"I Tried a Location-Tracking Stylus and It Ruined My Experience with the Apple Pencil."

Being part of the iPad Pro ecosystem has been a prolonged experience, driven mainly by professional rather than personal requirements. However, this commitment can prove costly. Finding an affordable and competitive alternative is like participating in a random purchase, where trust can lead to later regrets. The situation with styluses is no different. Relying on other brands often brings some disadvantage.

This year, at CES 2025, ESR introduced a bold product: a stylus that supports Find My. This stylus resembles the Apple Pencil, adheres magnetically, and offers features like tilt recognition. All of this comes at a cost of less than $30, a fraction of what Apple charges for its most affordable stylus. Moreover, the ESR pencil surpasses Apple by introducing a functionality that the company has not yet explored: Find My, which actually works.

Recently, I lost my Apple Pencil Pro, which costs $129 in the U.S., while the nearest store sells it for $137. I mainly purchased it because I tend to forget things quickly. While the Find My support was an appealing feature, I could not locate the lost stylus, which eventually ran out of battery.

Although I did not buy a replacement due to its high cost, ESR provided me with an ideal solution for that feeling of loss. The ESR Geo Digital Pencil is the first non-Apple stylus to offer compatibility with the Find My system. The only other pencil that has this capability is the Apple Pencil Pro, while the second-generation Apple Pencil lacks this benefit.

Find My support has proven to be useful for those who have lost their Apple devices. Many people have recovered their belongings thanks to AirTags, which use the same network for their operation. This compatibility is now found in other products like backpacks and wallets.

The implementation of this feature in a $30 stylus is surprising. The ESR Geo Digital Stylus performs excellently. Bluetooth pairing is simple and done in under a minute via the pre-installed Find My app on the iPad. You only need to assign a name and add an emoji during setup.

One advantage of the ESR stylus is that it comes with a built-in speaker, allowing it to emit a beep to assist in locating it through audio signals. Although I had doubts about whether the Find My compatibility would be just a marketing strategy, I found that it offers full functionality and my experience was satisfactory. I hope not to lose this pencil, but if it were to go missing, at least I would have hope of finding it.

In terms of quality, compared to the second-generation Apple Pencil, the ESR Geo Digital Stylus lacks pressure sensitivity, magnetic charging, and the double-tap function for switching drawing tools. However, these features are not essential for me. My experience with the USB-C Apple Pencil demonstrated that it does not provide those conveniences either. For my basic needs, the ESR pencil is more than sufficient, offering great value for money compared to Apple’s options.

The design of the ESR stylus is similar to Apple’s, although it offers color alternatives like pink and black. Its weight distribution is balanced, and the magnetic grip is secure. When using it with an iPad mini and an iPad Pro, the pencil never detached, even while walking.

As for input, I have no complaints; I did not experience any lag, and the tilt recognition worked properly. A friend who does Arabic and Persian calligraphy tried it and was pleasantly surprised by the smoothness and "almost zero latency."

While the ESR stylus attaches magnetically to the iPad, it does not transfer power like Apple’s pencils do. However, it does support fast wired charging, allowing it to be fully charged in about 30 minutes, with an estimated battery life of 12 hours per charge. In practice, I have not needed to charge it, even after extensive note-taking.

Another practical detail that the Apple Pencil lacks is a light ring at the top indicating whether the stylus is on or charging. It also has a multifunction button that allows quick access to the home screen or multitasking mode, something not available on the iPad.

The ESR Geo Digital Pencil is an excellent accessory for those looking for an affordable stylus. I would recommend this pencil solely for its compatibility with Find My, as the quality of the drawing and note-taking experience is surprisingly good. With additional features like the multifunction button and magnetic attachment, it stands out as a great option if your budget is around $30. It undoubtedly positions itself as an attractive alternative to more expensive styluses.