Apple Pencil

$129 From Apple, apple.com

Features Pressure and tilt sensitivity, Lightning charging connector Works with Any iPad Pro, iPad (2018)

Design

The Pencil is a slim white cylinder with an Apple Pencil– branded chrome band separating the cap. It looks typically minimalist, and the shiny finish, similar to AirPods, is warm and not slippery. It feels very controllable in the hand..

Features

The Pencil’s nib detects pressure and tilt, giving you lots of control. The Lightning connector at the other end slots into your iPad, so that the Pencil sticks out, which is not the best design. The supplied Lightning adapter is even easier to lose than the cap.

connection

The first time you use it, you have to plug the Pencil into your iPad (having removed its magnetic cap) and tap Pair, then remove it — fine if you just have one of each, tiresome if you need to swap around. Beyond that, it just works.

In use

We found the Pencil both precise and expressive for writing, drawing and painting. The Crayon had some issues in specific apps, including paint run–out in Procreate; by contrast, the Pencil was glitch–free.