Which Apple Pencil should I buy, Gen 1 or the Gen 2? I’m sure many of you would’ve been battling with this question when you wanted to get an accessories for your iPad. However, when we talk about choosing between which Apple Pencil you’ll go for, what we’re ultimately discussing is which iPad you’ll Buy, because each iPad model supports only one of the two Pencil options. And that obviously affects the overall price hugely. So, if you haven’t actually bought any iPad yet, let us take a look the difference between the 2 Apple Pencils first before you decide which iPad you are going to get?
Design
First of all, let’s take a look at the Pencils. The Apple Pencil Gen 1 is cylindrical shape and the Gen 2 is kind of cylindrical except for one part where it’s flat for you to be able to put the pencil on the Pro to charge it Wirelessly. Speaking of charging, the only way for you to charge the Gen 2 is by placing it at the top of the screen which have a magetic hold to it and this is also the only way to connect the Pencil for the iPad Pro. This is the reason why the Second Gen Apple Pencil is not compatible with other iPads because it cannot be connected via Bluetooth. I love the fact that the Gen 2 Apple Pencil is matte because it doesn’t get slippery when my hands starts to get sweaty, a problem which I encountered when I write using the First Gen Apple Pencil.
Features
The 2nd Gen definitely has better feature than the first gen because it has this extra button In which when you do a double tap at the flat edge with you finger, you can set 3 specific features you want, though I wish there’s more than 3 settings. I chose the eraser of course because with just a tap I can erase any mistake I have done while writing on the iPad. You can switch it off if you don’t like it because sometimes I do realise that the eraser settings easily activate with a slight tap which can easily becomes annoyance. But so far, I’m okay with it.
Performance
Good news is both Apple Pencil’s performance are equal. The level of pressure sensitivity, tilt and rotation detection are pretty much the same for me. If performance is your only criteria, then I would actually say First Gen Apple Pencil is better because it’s definitely way cheaper than the 2nd gen Pencil for your 2018 IPad Pro.
Charging & Battery
Charging for 2nd Gen Apple Pencil is pretty easy because it attaches magnetically to the side of the iPad Pro and it also connects to the iPad wirelessly this way. It’s very seamless because you can just grab the Pencil easily from the side and start getting productive. Meanwhile, the first gen Apple Pencil connects via bluetooth which requires it to be plugged into the iPad’s lightning port. As you can see, charging it this way means the Pencil is pointed outward. I find this way to be so dangerous because once I almost poked my eyes with the Pencil which was charging when I tried to pick something that I dropped on the floor.
However, I do find that the battery life on the First Gen Apple Pencil lasts longer than the 2nd Gen Apple Pencil. Even after 7 days, I do have some battery left on the first gen Pencil compared to my 2nd gen Pencil which pretty much don’t have any battery left after 3 days of not charging it. But it’s not a big deal because by charging it for a few minutes only, I can easily get about 10% of battery life on my 2nd Gen Pencil.
Tips
I’d like to inform you that only the first gen Apple Pencil comes with a replacement tip in the box. Surprisingly, the 2nd Gen Pencil did not come with any replacement tip at all. But base on my very own experience, you don’t have to replace the tips for a long time unless you somehow bend it when you shut your pencil case with the tip pointed out which happened to me, then you need to Get a replacement tip. It costs $19 or RM69 for 4 tips in a pack.
Verdict
Overall, I would definitely pick the Apple Pencil Gen 2 because it has magnetic attachment and charges wirelessly, matte finish with extra button which is very much useful than the first gen. However, if budget is your concern, then First gen Apple Pencil is a better buy because your overall expense on the iPad and Pencil is significantly cheaper than the Gen 2 & iPad Pro.
So, I hope that little review would have given you some insight on your dilemma between both these pencils. I’m here to help if you have any questions on the Pencils. Oh, one more thing, if you are a student, you can get the pencils cheaper when you purchase it through their online education store. The full review is also in my Youtube Video. Check them out and please click the thumbs up button if you like the video and do subscribe to my channel if you want to see more videos on iPad Pro. Thanks for all your support.
About Author
Firstly Harry worked as a translator. He liked travelling, but later he understood that it was better to write different papers for students and made it as his main occupation. If you wish to get some papers about travelling or geography, you can make the order on https://papertyper.net/ and Harry will write it for you. His papers have only useful information and get the highest marks.