Many Samsung fans criticize company for dropping S Pen support on Galaxy Z Fold 7

Samsung took to the stage yesterday to unveil its new Galaxy Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, along with other accessories. But it seems the hype for the new ultra-thin foldable from Samsung isn’t going as planned. Many fans who rely on the S Pen for their daily workflow are left disappointed. The company quietly removed stylus support from their newest foldable to achieve a thinner design, leaving these fans questioning whether to upgrade at all.

The backlash became evident within hours of the announcement, with Reddit’s GalaxyFold community erupting in frustration. One popular thread garnered over 500 upvotes and over 600 comments as users expressed their dismay at losing what many considered a defining feature of the Fold series.

Samsung confirmed to Android Authority that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 lacks S Pen support after removing the digitizer layer from the inner display. This decision mirrors the approach taken with the Galaxy Z Fold SE, where the company prioritized a slimmer profile over stylus functionality.

The removal hits particularly hard for professionals who relied on the S Pen for meeting notes and technical drawings. Many viewed the stylus as what made Samsung’s foldable a true laptop replacement.

Here are some comments I found on the main thread and another separate post discussing the news:

In order to follow other competitors, Samsung has lost what stood out for me in the Z Fold series: S-Pen and no hole-punch inner display. Now, I can switch to other brand foldables when I need to upgrade my Fold 5. – fearrange

No Spen = deal breaker for me. Stick with my Fold 5. – BarefootJacob

I swapped to the Fold series once they added the spen. Without the spen, there isn’t much differentiating them from the other foldables out there – PhilipJPhry

Deal breaker for me. Was going from 5 to 7 but no s-pen no dice. Bye bye Samsung. – buiz88

Wait… so let me get this straight. If I want to have a stylus to make notes and write on pdfs …. this means that it’s not possible? What’s the point of the bigger screen then? (if it cannot be used as a tablet) – Ghostzz

This move feels like rubbing salt in the wounds of fans who were already miffed with Samsung for removing Bluetooth support from the S Pen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Samsung had successfully brought S Pen support to the Fold series starting with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, giving the devices a unique selling point that differentiated them from competitors. But now it’s just another foldable in the rapidly expanding market.

The criticism extends beyond just the missing S Pen. Users are also upset about the higher price point despite fewer features, unchanged battery capacity, and the addition of a hole-punch camera on the inner display.

Some users are already looking at alternatives like the OnePlus Open, which supports stylus input with the Oppo Pen. The reaction suggests Samsung may have miscalculated its audience, as people willing to spend over $1,800 on a foldable often prioritize productivity features over form factor improvements.

For now, many Samsung loyalists are choosing to stick with their current devices rather than upgrade. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is being hailed as the peak of Samsung’s foldable design, and the immediate reaction suggests Samsung may have alienated some of their most dedicated customers in pursuit of mainstream appeal. But I guess at the end of the day — there’s no pleasing everyone.