For some reason, Apple sells three accessories all named Apple Pencil, each with different features and compatibility. The solution? A fourth Apple Pencil!
The new Apple Pencil Pro may seem like an unnecessary complication to a stylus lineup for an accessory that shouldn’t need a lineup, but there’s no arguing that it doesn’t deliver the features everyone wants. Apple Pencil Pro looks just like the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil, and it supports all the same features including magnetic charging and pairing, double-tap, and tilt and pressure sensitivity. But it also adds four new features we’ve wanted in an Apple Pencil for a long time:
- A gyroscope that lets you “roll” the pencil to change the orientation of shaped brushes and tools.
- A taptic engine for haptic feedback.
- Find My support.
- Squeeze sensitivity, to open palettes or change tool options like weights or colors.
All this and it costs the same as the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil: $129.
The difference is compatibility: The 2nd-gen Apple Pencil is supported by the last few years’ iPad Pro and iPad Air models, but not the new M2 iPad Air and M4 iPad Pro. Apple Pencil Pro supports only the new M2 iPad Air (both sizes) and M4 iPad Pro (both sizes).
It stands to reason that Apple will soon reduce its Apple Pencil line from four to two—when older iPad Air and Pro models are no longer available. Apple has already stopped selling the 9th-generation iPad with a Lightning connector, so it stands to reason that the original Apple Pencil is no longer needed, but Apple will presumably still sell it until the 10th-gen iPad gets an update. For now, the stylus situation is confusing enough that Apple had to produce a features chart:
Apple
Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor, Macworld
Jason has written about technology for more than 25 years - first in the gaming press, then focusing on enthusiast PCs and general technology. He enjoys learning how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.