Samsung drops S Pen support from Galaxy Z Fold 7 — here's why it had to go

Samsung has just launched the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which finally features a noticeably thinner design that is easier to hold. While everyone gushes over how good it feels in the hand, this thinner design comes at a cost: the Fold 7 no longer supports the S Pen.

Samsung hasn’t mentioned S Pen support as part of the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s launch. We asked Samsung about S Pen support on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the company confirmed to us that the new flagship does not support the S Pen. Samsung had to get rid of the digitizer layer within the display assembly in its quest for a thinner foldable.

The situation is similar to that on the Galaxy Z Fold SE, which also got rid of the digitizer layer and dropped S Pen support in lieu of a thinner profile. The digitizer layer is needed to detect and transmit the stylus’s position to the device.

Samsung brought S Pen support to the Galaxy Z Fold lineup with the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Users could buy and use the S Pen Pro or the S Pen Fold Edition, both of which came with a retractable nib so you don’t put too much pressure on the Fold’s inner display and damage it.

Unlike the Galaxy S Ultra lineup, the Z Fold lineup never had a built-in S Pen slot, nor was the S Pen included in the box. However, you could buy first-party cases that let you store the S Pen alongside the phone.

Since the S Pen was a separate purchase and was only supported on the inner display, not the cover display, not a lot of people used the S Pen on the Fold. So Samsung’s decision to do away with the S Pen support in favor of a thinner design that many more people would appreciate makes sense. At the same time, die-hard S Pen fans have one less option to choose from, and they barely had any to begin with.