Pencil’s tip does a great job of repelling any finger grease that may accumulate on the iPad’s screen - unlike some cheap styli that simply push it around obscuring your drawing. Wedge shaped, offering a slightly finer point than the rubber nibs found on AluPens, Bamboos, and their capacitive tipped peers. The tip is responsive and as accurate as one can expect from the limitations the iPad’s digitizer imposes on stylus makers. It took some time but with the recent addition of Surface Pressure to Pencil + Paper, my desire to use a Pogo Connect has vanished. To be honest I was a little disappointed when I discovered Pencil’s tip wouldn’t be pressure sensitive like the one in a Pogo Connect. There is one LED light hidden inside, only visible when charging Pencil via USB. Want to erase something? Flip Pencil upside down and erase a mistake like you would “in real life.” Need to soften pencil strokes? Use your finger to smudge the pixels. Common tasks like erasing or blending become more natural, without the need to open the tool tray or press buttons. I love how the UI in Paper doesn’t get in your way, and it’s refreshing that Pencil’s design echoes this theme. Similar to Paper, Pencil shares the same minimally designed aesthetic - that means no buttons, no battery indicator lights 2, and no on/off switches. Slightly annoying sure, but not a deal breaker by any means. When trying to fill in large continuous tones of watercolor I noticed it slipping the most. Because of Graphite’s slick finish I occasionally had to readjust how I held it. Although after a few drawing sessions it wasn’t a concern as my hand adapted to the contour of Pencil.īetween the two finishes, Walnut is lighter and softer to the touch with a wood texture allowing for more grip. Because of the wide and flat shape, I did find it uncomfortable to hold at first. If you haven’t noticed, Pencil is flat like a carpenter pencil, which keeps it from rolling about and getting lost 1. But there is something nostalgic and comforting about Walnut’s wooden texture that makes it a close second. If pressed to pick a favorite, I would probably choose Graphite, just because it feels heavier and more solid to me. The Walnut and Graphite finishes both look beautiful.

A Bluetooth stylus that was designed to work seamlessly with Paper for iPad by delivering an experience that feels closer to “the real thing” than any other styli.

For the last year I’ve been using FiftyThree’s first hardware product, Pencil.

Bamboo paper stylus