Samsung hasn’t ruled out bringing the S Pen back to its Galaxy Z Fold series, despite the stylus’ absence from the most recent models. In an interview ahead of the Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22, 2026, HS Moon, Samsung’s VP of Mobile Hardware R&D, said the company “continues to explore and consider a range of more innovative technologies that integrate a digitizer and the S Pen into an even thinner form factor.”
Why the S Pen disappeared from recent models
The S Pen returned to Samsung’s book‑style foldables with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, where it added clear utility on the larger inner display. Samsung later removed S Pen support from the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to achieve a slimmer device profile. As a result, the current Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra lack built‑in stylus support, leaving a gap for users who valued handwriting and drawing capabilities.
What Samsung says today
Samsung’s official position is not a permanent abandonment of the S Pen but a technical trade‑off: the company is prioritizing a thinner chassis. HS Moon’s comments emphasize that Samsung is actively looking for ways to incorporate the necessary hardware (the digitizer) without compromising device thinness. In short, a return of the S Pen will hinge on an engineering solution that reconciles stylus functionality with a slim profile.
What this means for future Galaxy Z Fold models
There’s no guarantee the S Pen will be back in the next generation — names most often floated are the Galaxy Z Fold 9 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 9 — but Samsung is keeping the option open. The broader industry regularly solves engineering hurdles that once seemed insurmountable, and Samsung says it’s working in that direction.
What it means for users
For now, Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra owners miss out on native S Pen productivity features for note‑taking and sketching. However, Samsung’s statement suggests the stylus could return if the company can integrate a digitizer without adding weight or thickness — the decisive factor for any future reintroduction.
In short, Samsung hasn’t closed the door on the S Pen for Galaxy Z Fold devices; it’s a matter of finding the right technical compromise.
