Apple launches new Apple Pencil with hidden USB-C charging port

Apple on Tuesday announced a new $79 Apple Pencil with a hidden USB-C charging port that will launch in November. Prior models required users to charge by plugging the pencil into the iPad charging port.

It’s the cheapest Apple Pencil to date and works with all USB-C iPads, though it lacks some of the features of the more expensive Apple Pencils.

It can attach magnetically to the sides of USB-C iPads, for example, but doesn’t charge wirelessly like the $129 second-generation Apple Pencil. It also lacks pressure sensitivity, which is available in the older $99 Apple Pencil, and means it may be better for people who just need to take notes instead of digital artists.

The move comes after last month’s new iPhone 15 lineup which features USB-C charging in place of a Lightning port. The company said last year it would shift to the common charging standard in compliance with European Union law.