Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: The End of the S Pen Era?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is now official, following months of leaks, and while it delivers major improvements over its predecessor, the Fold 6, there’s one significant change that will disappoint fans: it no longer supports the S Pen stylus.

Just before the official announcement, reports suggested the new foldable phone would drop stylus support, and it turns out those rumors were accurate. In an exclusive statement to Android Central, Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 does not include stylus functionality. Although the company didn’t elaborate on the exact reasons for the decision when asked by PetaPixel, they hinted that it was a consequence of the phone’s new, slimmer design.

“While the S Pen is a key feature in our Galaxy lineup, for this iteration, we focused on making the Galaxy Z Fold 7 the lightest and thinnest yet. The priority was to maximize portability and deliver a more compact experience,” said a Samsung spokesperson in July 2025.

Rumors circulating before the official launch suggested that Samsung removed the digitizer layer to reduce the phone’s thickness and encountered production issues with the passive stylus intended for the Z Fold 7. Regardless of the reason, many fans are likely to feel disappointed by this change, especially considering the phone’s high price tag of $2,000.

Despite the lack of S Pen support, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 does bring several upgrades that users have been asking for, such as a thinner body, larger screens, a powerful 200MP camera, a 10MP camera on the inner display, and improved dust resistance. However, the price hike for the second consecutive year makes the omission of stylus compatibility even more painful.

Although Samsung insists the S Pen remains a vital component of the Galaxy lineup, it’s difficult to believe that claim when the company also removed Bluetooth functionality from the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s S Pen. This move marks a step backward, especially considering that just two years ago, Samsung had developed a prototype of the Z Fold 5 with a built-in S Pen slot.

Furthermore, this change supports rumors suggesting that the upcoming Galaxy S27 Ultra might also lack an S Pen slot, signaling that Samsung may be moving away from stylus compatibility in its foldable and flagship devices.