Apple’s second-generation Pencil is so much better than the first-generation model that it’s a reason to choose the 2020 model of the iPad Air, which is compatible with it, over the base-model iPad, which can only use the original Pencil. Though $129 is a steep price for a stylus, serious artists and design professionals should spare no expense for top-quality tools, and the new Pencil’s convenient magnetic charging, clever design, and impressive functionality make it our Editor’s Choice.
Evolution of the Pencil
There’s a huge world of stylus-compatible devices and tablets beyond the iPad, but Apple’s tablets are the first choice for many artists and educators because of their ease of use (better than Surface tablets) and deep tablet-centric software library (better than Samsung tablets). Capacitive styli have enabled iPad artists since the first model came out in 2010, and Apple’s 2015 launch of the Pencil brought the company’s effortless setup and tight integration with its OS into the picture.
But the design of that first-generation Pencil is flawed. It syncs and charges using a Lightning port under a removable, easily lost cap. When charging, it sticks out of an iPad at an awkward 90-degree angle.
Apple listened to complaints about its original stylus and delivered a second-generation unit that solves pretty much all of them. The first-generation Pencil was a perfect cylinder that would easy roll away, made of a glossy material that could feel a little greasy. The second-generation model has one flat side, and it feels nicely dry and smooth to the touch. The original Pencil was just a little too long, at 6.92 inches; the new one, at 6.52 inches long, feels better balanced in the hand.
The real magic, though, is in the second-generation Pencil’s magnetic charging and attachment scheme. The Pencil simply sticks to the edge of a recent higher-end iPad, syncing and charging while it’s there. That means you never have to stop what you’re doing to charge it; it’s always ready to go, and in two years of using one, I have never run its battery fully down.
The magnets and their charging ability aren’t actually magic. (How do they work? Induction.) I’d compare their stickiness level to a Post-It note. The magnetic Pencil sits just outside most cases, which means that if you bump it, it can fall off the edge of the iPad. If you’re used to tossing your iPad into a bag, the Pencil can easily become disconnected and vanish into the depths. But this is still a far better charging and attachment mechanism than any competing iPad stylus can claim.
Unfortunately, Apple’s Find My app doesn’t work with the Pencil, so if you misplace it, you just have to look around for it.
Like the first-generation Pencil, the new Pencil is a Bluetooth stylus with pressure and tilt detection. There’s no mode-switching button on it, but you can double-tap your finger near the end of the Pencil to swap between writing and erasing.
Accuracy is essentially perfect, and responsiveness is excellent. The new Pencil has 9ms latency rather than the older model’s 20ms. As 20ms is still faster than the refresh rate of a 60Hz screen, you’ll only really notice the difference on iPad Pro models with 120Hz displays, but even on other iPads, you’ll see subtle improvement.
The default tip has a nice matte feel against the iPad’s screen, and of course there’s a whole ecosystem of replacement and third-party tips in different materials that you can play with. Tips are relatively cheap; the official four-pack costs $19, and many third-party tips on Amazon cost under $10, so you can play around.
We have several iPads here that have all been used with Pencils for the past few years, and we haven’t worn out a tip yet, though they occasionally fall off and need to be screwed on again.
High Cost, High Quality
The only problem with the Pencil is that it costs $129. That’s a lot for a stylus!
There are many less-expensive styli out there. Some of them look like straight-up clones of the Pencil. We haven’t tested any recently, so we can only speak in general terms. The least-expensive replacement styli, which don’t use Bluetooth, are generally capacitive touch styli. They’re often still good, but they aren’t as precise or reliable as the Pencil, they don’t have pressure sensitivity, and they require you to be more deliberate in your taps and strokes.
The one viable alternative is Logitech’s Crayon, which we rated more highly than the original Pencil. The Crayon is a little shorter (6.42 inches) and has a nice flattened oval shape; it’s also half the price of the Pencil, at $69. We still think it’s terrific. However, the Crayon lacks pressure sensitivity and needs to be separately charged through its Lightning port, so it’s just a bit less magical than the Pencil. The Crayon is the perfect solution for a school that’s buying 50 styli and charging them all at the end of the day. But nothing beats that new magnetic charging system.
There Is Only One
Once you have an iPad, you can only use the Pencil model that’s compatible with it. This second-generation Pencil works with the 2020 iPad Air as well as the three most recent editions of the iPad Pro. Third-generation and earlier Airs, all models of the iPad mini, and base-model iPads all use the original Pencil.
I’ve been recommending the iPad Air as the tablet model for anyone serious about doing creative work on an iPad. Compared with the base model, it has a much faster processor, better cameras, more storage, and a better display, plus it weighs less. And it uses the greatly improved new Pencil, which goes beyond being delicious icing on the cake; if you’re an artist, second-generation Pencil compatibility should be a significant factor in your iPad buying decisions.
The second-generation Apple Pencil is an absolute must-have accessory for anyone trying to do high-quality drawing or design work on a compatible iPad. Its comfortable form and always-charged nature make it close to the perfect stylus. There’s no question that it deserves our highest rating and our Editors’ Choice award.
