2018 iPhone might not work with Apple Pencil after all [Updated]

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Apple Pencil is the ultimate iPad accessory.
There are a lot of people hoping the next iPhone models will work with the Apple Pencil, but a prominent analyst says no.
Photo: Apple

A respected analyst just threw cold water on the reports that the Apple Pencil will work with next month’s iPhone models.

This contradicts several sources that pointed to support for Apple’s pressure-sensitive stylus being added to the 2018 iPhones. So we’re left guessing which is correct.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TF International Securities has built a reputation of generally making accurate predictions over many years of converting Apple. In his latest note to investors, he says that the next iOS handsets won’t work with the Apple Pencil because the combination doesn’t offer a “good user experience.”

2018 iPhone and Apple Pencil

In contrast, market intelligence firm TrendForce indicates that both the 2018 iPhone models with OLED screens will support Apple’s active pen. A separate report citing “industry insiders” published in UDN indicated the same.

Yet a third report even named the company that will make the styli used by the 20128 iPhone models.

UPDATE:  A research note from Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis released today says he also “does see the potential for the new iPhones to support pen input.”

In short, there’s a lot of evidence going against Kuo. But we won’t know for sure until Apple’s event in mid-September.

More about the Apple Pencil

The Apple Pencil debuted in 2015 as a drawing and sketching tool for the iPad Pro line. It wasn’t until earlier this year that a budget iPad capable of interacting with this accessory debuted.

The stylus requires a special type of screen to work. Without it, a device can’t even tell that the Pencil is touching the display.

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