Apple Pencil Generation 1: A 6-Year Long-Term Review

This is probably one of the funniest and greatest Apple products ever invented. And I have the peasant version. This is the Apple Pencil Generation One. And despite its initial reception and shortcomings, well, after using it for over half a decade, I would never change it.

Design and Durability

Taking a look at the Pencil or iPad stylus, this generation 1 Apple Pencil is a sleek little device that precedes the magnetic charging function of the Apple Pencil 2 and the Pro instead opting for something less ideal. But for being the first generation of the Apple stylus, gosh, this thing is good. It’s shaped similarly to a pen being curved all around, which often made me call it the Apple Pen when I first got it.

But it’s a bit thicker, adding to its durability, which is so important because this is no cheap device. So, you don’t want it to break on you after dropping it once. And rest assured, after seeing many people drop theirs all over in college and still having the pencil be totally usable, there is no question about its durability. Nevertheless, I did get a pencil sleeve for my Apple Pencil early on to absorb some of the shock when I drop it, hence why mine still looks pristine. And do note that the Apple Pencil is not waterproof. So, I also paired it with a pencil case that also doubles as an accessory holder.

The Stylus Tip

Take a look further down the pencil, you see the stylus tip, which is not of the same glossy plastic material of the full stylus, more like a matte almost hard rubber type of thing. And it is intended to slowly chip itself away after all the abrasion and writing done on the iPad.

But despite that, no, I have never replaced mine since I got it in 2019. Now, I know there are some folks who are shocked at that revelation, but I never felt like there was a need for me to change it. Despite using my iPad literally every day, writing on it, it never felt like something I have to get or that I’m compelled to buy. But for you, maybe you would want more of a finer tip with a pencil. In that case, there are a lot of options for you to get affordable Apple Pencil tips.

The Charging Experience

Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, though. The charging. Going up the Apple Pencil, you will find this nice topper that if you take it off, you see this lightning port. First of all, there is supposed to be this small ring washer that goes around the charger. Unfortunately, I dropped my Apple Pencil once and that flew out, which is the only piece that’s actually easy to lose with this device. So, duly noted, but it’s still perfectly usable without it. Just a tad more prone to cracks as you can see with my own pencil.

The lightning port was again made before the magnetic charging of the subsequent Apple Pencil generations. So you had two options. One, which I’m actually shocked not many people talk about, and two, this in a bind like in class. I’ve had to use number two countless times. It’s not as bad as you think because you can hide the function and no one honestly cares since it’s not bad or anything. You’re just charging your stylus. But it does feel unsafe. Having your stylus stick out of your tablet like that feels like you’re just one hand swoosh away from needing a new unbent and unbroken stylus. It’s yeah, not great. But again, in a bind, it works.

And my stylus has made it 6 years without any problems. So, Apple is all right here. And the first option, which nobody really brings up, is that Apple included a dongle in the box that allows you to just plug in your own lightning charger, not included in the box, to the stylus without needing to use that awkward method, at least for charging, which is so much better. Albeit, you’ll still need to reconnect your pencil to your iPad by plugging it in with that not so great method. Tragic, I know. But for charging, yeah, you could just do it with a dongle.

Performance and Battery Life

At the time, the charging and connecting method of the Apple Pencil was a pretty big thing, but frankly, in the real world, most people know you’re connecting your stylus, and it’s not that big of a deal. I never worried about what people thought of me regarding that. Just make sure you’re careful with it, though.

Once you connect the Apple Pencil to the iPad, everything works seamlessly. You can use it just like you would with your finger with the tablet with the added benefit of being able to draw and write with it. Penmanship is just like with a pen or a pencil. It feels like it’s accurately reacting to every slight movement I make on the iPad. It feels like I’m almost writing on paper, but of course on a glossy screen. You can get a paper-like screen protector that adds this grain to your iPad to make it feel more like paper. But I never had an issue with a glossy screen protector on my device. Plus, it doesn’t wear my pencil down as much, so no issue there.

The battery life on this thing is great. It lasts easily a full workday, if not more. Though, as it has aged, I’ve noticed that I do need to charge it a bit more often. Or if I had a full workday and didn’t use my iPad at all, coming home, I knew I just need to give that pencil some more juice. But it’s been 6 years, and the fact I can still use it for probably 10, maybe 12 hours, it’s good.

Final Verdict

Would I recommend the Apple Pencil Generation 1? Well, the answer is yes, absolutely. Despite its quirks, despite the price, despite the fact that I actually had to get accessories to protect this accessory, I would 100% do it all again. I love this thing. I love iPads and I certainly would recommend getting one if you’re rocking one of the older iPads.

Now, on the flip side, if you’re getting a newer iPad, no, grab one of those newer Apple Pencils. They improved on this one and are much, much better, nearly perfect. But for the time and for the devices released at the time, I’d say that Apple Pencil generation 1 was and still is a great accessory. And that was my long-term review of the Apple Pencil 1. What do you think of the stylus? my name is Sus. It’s spelled like sire spots like s rooster. Just take out the tur. Thank you very much for reading and have a wonderful day.