Samsung attracted some negativity after it was revealed the Galaxy Z Fold 7 does not support the S Pen stylus, despite previous versions of the big-screen foldable doing so, but it may not be the end for the popular accessory just yet. The executive director of Samsung’s Mobile Experience Business division, Kang Min-seok, has said the technology is still being worked on, and it may consider re-introducing it in the future.
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“We are researching and developing thinner and innovative technologies for the S Pen, so we will reconsider it when the level of perfection increases and there is customer demand,” Kang told ET News during the Unpacked event in New York on July 9.
He described the Z Fold 7 as a product with trade-offs, where, by prioritizing a thin and light chassis, other features needed to be removed in a “one in, one out” fashion. The S Pen was one of those casualties, as the element required for S Pen operation was removed from the display to reach its target thinness. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is 8.9mm folded and 4.2mm thick unfolded, a considerable change from the S Pen-compatible Galaxy Z Fold 6’s 12.1mm folded and 5.6mm thick unfolded dimensions.
Samsung is clearly not saying the S Pen will definitely return on the next version of the Z Fold, but if it’s putting time and effort into refining the technology, it seems to indicate it does envisage it being used outside the Ultra versions of the S Series at some point. The Z Fold series is the obvious additional home. Samsung has already shown it pays close attention to the special features its users enjoy, and made the decision to remove Bluetooth connectivity from the S Pen in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, due to few people using the connected features.
Equally, if the demand for the S Pen on the Z Fold is there, research and development on the next version may accelerate ready for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to meet it. Closing the interview, Kang added, “We are pursuing a perfect product balance, not just thinness and lightness.” This further suggests Samsung hasn’t drawn a big red X through the S Pen being a feature on its folding phones just yet, even if it’s missing from the current model.
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