S Pen may return to Galaxy Z Fold phones with new Samsung tech

In contrast to previous Galaxy Z Fold devices, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 does not support the S Pen stylus. Samsung made this trade-off to achieve a thinner and lighter foldable phone. The S Pen may be reintroduced to the Galaxy Z Fold series in the future, though, depending upon sufficient demand and satisfactory performance of superior solution that Samsung is developing.

While many appreciated Samsung's efforts in making the Galaxy Z Fold 7 thinner and lighter than the previous models, some didn't like the fact that the company removed S Pen compatibility. However, it appears that the S Pen isn't gone for good. Samsung is planning to bring back the S Pen to future Galaxy Z Fold phones with a newer technology.

According to a report from ETNews, Kang Min-seok, executive director of Samsung Electronics' MX business division, said that the company is researching and developing thinner and more innovative technologies for the S Pen. They also revealed that Samsung will consider bringing the S Pen to the Galaxy Z Fold series when the technology achieves the performance that the company is aiming for and when there is enough demand for it.

The existing S Pen is based on Wacom's EMR technology and needs a digitizer but not a battery. The Apple Pencil for iPads doesn't need a digitizer either, but it requires a battery inside the stylus. A previous report had claimed that Samsung is working with South Korean firm HiDeep to develop an S Pen technology that doesn't need an separate digitizer and battery.

Kang also said that Samsung is pursuing products with a balance and not just aiming for thinness and lightness. This lines up with the company's decision to switch from an under-display camera to a regular selfie camera placed inside a punch hole-shaped cutout in the Galaxy Z Fold 7's inner (foldable) screen. It is just better for the image and video quality.