Apple has announced a cheaper Apple Pencil that comes with USB-C. The iPad accessory will cost $79 and comes with a sliding cap that reveals the USB-C port. It also attaches magnetically to the side edge of an iPad including the 10th-generation models Apple released last year.
The less expensive price means that the Pencil doesn’t come with some of the more advanced features as the first- and second-generation accessories. The device doesn’t support pressure sensitivity, wireless pairing and charging, or the double-tap feature that lets you switch between tools. However, it still supports hover with M2 models of the iPad Pro.
The first Apple Pencil model used a Lightning connector that jutted out of it to plug into your iPad’s port for charging, while the second-gen model charged wirelessly and isn’t compatible with the 10th-generation iPad Apple released last year, leaving owners of that iPad with not-great options if they wanted to use Apple’s fancy stylus. It has been a confusing time for iPad accessories.
The USB-C Apple Pencil is compatible with a range of iPads, including the third- to sixth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the first- to fourth-generation 11-inch iPad Pro, the fourth- and fifth-generation iPad Air, the 10th-gen iPad, and the sixth-gen iPad Mini. The USB-C Apple Pencil will become available in early November.
Apple released a second version of the Apple Pencil in 2018, aptly named the Apple Pencil 2. It was a huge upgrade over the original model, adding features like wireless charging (meaning you didn’t have to plug it into an iPad to charge it), a way to magnetically attach to the side of supported iPads (meaning it had a flat edge that prevented it from rolling off a table), and support for gesture controls for things like switching tools while using an app. However, those improvements came at an increased cost of $129, a $30 jump from the first Apple Pencil.
