stylus a joy to use for art, marking up PDFs, or colouring. If the tip wears out, it is replaceable. You charge the Adonit Note+ Stylus via USB-C. The stylus is compatible with more recent iPadOS devices; go to net/noteplus for the full list of compatible iPads.
> VERDICT
+Best for artists
-Works with few iPads
★★★★★
Logitech Crayon
>£64.99 FROM Logitech, logitech.com FEATURES 7.5-hour battery life, battery indicator, Lightning connector, replaceable tip, tilt sensitivity, palm rejection, drop protection
2 The Logitech Crayon is a little chunkylooking, but it feels great to hold, and it’s roll-proof, so it won’t fall off a desktop when you put it down.
It works with all iPads from 2018 and later, and has a precise tip with palm rejection technology and tilt sensitivity, but no pressure sensitivity. The 7.5-hour battery life is the lowest in the group, though at least you shouldn’t need to order a cable – it charges via Lightning.
There’s no need to pair the Logitech Crayon, just press the on button and go. In use it works as a pencil on paper would – that is, it’s responsive with no noticeable lag time. The tips are replaceable in case of wear and tear, but you don’t have to worry about kids prying them off because you need a tool to remove them.
> VERDICT
+Wide iPad compatibility
-No pressure sensitivity
★★★★☆
SwitchEasy EasyPencil Pro 3
