Apple’s iPhone Duo may not have reinvented the Android foldable, but it certainly did put a polish on a number of things. Inlcuded in that list is stylus support on the iPhone Duo, something that was more complicated behind-the-scenes than it initially sounded like, and an effort that Samsung should probably take note of.
Rewinding, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series first added stylus support back in 2022 on the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Samsung made a special version of the S Pen stylus for foldables that didn’t require a battery, but also didn’t stow away inside of the foldable. Still, it was fully supported and a welcome tool, especially as the Galaxy Note series was dying off. But with last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung ditched support for the S Pen in order to make the foldable much thinner.
But, of course, Samsung is likely rethinking that decision now that Apple has introduced the iPhone Duo with stylus support.
Apple touts that the iPhone Duo will support the USB-C version of the Apple Pencil that’s otherwise made for iPads. It sounds simple enough, but there’s more to the story. Bloombergreports that Apple originally wanted to make a dedicated version of Apple Pencil for the iPhone Duo, a version that would have been shorter and able to magnetically hold itself on the Duo’s hinge.
That stylus wasn’t announced as, apparently, Apple ran into “technical problems ahead of mass production” a few months before the Duo was announced, leading to the pivot over to iPad versions of the stylus. The report further notes that Apple’s software update to enable this isn’t “as simple as hitting a button” and that it won’t arrive until “fairly late in 2026.”
Still, that’s more than Samsung is bringing to the table at this point. Both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra lack any support for a stylus, despite rumors of Samsung exploring other ways of offering a stylus on its foldables. The reason the traditional S Pen doesn’t work in these thin form factors is that it requires a physical layer in the display assembly and, as such, adds to the thickness and weight – two pillars that Samsung is hyper-focused on improvingwith each generation.
Samsung’s Android competition has embraced stylus support, so between that and Apple’s adoption (mostly the latter, obviously), it’s all the more likely Galaxy Z Fold 9 will bring stylus support page in one form or another. Samsung has left the door open, too.
More on Foldables:
- Galaxy Z Fold 8 saw a surge in popularity as soon as Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo
- Xiaomi 18 Fold goes on sale with full specs and a Fold 8 comparison [Gallery]
- Review: The Galaxy Z Fold 8’s new shape isn’t for you – it’s for everyone
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