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The Logitech Crayon is a good Apple Pencil substitute that makes some compromises

The Logitech Crayon is a good Apple Pencil substitute that makes some compromises

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

At its education event in Chicago earlier this year, Apple announced a $49 Logitech Crayon that was only available exclusively to schools and educators. As of last week, Apple has changed its tune, and the Crayon is now available for the rest of us at $69.99. The question of “which stylus to get” between the Logitech Crayon and Apple Pencil is really only an issue if you have the latest $329 iPad, which is the only iPad the Crayon is compatible with.

Though it can be seen as a cheaper Apple Pencil alternative, it’s the lack of pressure sensitivity that costs it the $30 difference. Yes, you heard that right, this $70 stylus doesn’t have pressure sensitivity. It does, however, have tilt support, which lets you adjust line weight depending on the angle you’re drawing at.

Logitech

You might be tempted to go for “dumb” $10 styluses, but the Crayon’s palm rejection goes a long way toward how much you’ll like writing on your iPad. If you’re comparison shopping between styluses from other companies like Adonit or Wacom, and trying to whittle down your choices in the $70-90 range, it’s going to be a give and take between what features you value most. Apple’s first third-party stylus is a safe bet that performs as well as the Apple Pencil. It connects instantly without Bluetooth pairing, and draws smoothly without lag or jitter.

Take a quick look at the specs differences below:

Apple Pencil vs. Logitech Crayon

FeaturesApple PencilLogitech Crayon
Compatible withiPad Pro, iPad (6th-gen)iPad only (6th-gen)
ConnectionBluetoothWireless frequency
Battery Life On Single Charge12 hoursSeven hours
Pressure SensitivityYesNo
Tilt SupportYesYes
Palm RejectionYesYes
On/Off buttonNoYes
Price$99.00$69.99

You can definitely be less gentle with it as you would with the Apple Pencil, with the flat shape preventing it from rolling off your desk, and the rubber cap making it durable against falls (officially up to four feet, to be exact). My biggest fear with the precarious “stick the Apple Pencil in the iPad Lightning port” charging situation is that I’ll somehow trip and snap the Pencil in half, but still, I have to admit it is convenient to be able to charge instantly without a cable. The Crayon, on the other hand, needs to be charged through the female Lightning port in its cap; it’s got a mini LED light that will turn green when it’s charging, or red when the battery is low.

There’s a big difference in battery life, too. The Apple Pencil lasts 12 hours on a single charge, while the Crayon lasts seven hours. But this shouldn’t play too big of a factor into your decision-making, since no one is drawing for seven hours straight. Also, both can charge super fast: the Pencil can get 30 minutes of usage from 15 seconds of charging, the Crayon gets the same amount from two minutes of charging.

Drawn with Logitech Crayon.
Drawn with Logitech Crayon.
Illustration by Dami Lee / The Verge
Drawn with Apple Pencil.
Drawn with Apple Pencil.
Illustration by Dami Lee / The Verge

Using the 6B Pencil brush in Procreate, I tried drawing the same image with both the Logitech Crayon and Apple Pencil to spot the differences. You can see the subtle changes in line width and pen pressure, and the experience of drawing felt a lot more natural with the Apple Pencil. Ergonomically, I found that gripping both styluses felt more or less the same, but kids with smaller hands may feel more comfortable holding the Crayon.

You can’t use the Crayon while the Pencil is paired to the same iPad, if you were hoping for collaborative work, but using multiple Crayons at once is good to go. Apple says the Crayon was meant to pair with any iPad so that teachers can walk around with it and use it on student devices. For educators, $49 is a sweet deal, but if you’re on the fence between the Pencil and the Crayon for personal use, get the Pencil. At least you know for sure the Pencil will be compatible with future iPad generations. That’s a peace of mind worth more than the $30 difference.

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge