The new iPad Pro 2021 is expected to arrive this month, and the new Apple Pencil may come along for the ride. At least, that's what a new leak suggests.

An image of the new Apple Pencil was released today (March 3) by Singapore-based Twitter user Mr. White, and it looks more like the original Apple Pencil than expected. But before you get worried, note that this is just one angle of the new stylus.

The first and most obvious difference between this Pencil and the latest model is what appears to be a glossy finish. The second generation Apple Pencil has a matte finish and is easier to grip than the glossy first generation Apple Pencil.

If you look closely at the detached tip, it appears much larger than either tip of the current Apple Pencil. Apple is not a company that increases the size of its products for no serious reason, so perhaps they increased the size to add new features.

We haven't heard any major rumors about what the next Apple Pencil will feature, but the folks at Patently Apple have posted two related patents, one describing a functional tip module that is interchangeable and could introduce new sensors, and the other describing a new, more powerful, and more powerful tip module that could be used to add new features. Consider Hawkeye's use of a number of attachments on the tip to give the arrow a variety of functions.

Another patent concerns a light sensor system built into the tip of the Apple Pencil that allows one to "pull" color from an object and apply it in an app. Sounds pretty cool to us.

What we don't see, however, is the flat edge; the Apple Pencil 2 relies on a flat surface to attach to the iPad Pro, which is essential to prevent the pencil from rolling off accidentally.

The next iPad Pro may be unveiled at Apple's spring 2021 event, where AirTags and Apple TV 2021 are rumored to be announced.