Samsung may soon introduce its digitizer-less S Pen technology. The company is reportedly working with a domestic fabless chip firm HiDeep to create a stylus that functions without a digitizer or battery. It could integrate this innovative solution into future foldable devices, making them slimmer and more compact.
Samsung is working on a digitizer-less S Pen for foldables
A digitizer is a layer in the display assembly used to detect S Pen movements. It is about 0.3mm thick, while the exact weight depends on the size of the display. Samsung wants to remove this component to make Galaxy foldables slimmer and lighter. For this, it has to reinvent the S Pen with a digitizer-less technology. Rumors about the Korean firm working on this project have been circulating for several months.
A new report coming from South Korea says Samsung has collaborated with HiDeep on this S Pen solution. It is unclear whether they will go the same route as Apple, which employs Active Electrostatic (AES) technology in its Apple Pencil. The pen uses a built-in battery to generate its own signal rather than relying on an external component to read its input.
HiDeep has already confirmed the ongoing development, revealing that the new S Pen technology will be available commercially soon. However, Samsung may not be the first to use it. A Chinese firm is expected to launch a new foldable smartphone with this digitizer-free stylus technology. Samsung could use it in its next-gen foldables slated to arrive in the second half of 2025.
Ahead of that, Samsung will launch the Galaxy S25 Ultra with S Pen support. It will feature the same, digitizer-powered S Pen as the S24 Ultra. The new flagship arrives in January, possibly on January 22. It will be accompanied by the Galaxy S25 and S25+, and maybe the S25 Slim. These models do not support the S Pen.
