Do the clones have much of the same functionality? I purchased a Apple Pencil yesterday but haven't opened it yet lol
It depends upon the "clone". Alternatives like the Adonit Note use the same technology as the Logi Crayon... so no need to pair, supports palm rejection, but no pressure sensitivity and no tilt capabilities. I bought one for my wife to use on her 2018 iPad and it works great for the limited use cases she has.
For basic notetaking and sketching, the clones should be fine. I use my Apple Pencil with my iPad Mini 5 heavily as my digital journal/project notebook and I could just as easily use the Adonit Note or other alternatives.
One reason to keep the Apple Pencil is if you decide to buy an iPad case with a slot to store the Pencil. The clones aren't the same size and so they won't store the clones well. There is a stick-on spandex sleeve for the Pencil that would work with clones. It is a less elegant solution, but it can be added to virtually any case.
I have a case with dedicated slot for the Pencil for my Mini 5. Works great... I need to always have the Pencil with my iPad. But I also have 2 smartcovers for it, one has the spandex sleeve, which is also very hand... especially since the smartcover removes easily allowing it to function as an ereader. (without having any cover flipped back on the iPad)