Apple Pencil

One of the most controversial aspects of the new USB-C iPad (2022) is that it’s meant to be used with the first-generation Apple Pencil, which has a Lightning connector built into it.

This sounds fine, but the new iPad has a much-praised USB-C port instead of a Lightning jack. This makes connecting most accessories pretty easy, but plugging in the first gen Apple Pencil is impossible without a $10 dongle.

Don’t get me wrong, I think USB-C is the right step for the iPad to make, but it’s a tough pill to swallow nonetheless. There’s nothing inherently intrusive about the new USB-C to Apple Pencil Dongle, either. As far as dongles go, the price isn’t absurd, and it’s small and easy to slip into a pocket or a bag.

Setting it up is easy too. The new iPad comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable in the box, so if you have an Apple Pencil and this updater, all you need to do is chain them together, and voila, your Pencil and iPad are wirelessly connected from now on.

“If I had to guess, I’d expect the company to be saving the magnetic Apple Pencil support for next year”

However, there’s likely going to be a huge contingent of people that have to buy it just to use it for that single connection phase. You need the dongle to pair the Pencil to your iPad, but beyond that, I think most people will charge the pencil another way, such as plugging it into an iPhone. Having the dongle is handy for charging, but like many Apple Pencil owners already know, taking a small dongle like this outside is always a risk.

The USB-C to Apple Pencil adapter is about twice as long as the Lightning adapter.

I’m sure some might have to keep this thing around to charge the stylus every so often, but at that point, you better have a safe home for it since these little adapters can slip away at any moment.

I would have loved to see Apple add support for both Pencils to this new iPad to help people bridge the gap from the Lightning to USB-C generations of iPads, but if I had to guess, I’d expect the company to be saving the magnetic Apple Pencil support for next year.

If you really care about drawing on iPad, and can afford it, the new Apple Pencil 2 and the iPad Air is a better bet, but it costs significantly more. If you can’t afford it, the new iPad is still a good experience, but be aware of the hassles of this new dongle.

This guide is pretty straightforward since each Apple Pencil is only compatible with specific iPads and they’re not interchangeable.

The newer 2nd-gen Apple Pencil that pairs and connects to your iPad via magnets only works with newer iPads that don’t feature a physical ‘Home Button.’ If you have a Home Button and a Lightning port on your iPad, then you’re stuck with the more awkward 1st-gen Apple Pencil.

That said, both pencils function as a pretty great stylus, but the 2nd-gen version offers several improvements that may even tempt some towards buying a more expensive iPad to take advantage of the additional features.

The Apple Pencil showdown

When it comes to navigating iPadOS using an Apple Pencil as a pointer or taking notes, both options hold up well.

They work with minimal lag, feel reassuring in your hand and last a reasonably long time per charge. I will say that the matte texture on the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil feels nicer, but it’s not a game-changer.

What does add considerable value to the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil is that it features an integrated touch button. This button isn’t active in every app since developers need to give it a function, but it can help improve your efficiency, which can sometimes be hard with an iPad.

For example, with apps like Procreate, you can swap tools on the fly and with Photoshop, you can zoom in and out more quickly. Other apps even allow you to customize what the button does. To be clear, the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil doesn’t feature a physical button. Instead, a small section near the bottom of the pencil is tap-sensitive. This works similarly to the back-tap on modern iPhones.

As far as I can tell, drawing is the only professional instance where you’ll really want a 2nd-gen Apple Pencil over the original. Both Pencils feature built-in palm rejection and the same great tip that holds up to years of use and glides over the display with ease. However, due to the nature of the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil being newer and working with modern iPads, it’s rated for lower drawing input latency.

Still, to my eyes, both are great styluses and it’s difficult to notice motion differences between the two Apple Pencils.

Convenience is the real winning factor?

When it comes down to it, the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil includes one major feature that makes me prefer it — magnets.

It may sound simple, but having the Apple Pencil almost always attached to the top of my iPad so I can just peel it off and jot something down, makes it far more convenient. Sure, if you have both Apple Pencils in front of you, they both work very similarly, but good luck finding your first-gen Apple Pencil since there’s no way to attach it to the iPad (unless you have a specific case with a storage slot).

Obviously, I’m overplaying this feature a bit, but over the past few years, I’ve found myself rarely using the 1st-gen Apple Pencil since it was always in another room when I wanted it. By contrast, the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil feels like a natural extension of the iPad since it’s almost always attached to my tablet.

If you want to learn more about what iPad is right for you, check out this guide I put together. The 1st-gen Apple Pencil costs $129 and the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil costs $169 at the Apple Store.

A tale of too many iPads

1st generation Apple Pencil

iPad (6th generation)
iPad (7th generation)
iPad (8th generation)
iPad (9th generation)
iPad Air (3rd generation)
iPad mini (5th generation)
iPad Pro 10.5-inch
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation)
iPad Pro 9.7-inch

2nd generation Apple Pencil

iPad Air (4th generation)
iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation)
iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation)
iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation)
iPad mini (6th generation)
iPad Air (5th generation)

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