Review: Penoval AX Ultra (Apple Pencil alternative)

Review unit provided by Penoval

Penoval AX Ultra is an Apple Pencil alternative that duplicates all the features except for pressure sensitivity. Price is US $44.90.

Video review

The design is almost identical to the Apple Pencil 2 except for the visible USB-C charging port. This stylus can be used with all iPads released in 2018 or newer, with iOS 12.2 or newer.

This stylus supports tilt sensitivity and palm rejection, and can attach magnetically to the side of the iPad Pro or iPad Air with the flat sides.

This stylus is actually an upgrade over the previous model, the Penoval AX Pro which was also priced at US $44.90.

The update is the addition of a customisable shortcut button on the side, and a companion app called Penoval Pencil.

The side button shortcut can be customised with the app. You can customise single, double and triple clicks by choosing from the pre-programmed shortcuts. And you can create shortcut groups for the following: Default, Notability, GoodNotes, Procreate and Infinite Painter.

• DEFAULT
• Undo
• Redo
• Remote photo
• Go to homescreen

• NOTABILITY
• Undo
• Redo
• Remote photo
• Go to homescreen
• Typing
• Highlighter
• Pen
• Eraser
• Selection tool
• Navigation
• Start recording

• PROCREATE
• Undo
• Redo
• Remote photo
• Go to homescreen
• Pen
• Color
• Layers tool
• Eraser
• Selection tool
• Transform tool
• Switch previous colors

• INFINITE PAINTER
• Undo
• Redo
• Remote photo
• Go to homescreen
• Toolbox
• Color
• Pen
• Eraser
• Blend

The shortcuts groups you've created will switch automatically depending on the app you're using.

The only downside or limitation to the Penoval AX Ultra is there's no pressure sensitivity so this stylus is not going to be ideal for drawing. The note taking performance is fantastic. The pen is able to capture my handwriting quite accurately.

The pen is also quite accurate. The lines always appear directly beneath the pen tip and there's no misalignment.

Tilt sensitivity works fine. Palm rejection works fine.

Battery life is rated at 10 hours and requires half hour for a full charge. The pen goes to sleep automatically after 5 minutes of inactivity. It is important to note that small lithium batteries need to be used or recharged regularly. Long periods of non-usage can easily damage small capacity vs large capacity lithium batteries.

Conclusion

The Penoval AX Ultra is an affordable Apple Pencil alternative for those who want a stylus for their iPad but don't need pressure sensitivity. This pen is good for taking notes, and you can use it for edits as well, e.g. photo or video editing. The pricing of US $44.90 is very attractive compared to the $129 Apple Pencil 2.

If you're interested to get the Penoval AX Ultra, you can find it on Amazon USA and Amazon UK