Apple and the stylus have a turbulent history. Steve Jobs famously nixed the idea of a stylus when he launched the first iPhone, and even after the Apple Pencil was introduced, the iPhone remained without a stylus.

There are always rumors that this will change, the latest being that the foldable iPhone Flip may now support the Apple Pencil.

At least that's according to Chinese analyst firm EqualOcean. The analyst claims that the first foldable iPhone will be released in 2023, will have a 7.3" to 7.6" display, and will support a stylus. It is worth being very skeptical about what is being claimed since we have not really heard from this source before.

It is worth noting that EqualOcean claims that the iPhone Flip will be a hybrid tablet device. Perhaps it will be like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 2, with a small phone screen on the outside that opens to reveal a larger tablet-like design.

This is contrary to recent reports, with prominent leaker Jon Prosser claiming that Apple has settled on the clamshell design used by the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. Though Prosser noted that it was still very early days for the iPhone Flip, and things could change. In any case, we won't know for sure until the development process is much further along.

However, an iPhone Flip with a foldable tablet design could benefit from stylus support. After all, all iPad models currently support the Apple Pencil in some form, and it makes sense to add this to a new iPad-adjacent product. iPhone Flip would be one such product, provided it has a large foldable display It would be.

The only question is whether the phone will be compatible with one of the two Apple Pencils already on the market. Or whether Apple will develop something more specialized. Perhaps a stylus that can be housed inside the iPhone Flip, just as the S Pen is inside the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

There are conflicting reports as to whether the iPhone Flip will appear in 2022, and it is not yet entirely clear when. From what we have heard, it is still in the early stages of development, so don't expect to see the iPhone by the end of this year. As for when we will actually see the real thing, 2023 is as good a guess as any.