Apple tested a smaller Apple Pencil for its new foldable iPhone but stopped the plan to protect the soft screen.
Apple spent months secretly testing a brand new electronic drawing pen for its upcoming foldable iPhone. Industry reports published on Sunday, August 30, 2026, revealed that Apple engineers built a special, shorter version of the Apple Pencil designed to fit alongside the new folding phone, often called the iPhone Ultra.
The secret accessory was designed to snap onto the side of the phone with magnets to stay in place and charge its battery, just like the bigger pens work on Apple iPad tablets. However, top bosses at the company decided to cancel the plan before launching the phone to the public.
The main reason why Apple stopped the project is that the hard pen tip could ruin the delicate folding screen. Unlike regular iPhones that have hard glass on the front, foldable phones use softer materials inside so the screen can bend in half like a book.
During testing, engineers discovered that pushing the pen against the soft inner display left bad scratches and ugly marks on the surface.
On top of that, carrying the pen stuck to the side made the phone uncomfortable to hold and hard to open. People would have to take the pen off every single time they wanted to unfold the phone to use it.
Because of these problems, Apple chose to drop the pen completely for its first foldable phone to avoid selling a product that damages easily.
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Explaining how the secret testing went, technology reporter Mark Gurman shared how the small pen worked and why Apple stopped it.
The special design created by engineers, tech expert Mark Gurman stated that Apple built “a shorter and stubbier version of the Apple Pencil” for the phone.
Why the company decided to cancel the accessory, Mark Gurman added that the hard tip was likely to leave “unsightly marks” on the soft inner glass.
While the first foldable iPhone will not come with Apple Pencil support, third-party basic finger touch styluses will still work on the outer screen.
Jennifer Baba is a journalist, international news correspondent, and writer at Moderncrux, where she covers artificial intelligence, fintech, emerging technologies, global politics, and international affairs. Based in Nigeria, she is passionate about transforming complex global developments into clear, engaging stories that inform and inspire readers.
