Greatest Apple Pencil: Discover out which Apple Pencil works together with your iPad

In Might 2024, Apple unveiled the newest era of its Pencil stylus for iPad—Apple Pencil Professional. It’s basically a substitute for the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil, made to assist solely the most recent iPad Air (M2) and iPad Professional (M4) fashions, and with comparable design however a number of new options.

Which means Apple now has 4 merchandise all named “Apple Pencil,” however two of them are basically just for merchandise not bought as new, however moderately just for legacy fashions.

If you wish to get monetary savings, contemplate various styluses in your iPad. Learn our round-up of the greatest stylus for iPad, iPad Air, Professional, and mini.

Which Apple Pencil: Specs

Earlier than we have a look at the variations between the three Apple Pencil fashions, right here’s a quick breakdown of their technical specs:

Which Apple Pencil: Value

The costs for every Apple Pencil fluctuate by options and compatibility. The most costly choices are the Apple Pencil Professional and the second-gen Apple Pencil, that are each $129/$129. The most affordable is the Apple Pencil with USB-C at $79/£79.

The primary Apple Pencil was launched in September 2015. Apple sells it for $99/£99/€119. It really works with the present Tenth-generation iPad in addition to a lot of older iPad fashions. To cost you plug it into your iPad’s Lightning port, so you’ll be able to’t use it when charging. It’s pressure-sensitive, which is nice if you’re an artist. We suspect that Apple will quickly take away this Pencil from the lineup.

That is the most effective Apple Pencil for those who don’t have the very newest iPad Air or Professional. It launched in 2018 and Apple sells it for $129/£129. It really works with latest iPad Air, mini, and Professional, however not the Tenth gen iPad or the M2 iPad Air or M4 iPad Professional. This Apple Pencil expenses wirelessly. We suspect that Apple will quickly take away this Pencil from the lineup.

This Apple Pencil was launched in 2023 to assist iPads with USB-C charging ports as an alternative of the older Lightning port. It lacks lots of the options of the 2nd era mannequin, so don’t fall into the entice of considering newer means higher. However it’s cheaper at $79/£79. That is basically a Pencil with a USB-C port. It lacks stress sensitivity, which even the first gen mannequin has. It doesn’t work with the ninth gen iPad or the earliest iPad Execs.

That is the most effective Apple Pencil, so long as you’ve gotten a appropriate iPad. Apple sells it for $129/£129. It really works with the latest iPad Air (M2) and iPad Professional (M4). This Apple Pencil expenses wirelessly, and has the entire options of 2nd-gen Apple Pencil and a number of other extra, like haptic suggestions, Discover My assist, and assist for rolling and squeeze gestures.

Which Apple Pencil: Design

There’s not precisely lots of room for flamboyant designs or new aesthetics in the case of one thing as form-dependent as a stylus. However, the engineers at Apple have been busy, incorporating a couple of parts that make the Pencils recognizable from one another. 

In all circumstances, you’re a white plastic, cylindrical casing with no buttons or markings aside from the Apple Pencil identify. The first-Gen Pencil is the one one that’s fully spherical (and has a shiny end), because the Professional, 2nd-Gen, and USB-C variations have a flattened facet in order that they are often hooked up magnetically to the sting of a appropriate iPad.

Apple has always been refining the steadiness and dealing with of its Pencil vary, as you’ll be able to see from the truth that with every era the size of the stylus has slowly been shortened. Right here’s how they measure up:

• Apple Pencil (1st Gen): 6.92in/176mm (Size); 0.35in/8.9mm (Diameter)
• Apple Pencil (2nd Gen): 6.53in/166mm (Size); 0.35in/8.9mm (Diameter)
• Apple Pencil (USB-C): 6.10in/155mm (Size); 0.29in/7.4mm (Diameter)
• Apple Pencil Professional: 6.53in/166mm (Size); 0.35in/8.9mm (Diameter)

Each the 1st-Gen and USB-C Pencils have a lid on the prime finish that may be taken off to cost the gadget. On the 1st-Gen, eradicating the cap reveals a Lightning connector, whereas the USB-C slides as much as reveal a USB-C port. The 2nd-Gen and Professional fashions cost wirelessly and don’t have a port or connector.

On the enterprise finish of the Pencil, you’ll discover the replaceable rubber ideas that make the Apple Pencil such a cushty expertise. Among the fashions have extra performance constructed into their slender frames, which we’ll cowl within the subsequent part. 

Which Apple Pencil: Options

Whereas the entire Pencil fashions will mean you can write notes and sketch in your iPad, they do supply totally different capabilities relying on the mannequin you select. The first-Gen Pencil delivers a exact writing expertise, with low latency and stress sensitivity to permit thinner and wider pen/brush strokes, plus the power to sense when you find yourself tilting the stylus for shading and comparable methods. 

Pairing and charging are finished by way of the Lightning port, as there isn’t a wi-fi charging on this mannequin, plus you’ll be able to’t magnetically connect it to an iPad. You additionally don’t get the hover characteristic on iPad Professional fashions, which allows you to preview the place your mark can be made with out having to the touch the display. Additionally, you will need to make do with out the double-tap motion to change between the varied pens, brushes, and different instruments. 

The Gen 2 Pencil provides the entire options included in its predecessor, aside from the Lightning port charging and pairing, which is as an alternative achieved wirelessly. It introduces the double-tap characteristic by a touch-sensitive space close to the tip, plus there’s the choice to have it engraved with a private message. 

The Apple Pencil USB-C attaches by way of a USB-C-to-USB-C cable out of your iPad’s charging port to the Pencil. You may magnetically connect it to an iPad for safe-keeping, nevertheless it doesn’t cost. It has almost all the identical options because the 1st-Gen Pencil, albeit unusually with out stress sensitivity, which does look like a step backward. As a minor compensation, you do get the 2nd-Gen’s hover characteristic for those who personal an iPad Professional. 

The newest is the Apple Pencil Professional, which solely helps the iPad Air (M2) and iPad Professional (M4), and presumably future iPad Air and Professional fashions. It has all of the options of the 2nd-Gen mannequin with the addition of roll and squeeze sensitivity, haptic suggestions, and Discover My assist.

Which Apple Pencil: Compatibility

Each Pencil helps totally different iPads, so that you’ll have to examine which mannequin you’ve gotten before you purchase one of many three stylus fashions Apple provides:

Which Apple Pencil: Verdict

Among the most important issues when contemplating an Apple Pencil are the way you need to use it and which iPad you’ve gotten. In the event you’re curious about creating artwork or extra ornamental writing, then you definitely’ll little doubt discover the stress sensitivity of the Gen 1, Gen 2, and Professional fashions a vital characteristic. You then’ll simply want to pick the one that’s appropriate together with your gadget. The Gen 2 Pencil does have the extra advantages of wi-fi charging, plus the double-tap and hover capabilities, though the latter solely works on iPad Professional.

You probably have a more moderen iPad with a USB-C connector and simply need to take down notes, then the USB-C mannequin may serve these functions admirably, with the added benefit of being essentially the most inexpensive mannequin accessible from Apple.

In the event you purchase a brand-new iPad Air with M2 or iPad Professional with M4, you’ll be able to select between the USB-C mannequin with its very fundamental performance or Apple Pencil Professional, which has by far essentially the most options of any Apple Pencil.

The sting case is you probably have an iPad mini or Tenth-gen iPad however actually need stress sensitivity. Whilst you would usually select the USB-C Pencil for these fashions, the one appropriate Pencil with stress sensitivity is the first-gen Apple Pencil, which comes with just a little USB-C to Lightning charging adapter you’ll have to make use of to cost it.