Apple Pencil USB-C review: 7 things that will surprise you about it

The new Apple Pencil USB-C, alongside my 5th gen iPad Air, feels better than paper and pencil. Yeah, I said it!

I may be in the minority, but I have touch-sensory sensitivity and misophonia. As such, the dry texture of paper always low-key triggered me. Plus, I hate the sound of pencils and pens scraping paper. Eek!

The Apple Pencil is perfect for notetakers with misphonia like myself.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon

This is where the Apple Pencil USB-C swoops in to save the day. I no longer have to cringe while taking notes. As I mentioned in my hands-on, the Apple Pencil glides across my glossy iPad Air like a graceful ice skater (no more dealing with the cacophony of lead scraping paper).

However, after spending a month with the new addition to the Apple Pencil line, there are seven key things you should know before buying the smooth stylus.

Apple Pencil USB-C price and availability

The Apple Pencil USB-C costs $79. You can purchase it on Amazon here.

The Apple Pencil USB-C is compatible with the following iPads:

• iPad Pro 12.9-inch
  3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th generation

• iPad Pro 11-inch
  1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation

• iPad Air
  4th and 5th generation

• iPad
  10th generation

• iPad mini
  6th generation

iPads
Credit: Apple

1. No, the Apple Pencil USB-C does not ship with a charging cable

After unboxing the Apple Pencil USB-C, I rummaged through the package looking for a charging cable. “Did I accidentally drop it on the floor?” I thought. However, as it turns out, the Apple Pencil USB-C does not ship with a charging cable. I ended up using the cable that came with my iPhone 15 Pro Max to charge the new Apple Pencil.

Apple Pencil USB-C with charging cable
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

I paired the Apple Pencil to my iPad Air with the following steps:

• I opened the sliding cap that revealed the USB-C port

• I plugged a USB-C-to-USB-C cable to the Apple Pencil’s port as well as the iPad Air’s po

• A pop-up at the top of my iPad Air’s screen confirmed that my Apple Pencil is charging and paired

It’s also worth noting that the pop-up tells you the Apple Pencil’s battery status.

2. Great battery life

For a month, I’ve used the Apple Pencil USB-C every weekday for about 15 minutes; I haven’t had to charge it yet.

Apple Pencil USB-C
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

The Apple Pencil USB-C will work whether you decide to keep the cable plugged into both ports (iPad Air and Apple Pencil) or prefer to work wirelessly. I don’t really see the need for the former because, as I hinted earlier, the new Apple Pencil has excellent energy efficiency.

If you prefer a stylus that can charge wirelessly, opt for the second-generation Apple Pencil, which can charge inductively while placed along the side of a compatible iPad. However, Apple Pencil 2 is much pricier with an MSRP of $129.99.

3. You can put it in ‘sleep mode’ by placing it on the iPad’s side

To preserve battery life, you can trigger the Apple Pencil to enter “sleep mode” by magnetically attaching it to the iPad.

I used the Apple Pencil USB-C with my iPad Air.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

This could be the reason why I haven’t had to charge the Apple Pencil for weeks.

4. Apple Pencil USB-C will sharpen your animation skills

As someone who’s dabbled in drawing comics, the Apple Pencil USB-C is more than just a note-taking tool for me. I’ve been using it to sketch and animate.

Call me delusional, but after downloading the Animatic app (an easy-to-use animation platform), I’m ready to pitch to Pixar and Dreamworks. Just look at this absolute masterpiece of this tiny bug crawling to a curious man. I made that with the help of my new Apple Pencil — and I have zero experience in animation.

No, the newly released Apple Pencil USB-C does not have pressure sensitivity, but it still comes with low latency, tilt sensitivity, and top-of-the-line precision. From gripping the ergonomically designed stylus to the smoothness and seamlessness of the Apple Pencil, sketching the wild creations that stem from my imagination was a flawless experience with the digital pen.

Look at this cute little ball bouncing through a field. Again, I made that in just minutes. Here I come Pixar!

5. Hover feature works, but only for the iPad Pro

While Apple Pencil USB-C differs from the Apple Pencil 2 in several aspects (no pressure sensitivity nor wireless pairing and charging), there have some similarities. For example, it still has a hover feature, but it only works with the iPad Pro.

6. Impressive for creating digital vision boards

Despite being a skeptic of New Age practices, I decided to put my cynicism aside and use my new Apple Pencil to create vision boards for manifesting. Apps I recommend for this are Freeform (preinstalled) and GoodNotes, which you can find in the Apple Store.

All good things come to me with the Apple Pencil USB-C.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Manifestation pundits strongly suggest writing down your affirmations inside a physical journal, but as you’ve read at the outset, pen and paper aren’t my steez. With the Apple Pencil USB-C in hand, I used GoodNotes to express my deepest desires for the new year, filled with different colors, brushes, pens and shapes. GoodNotes is also ideal for taking notes in the classroom. It has a recording feature that lets you document your professor’s lectures, allowing you to reference them later (alongside your Apple Pencil-created notes).

My vision board, created with Apple Pencil USB-C, on the iPad.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

And with Freeform, I took advantage of its infinite canvas to create a vision board, equipped with images that mirror my manifestations. No need to deal with cutting magazine pictures, dealing with sticky glue, and working on a lame poster board with finite space.

7. The Apple Pencil tip may break with one bad fall

Protect the Apple Pencil with your life. With one bad fall, the Pencil tip may break. If you have butterfingers, or you have little ones, I suggest getting a cheap Amazon sleeve for your Apple Pencil like this one. Place it on the back of your iPad and you’ll be golden. The Apple Pencil ain’t cheap, so the last thing you want to do is render it useless.

However, if you break it, it’s not the end of the world. You can always replace it with a new tip from Apple.

Final thoughts

Apple currently sells three Pencils: the first-generation model, the second-generation pen, and the USB-C variant in this review. I’m no fortune teller, but I have an inkling that Apple may discontinue the first-gen Apple Pencil soon, allowing users to choose between the entry-level USB-C Apple Pencil or the fancier Apple Pencil 2.

I’ll take it a step further and prognosticate that Apple may roll out a more advanced Apple Pencil — hopefully one with FindMy support and more durable tips.

Overall, I recommend the Apple Pencil USB-C for fledging artists and students who need a zippy note-taking tool. However, if you’re a professional artist, get you the Apple Pencil 2 for wireless charging and pressure sensitivity.