Tag Pencil

Apple finally announced a new Apple Pencil, and to get it out of the way early – no, it’s not the long-awaited Apple Pencil 3. Instead, the newest Apple Pencil is more like a mid-gen refresh with a few missing features and a seemingly tighter, more compact design at 6.1 inches in length and 0.29 inches in diameter (according to Apple Insider). The most important difference between this new Apple Pencil – which Apple is calling the Apple Pencil USB-C – and previous iterations is the notable price cut.

This new USB-C powered Apple Pencil is priced at $79 MSRP, which makes it more approachable for iPad users who don’t want to shell out $99 for the arguably less impressive first-gen Apple Pencil or the $129 Apple Pencil 2. Still, there are a few catches; the USB-C model doesn’t include pressure sensitivity, meaning it lacks one of the most important Apple Pencil features for artists who would normally be able to draw or paint with bigger or smaller lines, relative to the amount of pressure applied. It also lacks the Apple Pencil 2’s double-tap and wireless pairing and charging features.

Designer: Apple

You’re also going to want to make sure your iPad is equipped with a USB-C port, otherwise your Apple Pencil USB-C won’t be able to pair properly. Specifically, according to Apple, you’ll want to own one of the following: “iPad (10th generation), iPad Air (4th and 5th generations), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generations), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th generations), and iPad mini (6th generation)”.

If that’s not a concern, the new Apple Pencil USB-C is an extremely sleek-looking accessory that should make iPad usage more convenient and enjoyable across the board. Its stealthy sliding cap design hides away the device’s integrated USB-C port, making it easy to plug in and charge, then store comfortably on the side or on top of your iPad once you’re finished charging. Much like the Apple Pencil 2, it attaches to the iPad magnetically.

iPad Pro owners equipped with an Apple Pencil USB-C also get another Apple Pencil 2 feature via Apple Pencil hover, which lets you see, for instance, the effect a selected tool (like a paint bucket) will have on a canvas before you actually apply it.

Apple Pencil USB-C will become available via Apple Store for $79 in early November, but it sounds like it will be discounted to just $69 for educational purposes. Apple describes its educational pricing as being available to “current and newly accepted college students and their parents, as well as faculty, staff, and home-school teachers of all grade levels.”

Apple’s always had an incredibly locked ecosystem, limiting how other products integrate with its devices. Other wireless mice don’t have the smoothness of the Magic Mouse, other TWS earbuds don’t have Spatial Audio, and other styluses don’t boast of the same features as the Apple Pencil… but ZAGG’s Pro Stylus 2 comes incredibly close. Designed to work with both the iPad as well as the iPhone, the Pro Stylus 2 feels familiar in your hand given its slim design. It also has precise fine tip for accurate drawing, palm rejection to ensure your hand doesn’t accidentally tap the screen as you sketch or write, tilt recognition to alter your stroke style when you hold the stylus at an angle, and magnetic wireless charging that lets you snap the Pro Stylus 2 onto the side of your iPad Pro or even a Qi charger to juice its battery. The $75 stylus also has extra features in the form of a dome-shaped on-off switch on top, which also doubles as an IBM ThinkPad-style touch-sensitive ‘nub’ for navigating canvasses and scrolling pages…

Designer: ZAGG

A lot more colorful than the original Apple Pencil, ZAGG’s Pro Stylus 2 almost seems like the iPhone SE of styluses. It’s eye-catching, affordable, and gets the job done. It looks and feels just like Apple’s own Pencil, making it easy to use without that learning curve. The pointed tip is perfect for sketching, taking notes, and navigating pages – but don’t expect pressure sensitivity, a touch-sensitive grip, or that new hover feature on the iPad Pros. Instead, you could expect the accuracy you’d get from a pencil-shaped stylus, with the added functionality of being able to tilt it to affect your brush pattern. The Pro Stylus also snaps right to the side of the iPad Pro like Apple’s own writing instrument, and has the added benefit of being able to work with iPhones too.

A button on top is what sets the Pro Stylus 2 apart. Working like the nub found on old-school IBM laptops, it lets you navigate pages and scroll using your thumb (as shown above). It also serves as an on-off switch, allowing you to power down the stylus to conserve battery power. Moreover, the stylus powers down on its own with 15 minutes of inactivity, helping increase the stylus’ battery efficiency. Either way, the battery lasts a whopping 6 and a half hours on full charge… and if you ever run out, the Pro Stylus 2 snaps right to the side of an iPad Pro to charge, or even rests on any Qi charging dock to juice its battery.

Charge the Pro Stylus 2 by attaching it to the side of the iPad Pro

The Pro Stylus 2 looks quite similar to the Apple Pencil except for the fact that it comes in 5 different colors instead of the Pencil’s singular white finish. The tips are replaceable, allowing you to change colors as well as replace the pointer if and when it wears out. It starts at $75, undercutting the 2nd Gen Apple Pencil’s $129 price tag by a cool $54. Obviously, it misses out on some crucial features like pressure sensitivity and the hover ability too, but for someone looking for a multipurpose stylus with the right amount of basic functionality (and that sweet magnetic charging feature), ZAGG’s Pro Stylus 2 might just be the perfect alternative to Apple’s own offering. Oh, and it also comes with a 1-year warranty too!