I've been using the Apple Pencil USB-C for about three months now, and I wanted to share a thorough review for anyone trying to decide between this and the Pro. I'm a graphic design student, so I use the pencil heavily every single day — probably 4-6 hours of drawing, sketching, and note-taking. Let me start with what's good. The build quality is excellent. It feels solid in the hand, the weight distribution is balanced, and the matte finish gives it a nice grip that doesn't get slippery even after hours of use. The latency is basically nonexistent on my M2 iPad Air — the line appears exactly where I put the tip with no noticeable delay. Pairing is dead simple: you just plug it into the USB-C port of your iPad (or use the included USB-C cable) and it pairs instantly. After the initial pairing, it reconnects automatically every time. Battery life has been really impressive. I charge it maybe once a week and I've never had it die on me in the middle of a project. The USB-C charging is great because I can use my laptop charger, my power bank, or even my phone charger. No proprietary nonsense. Now for the things that might be dealbreakers depending on your use case. The biggest omission is pressure sensitivity. This is a big deal if you do any kind of digital art. Without it, you can't vary line weight by pressing harder or softer. I've had to adjust my workflow to rely more on brush size settings and opacity controls in Procreate and Clip Studio Paint. It's workable but it's not the same. If you're a professional illustrator or someone who needs precise line variation, just get the Pro. For me as a student, I've adapted and it's fine, but I do sometimes wish I had saved up more. The other thing is the lack of wireless charging. The Pro attaches magnetically to the iPad and charges, which is super convenient. With this one, you either plug it into the iPad's USB-C port (which looks a little silly) or use the cable. The little cap that covers the USB-C port is also a minor annoyance — it's not attached to the pencil in any way, so it's very easy to lose. I keep mine in a small pouch in my bag. The hover feature works on supported iPads and it's actually pretty useful for previewing where your brush will land. Tilt sensitivity is also present and works well for shading. Palm rejection has been flawless in every app I've tried. Overall, I'd say this pencil is a great value if you're a student, a note-taker, or a casual sketcher. If you're a serious digital artist or you need pressure sensitivity for your work, spend the extra money on the Pro. For everyone else, this is more than enough pencil and you'll save a good chunk of change.
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