I tested 5 cheap Apple Pencil alternatives for my iPad Pro – and I'll never buy a ‘proper’ one again

Following a twelvemonth and a half of use, my Apple Pencil had to beryllium retired – nan extremity cracked disconnected while nan stylus was snug successful my backpack during a flight. Thank you, #thoughtsandprayers, but life goes on.

I had been utilizing my Apple Pencil perpetually pinch my iPad Pro for annotating PDFs, drafting plans, scribbling notes, and doodling pictures; truthful location was nary mobility complete nan truth that I needed a replacement… until I remembered its eye-watering price. The Apple Pencil I had was nan 2nd-gen exemplary , which retails for $129 / £129 / AU$219 – and successful each honesty, nan thought of spending six weeks’ market fund connected a slab of integrative wasn’t each that appealing.

So I needed to find an replacement that wouldn't request nan aforesaid outlay. Increasingly, I’m reluctant to bargain bargain-bin products connected Amazon – of those who I've encountered, not galore person affirmative stories astir nan products they've picked up. Even I person bought inexpensive headphones, fittingness trackers, clothing and overmuch much from nan site, and not overmuch of it remains today.

Nevertheless, believing that location must beryllium 1 aliases 2 worthy Apple Pencil replacements online, I did immoderate investigation – only to find hundreds of options connected Amazon but very small trustworthy lit connected which were worthy buying.

In lieu of coverage, then, I decided to create my ain – I bought 5 different models of low-cost Apple Pencil alternatives disconnected Amazon, to trial them and spot if immoderate were worthy of keeping. The options I chose were nan first 5 listed, pinch galore connected Prime Day typical offer. I made judge a fewer of them were disposable internationally, too.

As you tin ideate having publication astir my erstwhile acquisition pinch Amazon bargains, expectations were low. What really happened, though, amazed me. Read connected to observe really I sewage connected pinch each option.

Yunju Stylus Pen 10-pack

I’m going to commencement pinch nan Yunju Stylus Pen, nan joint-cheapest Apple Pencil replacement successful this company. These pens are different from astir of nan others successful offering a pared backmost characteristic group – there's nary Bluetooth, nary buttons nor charging ports aliases LEDs.

These pens person rubber ends and fundamentally activity precisely arsenic your digit would – you tin swipe, property buttons, and truthful on. As good arsenic functioning pinch iPads, you tin usage them connected immoderate different touchscreen devices; I utilized it connected my phone, too.

Now you mightiness beryllium wondering why, if it useful conscionable for illustration a finger, I request one? If it doesn't connection useful Apple Pencil features specified arsenic perspective discovery and thenar rejection, what's nan point?

However, I was won complete by its simplicity, and nan joyousness of having a pencil-shaped entity successful my hand. As an avid note-taker and archive annotator, I recovered nan Yunju Stylus Pen cleanable for galore of nan tasks for which I usage my iPad. If you’re not a sketcher aliases beingness artist, for example, they mightiness beryllium each you need.

There's nary request to complaint this pen, nor move it connected aliases brace it pinch your iPad, making it ace elemental to use. I tin spot it being really awesome for seniors who find fingers unnatural to usage connected screens.

The Yunju pen arrives successful a battalion of 10, which I picked up for a paltry £3.99 (that’s nether 40p each). I'm not yet judge what I’m going to do pinch 10; moreover pinch 1 for my iPad, 1 for my phone, 2 spare and 1 to sacrifice to nan backpack achromatic hole, I’ve still person half nan battalion remaining. Perhaps my friends will beryllium successful for immoderate really inexpensive Christmas presents this year?

TQQ Pencil for iPad

I was really gladsome to bid nan TQQ Pencil, because it offers nan widest scope of different colour options of each nan models I looked astatine (well, different than nan Yunju). I chose nan lilac one, chiefly because it was being sold astatine nan biggest discount.

In use, I was instantly struck by really akin nan TQQ stylus felt to nan Apple Pencil. Sure it’s somewhat lighter and is made of a different material, but its wide consciousness successful nan manus is very similar.

The pen is turned connected by pressing and holding nan non-tip extremity (which I didn’t recognize was a button, to statesman with) and turned disconnected by double-tapping it. It charges via a USB-C larboard connected nan broadside and lasts for 10 hours of use. Note that connected taking nan stylus retired of nan box, this larboard is covered by a portion of rubber – and I thought this was nan button. Cue 5 minutes of confused tapping earlier I realized my mistake.

I was really amazed by conscionable really overmuch nan TQQ worked for illustration an Apple Pencil; this was nan first of nan models that you could telephone a "proper" alternative, and I wasn’t expecting this level of similarity. The TQQ offers Apple Pencil features I admit specified arsenic thenar rejection and perspective detection.

However, what put maine disconnected nan TQQ somewhat is that though it does connect to my iPad Pro magnetically (a privilege for me), it does truthful reasonably loosely. As such, there's nary uncertainty successful my mind that it would autumn disconnected my iPad if nan 2 were placed successful my bag. Given this is really my original Apple Pencil broke, I’m skeptical to spot really agelong this 1 lasts.

Available for a unit value of £24.99, I picked it up for 60% disconnected successful a sale; I reckon it's nan benignant of instrumentality you could easy find discounted. It's offered successful 9 colour options successful nan UK, and astatine nan clip of penning each were reduced, albeit by different amounts. In nan container you'll find nan stylus, 3 other nibs and a USB-to-USB-C cablegram for charging.

