The Apple Pencil officially works with every iPad Apple currently sells. The first-generation Apple Pencil works with the new iPad Mini and iPad Air, as well as the older 10.5-inch iPad Pro and the 2018 standard iPad.
If you buy the new 11- or 12.5-inch iPad Pros, you should buy the second-generation stylus, which was made for those tablets and is even better than the original.
Over the years, I've tested a lot of styluses from companies like Adonit, 53, Wacom, and more. None of those styluses can hold a candle to the Apple Pencil. Whether you buy the first-generation Pencil or the second, you're getting a stylus that was made by Apple in tandem with the iPad.
As such, the Pencil works with the iPads' screens in special ways that no other stylus can. The result is improved pressure sensitivity and an impressively low level of latency. You won't even notice a lag because it's imperceptible. When you use an Apple Pencil, you actually feel like you're using a normal graphite pencil.
There are a few differences between the first- and second-generation Pencils: The second-gen model has wireless charging and magnetically attaches to the side of the iPad and it was made for the new 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, while the first-gen Pencil is for the older 9.7-inch iPad and the 10.5-inch iPad Pro. The first-gen Pencil charges with a lightning port on the end and doesn't attach to your iPad. It's also a bit cheaper.
Choose whichever works for the iPad you buy.— Malarie Gokey
Buy the first-generation Apple Pencil from Best Buy for $99.99 Buy the first-generation Apple Pencil on Amazon for $94 Buy the second-generation Apple Pencil at Best Buy for $129