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. In this guide, we’ll help you cover the basics of the Apple Pencil and whether it’s worth buying for your specific needs. 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.
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. #alt#Architect Luis Furushio’s desk set up including two iPads, an Apple Pencil, glasses, and a cup of coffee. 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. Combined with the Apple Pencil, drawing and writing on your iPad feels just like working in a sketchbook or physical notebook. 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.
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. 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.
#alt#Image of an iPad with a design that says, “Forever Bettering My Lettering” with a hand holding an Apple Pencil over it. #alt#Image of an iPad with a drawing of snails wearing sunglasses in a car, with a hand holding an Apple Pencil over it. 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. 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.
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!)
Accessories like our own Paperlike for iPad can improve this experience further by helping students take neater and more precise notes. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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.” 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. 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. 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. 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. In our view, the Apple Pencil turns the iPad from a luxury multimedia device into a robust productivity and learning tool. 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.
Apple Pencil
Watch apps and widgets expand on the Home Screen as you move over them.
Buy iPad mini
Just answer a few questions regarding the model and condition, and we will provide an estimated trade-in value◊◊ or a simple way to recycle it for free if it’s not eligible for credit. If you buy online and choose to pay with Apple Card Monthly Installments, we’ll instantly apply your estimated trade-in value to the purchase of your new iPad.
Apple iPad mini (6th Gen)
Apple Pencil requires a Bluetooth connection in order to be used and charged. To enable Bluetooth, swipe down from the top right edge of the screen to access the Control Center, then select the Bluetooth icon. If your iPad uses Apple Pencil 2nd generation, magnetically attach your Apple Pencil to the side of your device. If your iPad uses Apple Pencil 1st generation, attach your Apple Pencil’s lightning connector to your iPad.
iPad 10th Generation requires a USB-C to Apple Pencil Adaptor to be attached to the USB-C port. Apple Pencil allows you to mark up notes, screenshots, and more.
To access Apple Pencil modes, select the Markup icon. Note: The more pressure that is applied, the darker and thicker the pen strokes will be.
The less pressure that is applied, the lighter and thinner the pen strokes will be. With iPadOS 15 or later, Scribble allows you to write by hand in any text field across iPadOS, scratch to delete, circle a word to select it easily, and more.
To enable Scribble, select the Settings app. The handwriting will automatically convert to text.
From the home screen, select the Settings app. Select Apple Pencil, then adjust settings as desired. Note: The Double Tap section will only appear in Apple Pencil’s settings with Apple Pencil 2nd Generation.
Which Apple Pencil can you use with the iPad mini 6?
Announced and released in the fall of 2021, the iPad mini 6 is the latest tiny tablet to come out of Cupertino — but don’t be fooled by its size! Whether you want to sketch and draw, take handwritten notes, or just use the device as a pointing tool, you’re going to want to get the Apple Pencil 2 for your sixth-gen iPad mini.
The first time you do it, the Apple Pencil will pair to your iPad, and it sits there, securely held by magnets, charging up, so it’s always ready to be grabbed and used. It features low latency precision drawing and writing, a flat edge that you can double-tap to change tools without setting the pencil down, and a battery life of up to 12 hours.
It’s still a good stylus for sketching, writing, or just tapping around the UI, but it has been relegated to just the base iPad with the mini, Air, and Pro lines now all adopting the Apple Pencil 2.
iPad mini: Buyer’s Guide, Should You Buy?
As the iPad mini is now 18 months old and work on a new model is underway, those who want the latest hardware should wait for a refresh to buy. The iPad Air features a Smart Connector on its rear to connect to keyboard cases and its larger, 10.9-inch display is better for productivity tasks and media consumption.
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