Apple has confirmed the iPhone Fold will not ship with an Apple Pencil, maintaining Steve Jobs' original philosophy of finger-based input. Despite rumors that Apple prototyped a shorter stylus designed to magnetically attach to the device, testing revealed the form factor proved awkward and impractical. The prototype would line up along the tall side of the closed phone, making it annoying to open the foldable without removing it.

Additionally, concerns exist regarding the display's sensitivity, with fears the pencil could leave unsightly marks. While third-party capacitive styli will work by emulating finger input, they offer limited precision. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone Fold and iPhone 18 Pro at the "Surprise and Shine" event on September 9.

Customers looking to replace both iPad mini and iPhone with the iPhone Ultra should note that iPad drawing tablet functionality will not transfer to the new device. Pre-order timelines remain unannounced following the September reveal.