Handy stylus also very stylish
Logitech’s Crayon was introduced last year as a cheap alternative to the Apple Pencil alongside the sixth generation iPad.
At its debut, the Crayon was sold exclusively to the education sector and only in the United States. Earlier this year, Logitech quietly released the Crayon in Australia and New Zealand, and it is now available wherever you can purchase an iPad.
Despite this history and a name that clearly suggests the Crayon is designed for a younger audience, this is probably the best iPad stylus for most people.
Before the Apple Pencil, styluses for the iPad were capacitive touch. Even the best of them, which for the record was the Adonis Jot Pro, were still just mimicking a big dumb finger pressed against glass. The worst of them felt like drawing with a partially thawed sausage; certainly not conducive to signing documents or detailed note taking.
Logitech’s Crayon has all the pinpoint accuracy and zero latency of the Apple Pencil without the pressure sensitivity that allows for shading and detailed drawing.
The thin, flat Crayon is easy to hold, its battery lasts for weeks in standby, and the cheerful orange rubber highlights makes it easy to find in a bag.
As an added bonus, Logitech’s Crayon is the only iPad stylus that works on all modern versions of iPad (2018 and later), from Mini to Pro, making it a handy enterprise purchase that can be easily deployed to staff.
And considering how easy it is to sign documents on an iPad, the crayon may just end up a must have for enterprise; reducing unnecessary printing and elevating the entry level iPad as a key part of your document management system.
Considering how well this device would play to the enterprise, I’m surprised Logitech has held onto the name Crayon. Logitech Biro would make more sense.
When it comes to being creative, the Crayon was good enough for my needs. I cannot draw with enough skill to justify the Apple Pencil and Procreate, but was happy enough colouring in with the Crayon, or doodling with simple apps like Linea Sketch.
If all you need from an iPad stylus is the ability to sign documents, scribble notes, and occasionally draw, Logitech’s Crayon is probably enough, Apple’s Pencil is just a more refined tool, more suited to digital artists.