Apple Pencil Pro is the latest and greatest iPad stylus coming out of Cupertino. It adds a new “squeeze” gesture, an internal gyroscope, haptic feedback and Find My support. I’m not a digital artist, so for this iPad Pencil review, I tested the stylus by writing notes, entering text with Scribble and doing moderate editing of photographs.
Plenty of artists have reviewed the new accessory, so my goal was to answer the question, “Does a typical iPad user need Apple Pencil Pro?” Or would a cheaper alternative suffice?
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
Apple Pencil Pro review
Just so there’s no confusion, not every iPad user needs a stylus. You can control the tablet entirely using just a fingertip. But adding a stylus brings new capabilities, like taking handwritten notes, whether in a classroom or a meeting. Or, if you’re young enough, learning to write. An iPad stylus also proves fun for doodling, and useful for signing documents.
An advanced stylus like Apple Pencil Pro also makes it easy to create great art with your iPad, whether professionally or as a budding artist. That’s not me, but I have to mention it.
Table of contents: Apple Pencil Pro review
- Designed for the new iPad Pro and iPad Air
- Apple Pencil Pro feels good in the hand
- New writing and drawing features
- Let’s start taking notes and sketching
- Find My stylus, at last!
- Apple Pencil Pro review: Final thoughts
- Pricing
Stylus maximus
Apple Pencil Pro
5.0
The best stylus for 2024's new Apple tablets: the M4 iPad Pro, the M2 iPad Air and iPad mini 7. We gave it the maximum rating in our hands-on review, and found that its pro features are worthy of the price.
Pros:
Cons:
Read our hands-on review:
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Stylus maximus
Apple Pencil Pro
5.0
$129.00
$114.99
The best stylus for 2024's new Apple tablets: the M4 iPad Pro, the M2 iPad Air and iPad mini 7. We gave it the maximum rating in our hands-on review, and found that its pro features are worthy of the price.
Pros:
- Advanced features like the new squeeze gesture, haptic feedback and support for hover.
- Excellent for note-taking, image editing and artistic endeavors.
- Finally works with Apple's Find My network.
Cons:
- Only works with latest iPads.
- High-end stylus comes with high-end price tag.
Read our hands-on review:
Though cool, Apple Pencil Pro could be overkill for many iPad users
01/09/2025 02:57 am GMT
Stylus maximus
Apple Pencil Pro
5.0
The best stylus for 2024's new Apple tablets: the M4 iPad Pro, the M2 iPad Air and iPad mini 7. We gave it the maximum rating in our hands-on review, and found that its pro features are worthy of the price.
Pros:
Cons:
Read our hands-on review:
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
The best stylus for 2024's new Apple tablets: the M4 iPad Pro, the M2 iPad Air and iPad mini 7. We gave it the maximum rating in our hands-on review, and found that its pro features are worthy of the price.
The best stylus for 2024's new Apple tablets: the M4 iPad Pro, the M2 iPad Air and iPad mini 7. We gave it the maximum rating in our hands-on review, and found that its pro features are worthy of the price.
- Advanced features like the new squeeze gesture, haptic feedback and support for hover.
- Excellent for note-taking, image editing and artistic endeavors.
- Finally works with Apple's Find My network.
- Only works with latest iPads.
- High-end stylus comes with high-end price tag.
The best stylus for 2024's new Apple tablets: the M4 iPad Pro, the M2 iPad Air and iPad mini 7. We gave it the maximum rating in our hands-on review, and found that its pro features are worthy of the price.
Apple did not provide Cult of Mac with an Apple Pencil Pro review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.