The original Apple Pencil has come a long way since it first launched. It's still a great stylus thanks to its compatibility with most iPads released in the last couple of years years. And while there are many Apple Pencil alternatives out there, including some great lower cost options, nothing has really managed to take its place as the best stylus for iPad that you can get right now.

It turns out, our thoughts on the Apple Pencil from its initial launch hold up all of these years later. Check out our hand-drawn first look of the original Pencil below and be sure to check out our full Apple Pencil review as well.

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A digitally drawn review of the Apple Pencil by Serenity Caldwell. Spoiler: This is the best iPad stylus I've ever used. Combine it with an iPad Pro and you have a top-tier drawing tablet to rival Wacom.

First: Build Quality. The Good: Well-balanced, comfortable to draw with for hours, smooth on the screen, not too click. The Bad: Still slippery on glass, no clip option -- though you can steal a clip off a Micron pen, and no digital eraser.

The Lightning charger is awkward, but it charges quickly. Five minutes will get you 20-25 percent battery life. As for the no eraser thing, I've used Wacoms for years, and it took me just a day to get used to it. Quick-charging is a much more useful feature.

Second: Writing. My writing is terrible, but the Pencil renders it almost perfectly. I can write big, I can write small, and it looks great. The Pencil succeeds where other styluses fail: It has little to no lag, great precision, and excellent palm rejection.

The first thing I tell people who try out my Pencil and iPad Pro: You can put your hand on the screen. It just works.

Third: Drawing. It probably comes as a huge surprise, but I love drawing with this thing. The precision is incredible, as is pressure sensitivity. And my favorite part: Shading.

It's such a nice option to shade your drawings or comics. It gives added depth. Bonus fun Pencil feature: It works at any angle, like a NASA space pen. So you can turn your iPad Pro canvas any way you want.

I drew this review in Paper, but the Pencil works just as well making pro-level work in Procreate and Pixelmator, or even as a navigational tool in GarageBand or iMovie. It may be called a Pencil, but the stylus is an all-purpose tool. It's the best digital one I've ever used, and I hope this comic helps you understand why.

Still the best

Apple Pencil

Still great years later

The original Apple Pencil, thanks to its compatibility with most iPads released in the last few years, is till the iPad stylus to get for most people. Features palm rejection, pressure, and tilt support for a class-leading writing and drawing experience.

Drawing on iPad: The ultimate guide

○ Apple Pencil 2 Review
○ Apple Pencil: The Ultimate Guide
○ Apple Pencil Hand-Drawn Review
○ How to learn to draw and write with Apple Pencil
○ Best drawing apps
○ Best handwriting apps
○ Best Apple Pencil accessories
○ Best cases for Apple Pencil 2

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Recommended reading

In drawn form, here's what we think about the first-gen Apple Pencil