The Apple Pencil is a great device, but it starts at $99 and so it’s not exactly inexpensive. Thankfully, we have a good, affordable alternative in the form of the Logitech Crayon, which is now back on Amazon at its record low price of $50, down $20 from the regular $70 retail price.
It’s a good device if you’re mainly interested in taking notes, light drawing, or highlighting PDFs. Keep in mind that it’s priced for its features. Logitech’s stylus doesn’t have the pressure sensitivity that you get with the Apple Pencil, and its “carpenter pencil” design could be uncomfortable to write with for long stretches.
On the other hand, the design also means it won’t roll off your desk if you put it down, unlike Apple’s ultra-smooth first-generation Pencil. Speaking of design, it’s easy to charge the Crayon with a regular, undongled Lightning cable, so you won’t need to worry about awkwardly plugging the Crayon into your iPad when the battery runs low. You also don’t have to worry about losing the cap over the charging port as you would with the Pencil, as a rubber strip keeps the Crayon’s cap attached.
For more information, be sure to check out the review of the Logitech Crayon. I wasn’t thrilled with it for the price at the time, but at $50, it’s certainly worth looking into if you’re trying to save cash and if you don’t plan on using an iPad stylus for serious artwork.
Author: Leif Johnson, Contributing Writer
Leif is a San Francisco-based tech journalist. He's a big fan of fantasy RPGs, and you can find his previous work on IGN, Rolling Stone, VICE, PC Gamer, Playboy, Mac|Life, TechRadar, and numerous other publications.