A few hours ago, Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition with a host of upgrades over the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The company’s official press release made no mention of S Pen support, which raised concerns about its inclusion. It has now been confirmed that the new slim foldable does not support the S Pen, making it less ideal for users who rely on the stylus pen for productivity.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition doesn’t support the S Pen
The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is 1.5mm thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 when folded (10.6mm vs. 12.1mm). When unfolded, it is just 4.9mm thick compared to the Fold 6’s 5.6mm thickness. At 236 grams, it is also 3 grams lighter. This is despite a bigger overall profile — the new model is 157.9mm tall instead of 153.5mm and 142.6mm wide (when unfolded) instead of 132.6mm.
These changes allowed Samsung to offer bigger screens (8.0-inch folding display and 6.5-inch cover screen). It also provided the company with enough space to keep a 4,400mAh battery. Unfortunately, the Korean firm had to cut corners somewhere, and it decided to ditch the S Pen. The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition lacks the digitizer that helps read the S Pen input, reducing its weight and thickness.
There have been some rumors about Samsung reinventing the S Pen to make it work without a digitizer in the display assembly. However, those were untrue. The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition’s official product page in South Korea, the only market where Samsung has announced the phone so far, confirms the lack of S Pen support. We aren’t really surprised considering how slim the device is.
The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition will also arrive in China soon. Interestingly, the Chinese version is more special with a ceramic back cover and dual-tone finish with black and golden shades. The Korean version has a glass back and comes in a single Black Shadow color. Time will tell if Samsung will launch this special foldable in any other market, though chances are “slim.” We will keep you posted.
