Andrew Heinzman
A new blog post from Samsung gives us a first look at some new products ahead of the August 11th Unpacked event, including the first S Pen “designed specifically for foldable phones.” While fresh leaks confirm that this S Pen will work with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, support for the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is still in question.
Before we get into the weeds, let’s put things in perspective a bit. Samsung now confirms that it will not launch a Note device this year and that it will instead focus on bringing Note features to other products in its lineup. Samsung may be phasing out the Note lineup to draw more attention to its foldables, which will now feature top-of-the-line processors (likely the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+) and S Pen support.
Again, S Pen support isn’t confirmed for the clamshell-styled Z Flip 3, though newly leaked images from 91Mobiles show that the S Pen will come to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 … with some help from a proprietary carrying case.
Placing the S Pen on the outside of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 looks a bit strange, sort of like a re-imagined Palm Pilot. But it’s probably a necessity, as the foldable’s cramped internals don’t really leave room for a stylus. Samsung may sell the Fold 3 S Pen and protective case as an add-on item to keep costs competitive, though we won’t know until the August 11th Unpacked event.
Anyway, those who are familiar with folable phones are probably wondering if the S Pen will destroy the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s soft plastic screen. Given Samsung’s claim that this S Pen is “designed specifically for foldable phones,” it may have a soft felt tip or something that won’t scratch plastic. Either that or Samsung has figured out how to make a more durable foldable screen, which seems a bit unlikely (though anything is possible).
Samsung will reveal all of its secrets during the August 11th Unpacked event. While the company’s new blog post doesn’t mention any smartwatches, we expect the company to announce its Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic alongside the new foldable phones and S Pen. If you want to be first in line for Samsung’s upcoming foldables, you can reserve a spot (and set up two trade-in devices) on the company’s website.
