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Apple is firmly in rule-breaking mode, which led to the introduction of the first touchscreen MacBook, and an iPhone that accepts pencil input. These rules, as laid down by Apple co-founder and former CEO, the late Steve Jobs, are now quickly becoming footnotes in the history of the tech giant, and consumers are the beneficiaries of this thinking outside the box.
This week, I took a break from figuring out the reasons to touch my MacBook Pro PROLED XDR display, to finally delve into that other previously unthinkable Apple product feature: an iPhone that accepts—even welcomes—pencil input.
Granted, the iPhone Duo is not your typical iPhone. It is a two-screen handset with a 5.4-inch display on the outside and, when you fold the device, a 7.6-inch display with a remarkable nanotech finish that effectively hides the crease.
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This large screen invites all kinds of non-traditional iPhone use cases, including big-screen content consumption, animated page turning in the Books app, and split-screen multitasking. It is also an invitation to art – a fact that Apple recognized by introducing pencil support for the first time to the iPhone line, but in a limited way.
Here are the limits:
- The iPhone 18 Pro and all other iPhones currently on the market do not accept pencil input
- The only pencil the iPhone Duo supports is the Apple Pencil (USB-C)
The second limit is a direct result of how the rest of the Apple Pencils are paired with devices and charged: by sitting along the magnetic edge of a supporting iPad. Even unfolded, the iPhone Duo offers no equivalent capability.
Limitations aside, I honestly couldn’t wait to use Apple Pencil (USB-C) on my iPhone Duo (built on iOS 27.2).
Started and away scribbling
The Apple Pencil (USB-C) looks like other Apple Pencils, but it hides a secret. When I slide the back end back, it reveals a USB-C port. I can use that to charge the pencil, but it’s also how I connected the pencil to my iPhone Duo: I run a USB-C cable from the phone’s USB-C port to the port on the pencil. After that, pairing is pretty much automatic.
As you might expect, the stylus – which is recognized on the inside and outside of the screen – can be used just like the tip of your finger to navigate the interface, if that’s your thing.
The platform also adds Scribble, which means I can now scribble the website names I want to see in Safari, jot down notes in Notes, and even solve simple written equations in the same app. But the show I came to, the reason we’re here, is to draw on both screens.
Flexi sketch
I have been drawing all my life and have been doing so for 40 years on digital platforms. I drew on the first Mac with a mouse, early PCs with a Wacom tablet, my finger on the iPhone, and in recent years on an iPad with Procreate and (of course) an Apple Pencil. Drawing with an Apple Pencil on an iPhone has been a long dream, and I was anxious to try it.
I unfolded the iPhone Duo, launched Procreate Pocket (the iPad version doesn’t run on an iPhone), and began placing the Apple Pencil on the nano-etched display.
One of the first things I noticed is that the digital pen works almost exactly the same as it does on the iPad. There is palm rejection, which means I can rest my hand on the 7.6-inch display while drawing.
As with an iPad, digital ink seems to flow directly from the pencil tip, and it’s fast too. There is no delay between us running the tip over the screen and the digital ink, paint, charcoal or watercolor stroke appears in its appearance.
I immediately love how the pen feels on the lightly textured surface. Glossy screens can feel a little slippery, but not this one.
As for the other big question that’s probably bursting to come out: yes, when you drag back and forth across the full, unfolded display, you’ll feel the crunch — not much, mind you, but it’s there. Interestingly, the lines I drew didn’t recognize the little bumps and instead were straight and squiggle-free.
The iPhone Duo main screen detects the pen angle and speed, but not pressure. This is probably intentional; after all, I don’t imagine Apple wants you to put extra force on the pencil, and therefore the screen, to make a darker or larger line. That adds a little wrinkle to my typical drawing flow – in Duo, if I want to make the lines taper properly, I sometimes have to shorten my line strokes, adjust the width smaller, and then continue.
Nevertheless, I by no means felt that I could not draw naturally. Most of the time I forgot that I was drawing on a flexible screen and instead focused on the art in much the same way I would if I was drawing on an iPad Mini.
In general, Procreate Pocket worked smoothly on the iPhone Duo, although I noticed that sometimes I had to select a tool, say eraser or the pen, more than once to switch it.
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The Apple Pencil works equally well on the cover screen, but I find the smaller display a bit restrictive for drawing. There is also the issue of what I do with the pencil when I am not using it. Although Apple came up with an iPhone Duo case to hold it, the Apple Pencil (USB-C) is at least an inch taller than the folded Duo.
In general, this is what I always wanted but also something more. It’s an iPhone that I can draw on but also one that reminds me of Mr. Peabody’s expandable blackboard. Instead of a relatively tight drawing space, I have a hidden 7.6-inch Apple Pencil-ready drawing tablet in my pocket.
Now, Apple, make the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
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