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Apple Pencil 2: All about iPad Pro's magnetic accessory for 2018

What's different, will it work with last year's iPad Pro and what's the deal with all those magnets?

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations

Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).

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Jessica Dolcourt

Oct. 31, 2018 3:34 p.m. PT

3 min read

iPad Pro 2018 apple pencil — The new Apple Pencil 2 has a magnetic personality.
Sarah Tew/CNET

For Apple, the Pencil is mightier than the index finger alone. Along with a pair of new iPad Pros and a new MacBook Air , Apple will unleash a second-generation version of the Apple Pencil, its accessory for the iPad Pro 2018.

The Apple Pencil is the tech giant's pressure-sensitive tool for creative professionals, and can be used for precision drawing, writing, drafting, annotating and editing photos.

Shop for Apple Pencil 2

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$129 at B&H Photo-Video

$115 at Amazon

$129 at Apple

It will no doubt draw comparisons to the styluses from competing tablets , including Google's Pixelbook Pen for the Pixelbook Slate and Pixelbook Chromebook and Microsoft's Surface Pen for the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop .

iPad Pro 2018: Feast your eyes on Apple's big iPad update

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What's the deal with the second-generation Apple Pencil?

The second-gen Apple Pencil (henceforth known as Apple Pencil 2 or Apple Pencil 2018) improves on the first-generation model with an enhanced design and new tricks to tote it around more easily and increase your productivity.

How much does it cost?

The new Apple Pencil goes for $129 in the US. That's up $30 from the $99 Apple Pencil first introduced in 2015.

Apple Pencil prices: 2015 and 2018

	Apple Pencil 2015	Apple Pencil 2018
US	$99	$129
UK	£89	£119
AU	AU$145	AU$199

When can I buy the Apple Pencil 2018?

You can preorder it now. It officially goes on sale Nov. 7.

Watch this: Apple's iPad Pro gets a giant makeover

03:40

What's the difference between the Apple Pencil 2015 and Apple Pencil 2018?

A slimmer, sleeker matte design, the Apple Pencil 2 automatically pairs with your iPad Pro , waking it up with a tap. It also snaps on magnetically to the tablet, and charges wirelessly when it's attached. (The original Apple Pencil paired awkwardly through a Lightning connector hidden beneath the devices' end cap and didn't easily travel alongside the iPad Pro unless you bought a special case with a dedicated holster.)

You can double-tap the sides to change the Pencil's function. In the Notes app, double-tapping switches from a pencil to an eraser. What you do depends on which app you're in.

As a bonus, Apple throws in a free engraving on the side when you order the Apple Pencil 2018.

Does the new Apple Pencil work with all iPads?

Sadly, it does not. The Apple Pencil 2 will only work with the 2018 iPad Pros. It is not backwards compatible with earlier models, or with the standard iPad for 2018. Apple still sells the original Apple Pencil to work with older iPad Pros.

Does the old Apple Pencil work with the 2018 iPads?

The Apple Pencil 2015 works with:

iPad Pro 12.9‑inch (first and second generations)
iPad Pro 10.5‑inch
iPad Pro 9.7‑inch
iPad 2018 (the sixth-generation, 9.7-inch $329 iPad introduced earlier this year)

It does not work with either size iPad Pro 2018.

Will the Apple Pencil 2 work with iPhones and Macs?

Sorry, no. The Apple Pencil for 2018 will only work with:

iPad Pro 2018 (11-inch)
iPad Pro 2018 (12.9-inch)

How does Apple Pencil 2's wireless charging work?

Glad you asked! The short answer is that the Apple Pencil 2018 charges the second you snap the flat edge on the new iPad Pro. Plus, when the tablet charges, the Apple Pencil charges, too.

The longer answer is that what Apple refers to as "magic" is most likely inductive charging, which uses an electromagnetic field to ferry power from the iPad Pro 2018 directly to the Apple Pencil. We're confirming that with Apple.

What's the deal with all those magnets?

Apple outfitted the iPad Pro 2018 with 102 magnets it, which connect it to the Apple Pencil 2 and Smart Folio Keyboard. That means you can affix the new Apple Pencil just about anywhere along the tablets' edges.

New iPad Pros, new MacBooks and more: Everything Apple just announced.

The new iPad Pro: Everything we know so far.