Benks iPad Pen Review – Best Apple Pencil Alternative?

I don’t know about you, but I love my iPad, particularly iPad accessories that make it a productivity beast. So when I received the Benks iPad Pen, I was excited to try it and see if it could be the best Apple Pencil alternative out there.

So first up, let’s just run through what you get in the box.

• Benks iPad Pen
• Two replacement Tips

I like that Benks are providing replacement tips, as this is not something you get with the Apple Pencil. So, let’s jump into the features of the pen and how I have found using it.

Compatibility:

The Benks iPad Pen is compatible with the following iPads

• iPad Mini (6th Gen)
• iPad Air (4th & 5th Gen)
• iPad Pro 11th Inch (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Gen)
• iPad Pro 12.9 Inch (3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th Gen)

As you can see, you can use the Benks Pen with several iPads, so Benks have most bases covered here. the Benks iPad Pen is so easy to use. It will connect to your iPad via Bluetooth, so when you first get the pencil, all you will need to do is pop it on your iPad and head into your Bluetooth settings, find the Benks iPad Pen in the list and hit connect, and you are ready to go.

Wireless Charging:

The Benks iPad Pen magnetically attaches to your iPad to charge wirelessly, like the Apple Pencil Gen 2. This is great, as I am all for reducing the number of cables that I need to use and carry around with my tech. I also love that I never run out of charge with this pen because when I am not using it, it lives on my iPad.

Battery Life:

But let’s talk about the battery on the Benks Pen. We get quick charging with the pen, so it will only take 2 hours to charge fully, and you can expect 9 hours of use time, which is more than enough as I doubt that people would be using a pen for 9 hours. There is also the auto power off feature, which kicks in after 5 min, which is great for saving your battery if you have not attached it back onto your iPad.

Real-Time Power Display:

If you would like to keep an eye on how much battery your pen has, then you can add the battery widget, and it will show you your battery percentage alongside your other device.

Features:

The Benks iPad Pen is packed full of features which is why I view this as the best Apple Pencil Alternative that I have come across. The main features are:

• Quick Screenshot capture
• Tilt Sensitivity
• Palm Rejection
• Scribble support
• On-off & Shortcut

Some of them are self-explanatory and what you would get from the Apple Pencil Gen 2 as well, but below, I wanted to cover a bit more details on the ones you might not be familiar with.

Quick Screenshots:

A feature that I love and is so useful is that you can take a quick screenshot by using your Benks iPad Pen and swiping it up from the bottom of the left-hand corner of your iPad. You can also bring up the quick notes by swiping up from the bottom right corner.

On-Off Button & Shortcut:

The Benks iPad Pen has an on and off button, so you don’t have to rely on the auto shut-off function. You just hold the button down for three seconds, and the blue light will go off, indicating that the pen is now off. Likewise, to turn it on, you do the same, and the blue light will come on to indicate that it’s on.

Now the on-off button is just not for turning it on and off. Tapping the button once will take you back to the Home screen of your iPad, and double-tapping it will bring up your apps list.

Price

For all the features that you get, I was surprised at the price of £39.99 (currently on offer at £33.99) compared to that of the Apple Pencil Gen 2, which will set you back £139. It certainly doesn’t feel like you are getting £100 more for your money with Apple’s Pencil, so it’s certainly worth looking at this as an alternative.

Final Thoughts

I love this pen, full stop. I can’t believe that you can get such a good Apple Pencil Alternative for this price. It has all the features that I and most people would need. The only thing that the Apple Pencil Gen 2 has over the Benks iPad Pen is pressure sensitivity, but if you are not doing graphic design etc, then I don’t think that this is a big deal.

So, if you are looking for a great alternative at a great price, then this is seriously worth your time to look at.