Some links on our site may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
Published July 30, 2026. Updated October 10, 2026.
Buy the Apple Pencil (USB-C) at $79 unless you have a specific reason not to. Apple lists 24 iPad models for it and 11 for the $129 Apple Pencil Pro. All 11 of the Pro’s iPads are on the cheaper pen’s list too. The Samsung S Pen is not a purchase for most people. Samsung includes one with the Galaxy Tab S11, and both of its replacement pens currently read Not Available. The Logitech Crayon, at $69.99, is the one to buy for a shared or classroom iPad.
All prices and compatibility lists below were read on 31 August 2026.
I’ve spent years around styluses and tablets, and the compatibility list has mattered more to me than the feature list. A pen your tablet won’t accept is the most expensive pen there is.
Does the Apple Pencil publish a pressure number?
Pressure sensitivity is the spec every stylus comparison ranks on. It cannot be ranked across these three, and the reason is simple. Apple never states a figure.
Apple’s Apple Pencil page describes the Pro as responding “naturally to pressure, from a light touch to a deeper press.” That is the whole specification. The Apple Pencil (USB-C) store page lists pixel-perfect precision, low latency, and tilt sensitivity. It doesn’t mention pressure at all. Samsung does publish 4,096 levels. But it does so on a support article about S Pen models rather than on either pen you would actually buy. Logitech publishes tilt and says nothing about pressure, which is the honest position of the three.
Here is what each maker’s own page currently says, checked against some common assumptions about these pens.
Do the Samsung S Pen claims hold up?
| Common assumption | What the maker publishes on 31 August 2026 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| The S Pen’s “up to 4,096 pressure levels” can be set beside Apple’s pressure sensitivity as a direct comparison. | Samsung’s support article on the different S Pen models does state “4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity”. Apple states no level count for any Pencil, on any page. | Not a real comparison. One brand’s number set against another brand’s silence isn’t a ranking. |
| A standalone S Pen replacement runs $59.99. | $59.99 buys EJ-PX710, the pen for the Tab S9 and S10 lines. The pen for the current Tab S11 and S11 Ultra is EJ-PX730 at $64.99. | Depends on the tablet. Two different pens, two different prices. |
| You can simply order another S Pen if you lose yours. | Both EJ-PX730 at $64.99 and EJ-PX710 at $59.99 show Not Available for delivery and Not Available for in-store pickup on Samsung’s own store. | Not purchasable from Samsung today. |
| Air Actions on Bluetooth-equipped S Pens let the pen act as a remote for camera shutter and media control. | Engadget’s hands-on with the Tab S11 Ultra says of its S Pen: “Unlike some previous S Pens that had Bluetooth-powered special features like remote camera control, this version has no additional connectivity.” | Removed by Samsung on the current generation. |
Do the Apple Pencil and Crayon claims hold up?
| Common assumption | What the maker publishes on 31 August 2026 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| The Logitech Crayon runs about 6 hours per charge, with roughly a 30-minute charge time. | Logitech’s own Crayon datasheet says “Up to 7 hours of active writing time” and publishes no charge time. | Understated. The maker’s own figure is higher, and charge time isn’t published anywhere. |
| Apple doesn’t publish a compatibility matrix for its Pencils. | Apple publishes the full compatible-iPad list on each Pencil’s own store page. | Not true. Apple splits it across pages; it does not withhold it. |
| Apple Pencil Pro $129, Apple Pencil (USB-C) $79, Logitech Crayon $69.99. | Apple’s store lists $129.00 and $79.00. Logitech’s store lists $69.99, and on 10 October 2026 marked the Crayon “Sold Out Temporarily.” | Prices hold. |
Which iPads does the Apple Pencil fit?
Both counts come from Apple’s own two store pages, added up. Nothing here is estimated.
| Pen | Price on the maker’s store | iPad models the maker lists | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Pencil (USB-C) | $79.00 | iPad Pro 13″ (M5, M4), 12.9″ (6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd), 11″ (M5, M4, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st); iPad Air 13″ (M4, M3, M2), 11″ (M4, M3, M2), 5th, 4th; iPad (A16), 10th; iPad mini (A17 Pro), 6th | 24 |
| Apple Pencil Pro | $129.00 | iPad Pro 13″ (M5, M4), 11″ (M5, M4); iPad Air 13″ (M4, M3, M2), 11″ (M4, M3, M2); iPad mini (A17 Pro) | 11 |
| Logitech Crayon | $69.99 | “All iPads 2018 and later, and iPad Air (M2, M3, M4)”, per Logitech’s datasheet. That is a range, not a model list. | not enumerated |
| Samsung S Pen (EJ-PX730) | $64.99, Not Available | Galaxy Tab S11 and S11 Ultra. No iPad, ever. | 2 |
Cross the two Apple lists against each other and every one of the Pro’s 11 iPads also appears on the $79 pen’s list. Thirteen iPads take the cheaper pen and cannot take the Pro. Zero iPads take the Pro and not the cheaper pen.
