PenDorra Stylus Review

Stylus is the buzzword at the moment and everyday there seems to be a new release which will improve the way you interact with your device. Just like a traditional pen or pencil, your choice of stationary can be a very personal one. The same can be said of the stylus you use, so more choice in this area is never a bad thing. Whether your an artist or a note taker there are now styli to suit every need, whether it be a basic rubber nib based one or the more luxurious devices which offer features like pressure sensitivity, there are plenty to experiment with. So does the arrival of yet another stylus warrant your attention?

The PenDorra stylus promises to work on any touch screen device without the need for connecting or pairing, plus its slim, 2.2mm tip teases more precision with your strokes.

So could this be a perfect stylus for artists and note takers alike?

Read on to find out.

Unboxing

The packaging for the PenDorra stylus is very similar to that of the Apple Pencil. Its white, minimalist and has a picture of the stylus on the front.

Inside you have the stylus plus its USB charging adapter which converts the micro USB plug on the end of the stylus to a standard USB plug. It is recommended that you charge the stylus fully before use and to do this you simply remove the cap, just like the Apple Pencil, plug it in and wait. A handy light indicator below the cap tells when the device is charging and when it’s in use.

Design & Build Quality

The actual design of the stylus is again close to the Apple Pencil although it is available in a selection of colours – Pink, Rose Gold, Silver and Grey. Its roughly the same length as a pencil, is smooth and light weight yet has a good balance to it. As mentioned the cap is removable for charging but it also holds the power button so be sure not to lose it.

The tip is a mere 2.2mm which makes using it a much nicer experience than the standard, cheaper passive styli as you can see what you are writing or sketching.

The Pendorra in Use

The PenDorra is very easy to use, you simply hold down the power button until the light flashes and you are good to go.

Even though this is a passive stylus and will work with any touch screen device, the power is required so the screen will recognise the tip, without it the stylus simply wouldn’t work. This is not a Bluetooth device however, so it doesn`t need to pair with your tablet which is good as you can use it on anything with a touch screen, be it iOS, Android or even a laptop.

The tip is firm to the touch and glides effortlessly across the screen and in my tests it seemed to work quite well. One issue I did find was an obvious offset when working in landscape mode, which you can see demonstrated below. This was reduced however if I instead orientated the tablet and used it in portrait mode. It still wasn’t perfect but worked much better.

You will also notice in the video that the lines are not as straight as the Apple Pencil but comparing it directly with Apples stylus is doing it an injustice. There is a $60 difference between the two plus the PenDorra doesn’t offer pressure sensitivity or palm rejection.

I decided to repeat my test but this time pit the PenDorra against a much cheaper stylus, the kind you get free when you buy a phone case. At the end of the day these are both essentially passive, the only difference being the PenDorra uses the power to fool the device into thinking it’s your finger.

Should You Invest?

So, is the PenDorra worth paying $39 for? I think this comes down to the user and the device you are wanting to use it with. For a professional artist working on the iPad Pro for example, I would recommend you pay the extra and get the Apple Pencil. I did miss the pressure sensitivity and palm rejection, it just wasn’t comfortable to work with my arm raised off the screen. Yes, you can wear a glove to help with this issue but then there are other factors like the tip offset issues to consider.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a flexible stylus for taking notes or doing quick paintings or sketches, this would be worth looking in to.