Samsung added S Pen support to its top-of-the-line foldables with the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Like previous S Pen-enabled devices before it, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 utilized a digitizer to allow the display to support stylus input. All subsequent models have had S Pen support, with the exception of the recently unveiled Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.
That doesn't give us a reason to believe that next year's Galaxy Z Fold 7 will skip S Pen support altogether. However, the way it's implemented might be inspired by Apple and how it allows for the Apple Pencil to work with compatible iPads.
Galaxy Z Fold 7 could share a trait with the Galaxy Z Fold SE
Samsung reportedly wants to make the Galaxy Z Fold 7 thinner than its predecessors. It may remove the digitizer, something it has already done on the Galaxy Z Fold SE, which is 12% thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. However, it wants to retain S Pen compatibility for next year's flagship foldable.
This would require a new method of enabling S Pen support, likely through the use of static electricity, which is similar to active electrostatic technology used to support Apple Pencil input on compatible iPads that don't have digitizers.
The components needed to support the stylus input are incorporated into the stylus itself, so it's thicker and needs to be charged, but the benefit is that the device can be thinner as the digitizer is no longer needed.
Samsung can consider this option for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 as opposed to the Galaxy S25 Ultra because the latter ships with the S Pen that stores neatly inside the body itself. The Galaxy Z Fold phones don't come with a S Pen in the box and customers already need to purchase one separately. This makes it easy for Samsung to deliver a slimmer foldable phone while also ensuring that S Pen support is there for anyone who wants it.
