Apple scrapped a shorter Apple Pencil for iPhone Duo before launch: Report

Apple built a smaller Apple Pencil specifically for the iPhone Duo and then dropped it before mass production, according to Bloomberg.

Mark Gurman reports in his Power On newsletter that the Duo was supposed to launch with a shorter, stubbier Pencil designed to magnetically attach to the hinge side of the foldable. The project ran into technical problems ahead of mass production, so Apple scrapped it.

Instead, Apple said at its September 9 event that the iPhone Duo will support the existing USB-C Apple Pencil later this year, but not at launch.

That delay is not just marketing. Gurman notes getting the iPad Pencil to work on the Duo is not as simple as flipping a switch. Apple still has to ship new software and run extensive internal testing to make the Pencil work on both the 5.4-inch outer display and the 7.6-inch inner display. He expects the update to arrive fairly late in 2026.

The shift is notable because Gurman had flagged the stubby prototype weeks before the event, while also saying it was unlikely to ship. That call turned out to be right.

Why Apple had to fall back to USB-C

The Duo was designed from the start to support Pencil input, but the plan changed from a bespoke accessory to compatibility with hardware people already own. The USB-C model is the lowest-cost Pencil in the lineup and charges over USB-C, not by magnetic attachment.

Apple’s own pages for the iPhone Duo confirm the October launch window, with preorders starting October 16 and availability on October 23, and no Pencil included in the box. Pencil support is listed as coming later this year.

Code spotted in iOS 27 also points to hover support for the foldable, suggesting Apple wants the experience to feel like it does on iPad, where the tip is tracked just above the display.

What this means if you planned to draw on Duo

You won’t need to buy a new Pencil if you already own the USB-C version. You will, however, have to wait. Apple hasn’t given an exact date, and Gurman’s reporting suggests you should treat "later this year" as December rather than October.

If you don’t already own a Pencil, there’s little reason to buy one now just for Duo until Apple confirms which models are supported, Gurman specifically names USB-C, not Apple Pencil Pro or Apple Pencil (2nd generation).

A dedicated hinge-mounted Pencil would have been tidier for a pocketable foldable, but Apple is betting that software compatibility beats another accessory to carry and charge. Whether that feels like a compromise will depend on how well the full-size Pencil handles on a phone that folds. For now, the practical way to plan is to consider only the accessories that actually fit the Duo’s hinge rather than waiting for a custom Pencil.