SwitchEasy EasyPencil Pro 3 Stylus review: Easy in every way

As a notorious Apple junkie, you may be surprised to know that I don't own an Apple Pencil. Since I am not a professional illustrator, it never seemed like a necessary tool to my large repertoire of Apple products. Like most Apple gadgets and accessories, it seemed a bit expensive and, in this case, unnecessary. But when I was given the opportunity to try out an alternative to the Apple Pencil in the form of the SwitchEasy EasyPencil, I was pleased to find that the tool can be convenient for anyone, not just artists.

The EasyPencil Pro 3, like most iPad styli (styluses?), can be used to navigate apps and interfaces, scroll, take notes or write messages, and of course, to draw. I personally like to use it to jot out quick notes and messages, and to send doodles to family and friends, but my daughter — the budding artist — has really fallen in love with it for artistic purposes. I'll lay out all the details, but first, the basics:

EasyPencil Pro 3 Stylus: Price and availability

At this moment, the best place to buy the SwitchEasy EasyPencil Pro 3 is on Amazon, where you'll find it for the surprisingly affordable price of $37. Compared to similar products like the Apple Pencil (which retails for $99 at Apple), this is a much more attractive price point. The EasyPencil is also available directly from SwitchEasy, but right now it's more expensive (at $60) on the manufacturer website than it is on Amazon.

EasyPencil Pro 3 Stylus: Easy, indeed

The EasyPencil is an apt name for this product because it is ridiculously easy to use. From the moment you turn it on, it connects automatically and immediately with your iPad. No pairing necessary! I was actually poring over the instructions trying to figure out how to pair it, when my daughter just starting using the pencil on the iPad and it worked! I found this to be surprising and convenient.

Overall, it's very convenient to use. From the moment you turn it on, it works seamlessly with any newer (post 2018) iPad just as your finger would. All iPads now support "Scribble" as well, a feature that converts handwriting into digital text in real time for messages, notes, documents, and emails. I find this useful for jotting down quick notes during meetings. It's also fun to doodle and draw with the EasyPencil, but it was my daughter who really tested out its artistic capabilities.

My daughter is obsessed with drawing, so she was delighted to discover my acquisition of a stylus. She promptly downloaded a compatible drawing app to test it out, and we were both delighted to see the accuracy and responsiveness of the EasyPencil for drawing. It responds to both tilt and pressure, adjusting the lines and marks accordingly. The stylus also supports palm rejection so that the screen ignores your hand accidentally pressing against it while drawing. When used with a paper-feel screen protector, it feels even more natural to draw with the EasyPencil. Needless to say, I have rarely gotten the chance to use the EasyPencil since my daughter got ahold of it.

It bears mentioning that the SwitchEasy EasyPencil Pro 3 supports magnetic attachment. You can attach it magnetically to an iPad Pro or to the magnetic zones of a magnet-compatible iPad case. I don't own an iPad Pro, so I just insert the EasyPencil into the stylus slot of my iPad case and it fits there perfectly as well. Although the EasyPencil does support magnetic attachment, it does not support wireless charging, so you will need to charge it with a USB-C cable. With a one-hour charge, it is good for a full 10 hours of use.

EasyPencil Pro 3 Stylus: Why did it turn off?

Although I admittedly do not own an Apple Pencil to compare this to, I couldn't really find anything I didn't like about this product. It works beautifully, just as described, and we haven't come across any real problems with it. If I had to nitpick, I did notice that the on/off function is super sensitive, so it is easy to accidentally turn it off or on when you happen to touch the cap. I quickly became accustomed to this and avoided touching the cap unintentionally after the first few times I used it, but it's the only downside I could find with the EasyPencil.

The product shares all the features of the Apple Pencil as far as I can tell, with the exception of wireless charging with the iPad Pro. In exchange for the much lower price tag, this doesn't seem like a dealbreaker to me.

EasyPencil Pro 3 Stylus: Competition

The obvious competitor for the EasyPencil Pro 3 is the Apple Pencil. They are very alike in appearance and functionality. In fact, the EasyPencil does everything the first-generation Apple Pencil can do, in addition to the magnetic attachment feature of the Apple Pencil 2. The EasyPencil also works with any iPad, although it won't support the wireless charging feature on the iPad Pro. For me, the EasyPencil is the better deal. It's just so much more affordable than the Apple Pencil, and provides the same general functionality.

EasyPencil Pro 3 Stylus: Should you buy it?

• You're looking for an affordable alternative to Apple Pencil
• You love to draw and write with a stylus on the iPad
• You appreciate simple ease-of-use

• You need wireless stylus charging with the iPad Pro

Especially for budding and beginning artists like my daughter, a good iPad stylus like the SwitchEasy EasyPencil Pro 3 is a game changer. It is responsive, accurate, and smooth when drawing; the EasyPencil even reflects pressure and tilt in real time. It's also great for jotting down notes or using the Scribble handwriting-to-text feature in iOS. In fact, the stylus offers almost all of the same benefits as an Apple Pencil for less than half of the price. When it comes to more bang for your buck, this is the best iPad stylus you'll find.