Review: SonarPen 2, Apple Pencil alternative with pressure sensitivity
Review unit provided by the company
The SonarPen 2 is an alternative to the Apple Pencil and supports palm rejection, tilt and pressure sensitivity. I have reviewed many Apple Pencil alternatives over the years and this is the only pen that supports pressure sensitivity but only in compatible apps. The original SonarPen was released in 2018.
This pen was actually the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign that ended in December 2024. And now this pen is also available for sale to the public. Price at the time of review is USD 45, so this is less than half of the Apple Pencils that support pressure sensitivity.
This pen is for people who want pressure sensitivity but do not want to spend that much money to buy the Apple Pencil.
Comparison with Apple Pencils
| Feature | SonarPen 2 | Apple Pencil (USB‑C) | Apple Pencil (1st gen) | Apple Pencil (2nd gen) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price (USD) | $45 | $79 | $99 | $129 |
| Hardware Compatibility | All iPads released after 2017 | iPad Pro 13/11 (M4), iPad Air 13/11 (M2/M3), iPad Air 4/5, iPad (A16), iPad 10th gen, iPad mini (A17 Pro/6th gen) | iPad Pro 12.9 (1st/2nd), iPad Pro 10.5, iPad Pro 9.7, iPad Air 3, iPad (A16), iPad 6/7/8/9/10, iPad mini 5 | iPad Pro 12.9 (3rd–6th), iPad Pro 11 (1st–4th), iPad Air 4/5, iPad mini 6 |
| App Compatibility | All iPad apps | All iPad apps | All iPad apps | All iPad apps |
| Battery Life & Charging | Unlimited — no charging needed | 12 hours, 30‑min charge | 11–12 hours, 15–20 min charge | 12 hours, 30‑min charge |
| Ease of Use | Plug and play (wired) | Connect with cable to pair | Remove cap, plug into iPad to pair | Auto‑pair magnetically |
| Mobility / Storage | Bundled pen holder | Magnetic attach (but carry separately from iPad) | Magnetic attach | Magnetic attach |
| Shortcut Button | Hardware button | Not equipped | Not equipped | Double‑tap gesture |
| Pen Nib | Fine tip | Fine tip | Fine tip | Fine tip |
| Pressure Sensitivity | Supported in compatible apps | None | All apps | All apps |
| Tilt Detection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Design
SonarPen 2 comes with a 50cm cable with a USB-C connector that has to be connected to the iPad in order for the pen to work. The pen is compatible with iPads from 2017 and newer. For iPads that still use the lightning connector, you'll need a lightning to USB-C adapter which is not included.
There's one side button which may be customisable depending on the app used.
The pen is thicker than the Apple Pencil. Surface is matte textured and grip is good. The cable can be wind up to keep on the pen itself.
The pen tip is the same one as the Apple Pencil.
Compatible apps
The compatible apps supported by the pen are ZoomNotes Lite, ZoomNotes, Ibis Paint, Ibis Paint X, Zen Brush 3, ShadowDraw, HiPaint and FlipaClip.
Pressure sensitivity only works with selected apps, but I did not test all the apps thought. I only tested Ibis Paint and HiPaint and pressure works.
Pressure sensitivity does not work with apps such as Procreate, Concepts, Medibang Paint, Sketchbook, Clip Studio Paint and all other apps not listed.
Palm rejection and tilt sensitivity works with all apps that support palm rejection and tilt sensitivity.
Setup
The steps to get the pen to work with the iPad are straightforward:
1. Connect the cable
2. A pop-up appears, assign the pen as an audio device
3. Disconnect and forget any Apple Pencil connected with Bluetooth
Some drawing and note taking apps may have additional settings to customise. For example with Ibis Paint, you have to choose SonarPen from the settings before pressure can work and the pen button can be customised.
Drawing experience
The line quality you can get from SonarPen 2 is quite similar to the Apple Pencil, Apple Pencil 2 and Apple Pencil Pro. Pressure sensitivity works well enough. Initial activation force is low enough to make drawing thin lines easy. This pen has no problems with creating thin and thick lines.
Lines above were created with Ibis Paint. Lines are not able to taper sharply and if so, you can rely on pressure sensitivity to create tapered strokes.
Pressure does not work with Procreate.
Tilt sensitivity works with all apps that support tilt. Tilt works fine but I find that line can break when the pen is tilted too low.
CSP also has problems with line breaking when pen is tilted too low.
The cable connection doesn't really get in the way of drawing so that's not a deal breaker. It would be nice to not have the cable though, but the cable is needed for the pen to work with pressure.
I don't understand why this Apple Pencil alternative can have pressure sensitivity when all the Apple Pencil alternatives that I've tested in the past do not.
The main downside of this pen is actually with the app support. If your main drawing app is not among the list of compatible apps, it means pressure sensitivity won't work. For example, pressure does not work with Procreate. And if you want pressure sensitivity with Procreate, you'll have to buy the Apple Pencil.
The most capable drawing apps from the list of compatible apps are Ibis Paint and HiPaint.
As with any Apple Pencil alternatives, there are always pros and cons.
If you want to buy this pen, it's available from the company online store.
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