Samsung may restore S Pen support for some of its future Galaxy Z Fold devices — and Apple is the reason

• S Pen support may return for future Samsung foldables
• However, it’s unlikely to be added to the main Galaxy Z Fold 8
• The move is apparently to counter the iPhone Fold

Take a read through our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review, and you’ll see the book-style foldable doesn’t support S Pen stylus input like its predecessors did – a change Samsung may be about to reverse as the iPhone Fold looms large.

According to well-known tipster Lanzuk (via Android Authority), Samsung is now busy testing S Pen support on “Galaxy Z Fold 8 variants”, with the aim of giving more competition to devices from “Company A” (which is apparently Apple).

However, it doesn’t sound as though the Galaxy Z Fold 8 itself will get S Pen support. One of the main reasons the Galaxy Z Fold 7 doesn’t let you use an S Pen with it is because it means the screen (and the foldable as a whole) can be thinner. Samsung will want to keep that svelte profile on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 too.

Instead, we might see S Pen compatibility appear for a different Galaxy Z Fold device: Samsung is reportedly developing a wider foldable with a 4:3 aspect ratio when opened out, to match the rumored dimensions of the folding iPhone.

Wide is the new thin

Veteran tipster @UniverseIce has weighed in by posting predicted screen sizes for both the wide Samsung foldable and the iPhone Fold: 5.4 inches and 7.6 inches for the former, and 5.35 inches and 7.58 inches for the latter apparently.

To sum up, Samsung seems to be developing a book-style foldable that isn’t the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in order to compete directly with the 4:3 aspect ratio of Apple’s foldable iPhone – with S Pen support possibly thrown in as well as a sweetener.

It’s also worth noting that these latest iPhone Fold dimensions don’t quite match up exactly with the dimensions leaked last week, and used to make a 3D-printed prototype device. One of these sources must be wrong, or perhaps Apple has changed its mind on how wide and tall the folding iPhone should be.

Given they’re going to be talking to the same manufacturing partners and suppliers, it’s no real surprise that Apple and Samsung know what each other’s plans are, and that might be reflected in two foldables in particular in 2026.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.