Khaberni - With the launch of the foldable Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung discontinued the support for the S Pen to achieve a slimmer phone design, and now competing companies are rushing to add this feature to their upcoming foldable phones.
The S Pen is an iconic and beloved feature in Galaxy phones, and it was logical for Samsung to extend support for it to the Galaxy Fold series, which has a book-like design. This support was first introduced with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 in 2021, and continued in subsequent generations until Samsung removed it in the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in 2025. Samsung described this move as a "compromise" and provided two main reasons for its removal. First, the slimmer design of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 required removing the components necessary for the S Pen. Second, removing these components allowed Samsung to enhance the ultra-thin glass used in the foldable display, according to a report by "9to5Google," a site specialized in technology news, which was reviewed by "Al Arabiya Business."
Despite a significant likelihood that the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 might reintroduce some form of pen support, it's also quite evident that other foldable phone manufacturers are racing to fill the gap left by Samsung.
A prime example of this is Motorola, which will introduce support for a stylus in its upcoming foldable phone, Razr Fold.
The Razr Fold was first showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, and its stylus support is one of its most prominent features. This is largely because, in the United States, there is currently no other book-style foldable phone that supports a stylus.
Google has shown no interest in adding stylus support to its Pixel Fold series of foldable phones.
Alongside Motorola, it is said that the Chinese company Oppo is now working on integrating "AI-powered stylus support" in its upcoming foldable phone, Find N6.
Stylus support is not new to Oppo's foldable phones, as there has been limited support in every device of the Find N series since Find N2, but the stylus itself was only released in certain regions, and moreover, the Oppo Find N5 barely reached the global markets.
The OnePlus Open phone also technically supports the Oppo stylus, but OnePlus has not released a dedicated stylus for sale.
The company Honor also offers a stylus for its foldable phones, but it does not promote it extensively.
Although Samsung has discontinued stylus support in its foldable phones, it is clear that other companies are quick to fill this gap, and it seems that 2026 will feature a wide array of book-style foldable phones that support a stylus.
