Logitech Combo Touch and Crayon for Apple iPad (10th gen) review

Apple’s 10th generation iPad is a bit of a mystery, mixing new designs and technology with older features and limitations. This isn’t as obvious as the accessory situation where the 10th generation iPad uses Apple’s older Pencil instead of the model used in the iPad Air, iPad Mini and iPad Pro.

Luckily, where there’s frustration, there’s opportunity, and Logitech swooped in to seize them.

Starting with the stylus, Logitech’s $69.99 Crayon is $30 cheaper than the Apple Pencil and avoids the cumbersome charging and pairing situations Apple has been cornered. The 1st gen Apple Pencil had a Lightning connector and you had to use a ridiculous $9 adapter to pair and charge it with the 10th gen iPad, but the Crayon has a USB-C port. , so you can easily connect it to your iPad. Connect your tablet using the supplied cable. You can also charge using a standard USB-C cable. Additionally, the stylus itself has a power switch and battery meter, neither of which the Pencil has.

Crayon’s flattened carpenter’s pencil-like design keeps it from rolling off your desk like the rounded Apple Pencil. The matte aluminum finish is much less slippery than the Pencil’s glossy white plastic. The orthodox shape takes some getting used to, but between the matte finish and wide barrel, it’s easier to hold than a pencil once you get used to it.

Writing with the Crayon lacks the pressure sensitivity found in Apple’s stylus, but it’s as smooth and lag-free as the Pencil. (However, it supports slanting of various line widths.) Pressure sensitivity is only important for serious artists. The 10th generation iPad uses a pencil powered by the iPad Pro. And if you’re trying to create digital art with a stylus pen a lot, the 10th generation iPad probably isn’t your iPad. (Get one that supports the 2nd generation Apple Pencil; you’ll be happier.) For those just testing the waters of digital art, Crayon is more than adequate.

There are a few things I wish Logitech could have gone further. Both the first-generation Apple Pencil and the Crayon offer an easy way to switch between writing and erasing, much like the double-tap gesture on the second-generation Apple Pencil offers. I don’t. Also, there is no way to store the Crayon with the iPad without additional accessories. This is a problem that plagues the first generation Pencil as well. But while Logitech addresses this with his Combo Touch keyboard case, Apple ignores it entirely. The Crayon’s nib is as stiff and plastic-like as Apple’s Pencil, and it’s slippery on the iPad’s glass. Neither has a softer nib option, so a matte screen protector goes a long way toward improving the writing experience of both styluses.

After all, if you have a 10th generation iPad, I can’t think of any good reason to buy a 1st generation Apple Pencil over the Logitech Crayon. It’s easy to hold, easy to pair and charge, and offers a very similar writing experience while being inexpensive.

Similarly, Logitech’s $159.99 Combo Touch keyboard folio beats Apple’s Magic Keyboard Folio in many ways for $90 less. Both cases use a two-piece design with a kickstand for the tablet and a detachable keyboard that can be removed whenever not in use. But Logitech’s keyboard does a great job, its case offers far better protection than Apple’s, and its kickstand has a much wider range of usable angles. has a built-in loop to hold Logitech’s own Crayon stylus or Apple’s Pencil. The Magic Keyboard Folio has no such feature and requires the stylus to be stored separately from the tablet.

The most obvious difference between Logitech’s product and Apple’s, aside from price, is that the part of the case that attaches to the iPad has a rubber frame on all sides of the tablet and a small opening to access the Touch ID sensor. part is cut out. Power button. This provides far better protection from bumps and drops than Apple’s case, which attaches magnetically to the back of the iPad and doesn’t protect the sides at all. The Magic Keyboard Folio is easy to put on and take off, which may appeal to those who change cases frequently, but for most people, the extra protection of the Combo Touch is a better option.

While it offers better protection than Apple’s options, the Combo Touch is only slightly thicker than the Magic Keyboard Folio when closed all together, and you won’t even notice it in everyday use. Regardless, it’s slightly lighter than the Magic Keyboard Folio. Logitech’s kickstand design offers a much wider range of motion than Apple’s, and can be propped at a lower angle for writing and drawing. Apple’s case is white only and has a soft-touch finish that attracts dust and dirt like a magnet. Logitech’s has a gray fabric-like texture that makes it easier to hold and much easier to keep clean than Apple’s.

The Combo Touch’s keyboard is very similar to Apple’s in size and layout, with a well-spaced keyboard and a responsive trackpad. The keys have great feedback and movement and have backlighting not available on the Magic Keyboard Folio. Logitech’s row of function keys is slightly different from Apple’s, swapping out the Lock button for a screenshot key and swapping the Do Not Disturb and App Library keys for backlight controls. Neither change is a deal breaker. I like to use the one-key screenshot button instead of the never-used Do Not Disturb key.

The keyboard attaches to the bottom of the Combo Touch using pogo pins just like Apple’s and doesn’t require pairing or charging. One trick the Magic Keyboard Folio can do that the Combo Touch can’t is let the keyboard fold behind the tablet when not in use. I have combo touch. But on the plus side, the Combo Touch is much more secure and stable when the keyboard is closed, and doesn’t slide awkwardly like Apple’s keyboards. Overall, it’s a pretty good iPad case.

It’s a little surprising to see a third-party accessory firmly beat out Apple’s first-party options, but that’s exactly what happened with the 10th generation iPad. Logitech’s stylus and keyboard cases are better designed, have more features, and cost less than their Apple counterparts. It is a safe recommendation.

Photo by Dan Seifert/The Verge

Correction, December 20, 11:45 AM ET: A previous version of this article stated that the Logitech Crayon does not support both pressure and tilt. I’m sorry.