Apple Pencil Pro drops under $100 for the first time

Spending another $129 to get the Apple Pencil Pro after upgrading to the latest iPad Pro and iPad Air devices is a hard pill to swallow. That pill is a little bit smaller now, thankfully. It’s currently discounted to $99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Target, the latter available with a free Target Circle membership. That’s a new all-time low price.

The USB-C Apple Pencil (regularly as low as $69) is the only other official option for drawing on your iPad Pro M4 or iPad Air M2. Paying an extra $30 to gain the Apple Pencil Pro’s advantages makes total sense, then. In addition to more effective pressure sensitivity than the second-gen Apple Pencil and the same double-tap gesture, you now get additional gestures. You can use a “barrel roll” gesture that lets you twist your digital brush’s orientation by twisting the pencil or squeeze the Apple Pencil Pro to swap tools or switch functions.

You also gain built-in Find My support. Take it from someone who’s lost more than a couple of Apple Pencils — that last benefit alone is worth the added splurge.

More deals on Prime Day’s eve

• You can get a 45mm Google Pixel Watch 3 with LTE in black for $399.99 ($100 off) at Amazon and Walmart, which is the first discount we’ve seen for any of its configurations. The latest Pixel Watch is a looker, whether you’re upgrading or a first-timer. It has a bigger and brighter display than its predecessor, with more workout features, offline Google Maps, and the ability to view feeds from your Nest Cam or Nest Doorbell directly. It also doubles as a Google TV remote, a camera monitor for Pixel phones, and an ultra wideband chip that enables remote unlocking for Pixel devices and some BMWs. Read our review.
• Gamers looking for a desk ornament should be eyeing the Lego Piranha Plant, which is starting at a new all-time low of $47.95 (about $12 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Target. Assembly is required for the 540-piece, nine-inch-high set, but it’s a fun way to drop the devilish little chomper into its unsuspecting pipe. The plant features hinges on the leaves, stem, and flower head to pose it however you like. It also comes with two Super Mario coins.
• The digital-only PlayStation 5 Slim is starting around $399 (about $50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop, which is matching the all-time low and a fair price in the face of the looming $700 PS5 Pro. It’ll play all the same games, just not at the highest framerates and maximized fidelity the incoming upgrade will enable. Note that it doesn’t have a disc drive, but you wouldn’t be getting that with the pricier model, either. Read our review.