After testing nan TQQ Pencil, I thought my quest for a replacement was over. But since I'd already ordered nan 3 different options from Amazon, it was clip to plough on.

Meko Stylus Pen

The Meko stylus felt rather akin to nan TQQ; some were reasonably religious Apple Pencil imitators successful style and feel. However, nan Meko had a fewer differences that immoderate mightiness admit much than others.

The main 1 was that turning connected nan stylus doesn't require tapping aliases holding down a integrative nib; nan Meko has a beingness powerfulness button. You property it erstwhile to move it connected and again to move it off. I recovered this action a batch much convenient than nan TQQ.

In addition, alternatively than 1 LED to bespeak nan level of power, nan Meko has three, making it easy to find erstwhile your stylus needs charging. In this way, this stylus was not only amended than nan different options here, but besides nan existent Apple Pencil.

It besides has an automatic shutdown feature, if you hide to move disconnected nan stylus – thing that I'm blameworthy of rather regularly. Meko estimates artillery life to beryllium 9 hours – nan shortest-lasting stylus here, but still a decent magnitude of time.

Two cardinal Apple Pencil features besides coming are tilt sensitivity and thenar rejection, which ever spark joyousness erstwhile recovered connected inexpensive gadgets specified arsenic nan Meko, fixed that immoderate of Apple’s biggest rivals still neglect connected those fronts.

The Meko Stylus Pen retails for £29.99, truthful not precisely cheap, but I managed to prime it up for half price; it was still disposable astatine this reduced value 3 weeks later.

AUZOSL Capacitive 2 successful 1 stylus pen

The 2-in-1 AUZOSL stylus is simply a small different from astir of nan different options here.

While akin to nan Yunju successful that its rounded nib tin beryllium utilized alternatively of your digit to scroll and unfastened apps, its longer magnitude and much robust consciousness successful nan manus present a amended personification experience. It’s moreover fluted to fresh a earthy pen hold.

But nan bigger quality is that "2-in-1" bit. If you unscrew nan silicon portion and move it around, you'll find a transparent disc extremity (see image below) that tin pivot to different angles depending connected really you clasp nan stylus.

I'm not rather judge of nan usage lawsuit AUZOSL is going for pinch this disc. Wider than nan silicon nib (or different styli), nan truth that it’s see-through intends you tin spot wherever your pen touches nan surface amended than connected nan different options connected this list. However, nan truth that nan pen pivots makes it consciousness prone to snapping – though this didn’t hap during testing.

I utilized nan stylus pen pinch a fewer different apps and for respective different purposes, but I stay unsure astir nan reasons personification would bargain nan AUZOSL pen.

It’s inexpensive – disposable for only £3.99 usually, I paid £3.49 for it successful nan waste – but statement that's for 1 pen only, alternatively of Yunju's 10-pack. However, it does consciousness amended successful nan manus than any of nan different options connected this database – successful fact, I wish physics styluses felt for illustration this!

The last exemplary I tested was nan Metapen Pencil A8. Like nan TQQ and Meko, it’s an Apple Pencil clone pinch a salient USB-C larboard and an LED light.

It’s astir for illustration nan TQQ successful that it’s turned connected via a double-tap connected nan eraser end, and turned disconnected successful nan aforesaid way. However, it feels heavier than either nan TQQ aliases Meko pens.

This heft whitethorn beryllium because nan Metapen is astir 90% magnet: erstwhile I attached it to nan magnetic portion of nan iPad, it settled connected location rock-solid arsenic though it was portion of nan tablet.

Like those aforementioned rivals, nan Metapen useful conscionable arsenic good arsenic an Apple Pencil – there’s thenar rejection, tilt sensitivity, and precocious precision. According to Metapen, nan extremity is sufficiently durable to spot you tie 20km worthy of lines (obviously, I couldn't trial this), positive it arrives pinch 2 other tips successful nan box.

Battery life sits astatine 10 hours, matching nan TQQ stylus, and nan LED changes colour to bespeak your pen's complaint level. Although useful, I personally recovered nan Meko's three-LED position parameter easier to understand astatine a glance.

I'm a instrumentality of nan Metapen, but arsenic nan priciest stylus connected trial – £32.99 normally, though I picked it up for a 3rd disconnected – I'd person to be. It's disposable successful a scope of colors including pink, achromatic and mint green, arsenic good arsenic nan achromatic connected test, and it looks for illustration Metapen besides offers different styli successful its scope for usage pinch different types of iPad.

Which did I extremity up keeping?

From a starting constituent of “I dream 1 of these is worthy keeping”, I was amazed that I was happy to really proceed utilizing 3 of nan models I tested – struggling to chose betwixt them, 1 serves arsenic my superior stylus and nan different 2 arsenic back-ups.

Since completing testing of these Apple Pencil alternatives, of nan Meko, TQQ and nan Metapen, it's nan second I’ve utilized astir – I emotion really reliably it sticks to my iPad, overmuch much truthful than nan existent Apple-made stylus, and I admit nan consciousness of its weight successful my hand.

However, each 3 are awesome options, and I’d urge them to anyone buying a stylus for their iPad. In fact, I recovered immoderate of their features a measurement up connected nan Apple Pencil – nan Metapen’s patient magnetism, for example, aliases nan Meko’s powerfulness indicators.

So, having done nan research, I've travel to nan conclusion that I’d happily instrumentality pinch 1 of these awesome alternatives complete nan Apple Pencil.

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