So the $50 gap between them buys features, never fit. Those features are squeeze, barrel roll, haptic feedback, Find My and pressure sensing, all on a shorter list of tablets. If you are unsure which iPad you have, the cheaper pen is the safer order.
Apple also still sells the 2nd-generation and 1st-generation Pencils. The 1st-generation one needs a USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter to work with a current iPad. That makes four pens on sale at once. Engadget put it plainly: “Apple sells four generations of styluses whose differences aren’t very visually apparent.”
Samsung Shows Both Replacement S Pens as Not Available
Samsung sells two replacement S Pens for its tablet line. EJ-PX730 covers the Galaxy Tab S11 and S11 Ultra at $64.99. EJ-PX710 covers the S10 and S9 families at $59.99. On 31 August 2026 both listings showed Not Available for delivery and Not Available for in-store pickup.
Neither product page publishes a single specification. There is no pressure figure, no latency figure, no tip diameter, and no weight. Samsung’s marketing page for the Tab S11 describes a hexagon-shaped S Pen that is easier to grip and carry. It also says the pen is IP68-rated. That is the technical content on offer.
None of this matters much if you are buying the tablet, because Samsung says the S Pen is included in the box. It matters enormously if you lost yours.
Samsung Dropped Bluetooth From the S Pen This Generation
Engadget’s hands-on with the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra describes a hexagonal grip and a more conical nib. It says the pen draws power from the tablet’s screen like other EMR tablets and won’t need to be charged. Then comes the part that changes a buying decision: “Unlike some previous S Pens that had Bluetooth-powered special features like remote camera control, this version has no additional connectivity.”
Bluetooth-powered Air Actions were a real reason to prefer the S Pen on earlier Galaxy Tab generations. They are not on the current pen. If you are moving from a Tab S9 and you used the pen as a camera remote, that is a downgrade Samsung did not put in a headline. It is worth knowing before you upgrade the tablet.
Logitech Publishes Seven Hours and Claims No Pressure at All
Logitech’s Crayon datasheet is the most complete document any of these three makers publishes about its pen. It lists up to 7 hours of active writing time, 0.71 oz (20 g), 6.26 by 0.47 by 0.31 inches, palm rejection, a replaceable tip sold separately, and tilt sensitivity for dynamic line weight.
Read that last item carefully. Tilt is not pressure. The Crayon varies line weight by the angle you hold it at, not by how hard you press. Logitech does not claim otherwise anywhere in the document. A stylus that is honest about what it does not do is rarer than a stylus with one more feature.
Which Apple Pencil or stylus should you buy?
Apple Pencil (USB-C): the default
At $79, it has twenty-four compatible iPads, tilt sensitivity, low latency, USB-C charging, and the widest fit of any pen Apple sells. It has no pressure sensing, which Apple states by omission rather than in a spec line.
Skip this if you shade by hand pressure. Drawing with graduated line weight is the one job this pen cannot do, and no amount of tilt makes up for it.
Apple Pencil Pro: the one people overbuy
At $129, it adds a squeeze gesture, barrel roll, haptic feedback, Find My, and pressure sensing that Apple describes but never quantifies. It’s genuinely the best pen here for anyone who draws for a living on a current iPad Pro, Air or mini.
Skip this if you mostly take notes and mark up documents. You would be paying $50 for a squeeze gesture and a gyroscope, on a pen that fits 13 fewer iPads than the one below it in the price list.
Samsung S Pen: the loser of the three
At $64.99 as a replacement, it loses because you cannot buy it. Both replacement SKUs read Not Available on Samsung’s own store. Neither product page carries one specification, and the current generation has had its Bluetooth features removed. As the pen that ships free in a Galaxy Tab S11 box it is excellent and costs nothing. As a product you go out and purchase, it is the weakest of the three.
Skip this if you own an iPad, which rules it out entirely, or if you need a pen this week and Samsung’s listing still says Not Available.
Logitech Crayon: the shared-iPad answer
At $69.99, it has no pairing step, palm rejection, seven hours of writing on a charge, 20 grams, and a flat anti-roll body aimed squarely at classrooms. Logitech’s own store showed it “Sold Out Temporarily” on 10 October 2026, so check stock before you plan a classroom order around it.
Skip this if you want pressure sensing, hover, or Find My, or if the iPad in question predates 2018. It also will not touch an Android tablet.
Prices are approximate, current as of publication, and change frequently — confirm the latest price with the retailer before buying.
What this page still cannot tell you is how these pens compare on pressure. Two of the three makers do not publish a number, and the third publishes one on a support page about a different product line. Anyone ranking styluses on pressure levels is comparing Samsung against a blank.
For the rest of the desk, see our portable monitor comparison, the monitor resolution guide, and what sensor size does for a webcam. Or browse the Computers & Tablets category.
Before you order, open Settings, then General, then About on the iPad, and read the Model Name line. Match that string against the list in the table above. It takes fifteen seconds, and it is the only step on this page that will stop you returning something.
