iPhone Duo's Apple Pencil support makes Z Fold 8’s missing S Pen harder to excuse

Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, is finally here. It features the same short and wide form factor as the Galaxy Z Fold 8. However, it is noticeably thicker and substantially heavier than Samsung's latest foldable.

To make up for those compromises, the iPhone Duo offers a few compelling capabilities that are glaringly absent from Samsung's latest foldable.

Most notably, the iPhone Duo supports the Apple Pencil (USB-C). Although the stylus is an optional paid accessory that requires separate charging and cannot be stored within the device itself, it works on both the inner and outer screens.

Apple Pencil support is the most surprising part of the iPhone Duo, given that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs famously mocked phone styluses.

For Samsung fans like us, seeing Apple implement stylus support is particularly painful. Samsung pioneered this feature in the foldable category when the Galaxy Z Fold 3 debuted with S Pen support back in 2021. That support continued until the Galaxy Z Fold 6 in 2024.

Unfortunately, to make foldables thinner and lighter, Samsung abandoned the S Pen with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. This year, too, neither of the two Galaxy Z Fold 8 series phones supports the S Pen.

Despite having excellent drawing and writing apps like Samsung Notes and PENUP, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra don't fully utilize their big screens for creativity and productivity.

Yes, the iPhone Duo is thicker and more expensive than the Galaxy Z Fold 8. But Apple used the extra space to include several additional layers in the screen. These layers not only make the screen appear flatter and minimize the crease, but the anti-reflective matte coating at the top reportedly makes writing with the Apple Pencil feel similar to drawing on a real piece of paper.

Samsung can no longer use the excuse of a thinner device to exclude stylus support. Users will likely be willing to accept a slightly thicker device if it means gaining more useful features.

If Samsung wants to maintain its long-held leadership in the foldable market, it must find a way to bring S Pen support back to foldables with the Galaxy Z Fold 9 series next year.