Apple’s newly announced iPhone Duo may not have completely reinvented the playbook for foldable smartphones, but it has certainly introduced a high level of polish to several key hardware and software features. Among those additions is stylus support for Apple’s foldable device—a capability that proved to be far more complicated behind the scenes than it initially appeared. This strategic move has also created a fresh competitive dynamic, highlighting a design compromise that industry leader Samsung might soon need to reconsider.
To understand the significance of this development, it helps to rewind the timeline of the foldable market. Samsung’s pioneering Galaxy Z Fold series first introduced stylus support back in 2022 with the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Recognizing the technical constraints of folding screens, Samsung engineered a specialized version of its S Pen stylus explicitly tailored for foldables. This accessory operated without an internal battery and did not stow away inside the chassis of the phone itself, yet it was fully supported by the software and quickly became a welcome productivity tool for power users, particularly as Samsung’s traditional Galaxy Note series was being phased out.
However, the pursuit of ultra-thin hardware design ultimately shifted Samsung’s priorities. With the release of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung made the deliberate decision to completely ditch support for the S Pen in order to make the foldable device significantly thinner and lighter.
Naturally, Samsung is likely rethinking that calculation now that Apple has entered the foldable arena and successfully integrated stylus capabilities into the iPhone Duo.
Apple’s official marketing for the iPhone Duo highlights that the device will support the USB-C version of the Apple Pencil—an accessory originally designed and marketed for iPads. While pairing an existing iPad stylus with a smartphone foldable sounds straightforward enough on the surface, industry reports reveal that there is a much more complex story behind the final product.
According to reports from Bloomberg, Apple originally intended to release a dedicated, custom version of the Apple Pencil specifically for the iPhone Duo. This hypothetical stylus was planned to be shorter in length and capable of magnetically attaching itself directly to the Duo’s external hinge for easy storage and transport.
Ultimately, that custom stylus was never announced. Reports indicate that Apple encountered unexpected technical problems just a few months ahead of mass production, forcing the company to pivot away from the dedicated hinge-attaching accessory and fall back on supporting the existing iPad-compatible USB-C stylus. Furthermore, industry insiders note that rolling out the software update required to enable this cross-device compatibility is not a simple task that can be executed overnight, meaning the necessary software features will not reach consumers until fairly late in 2026.
Even with these behind-the-scenes hurdles and the delayed software rollout, Apple’s ultimate delivery represents a functional stylus option that surpasses what Samsung is currently offering in its own foldable lineup. Both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the subsequent Fold 8 Ultra currently lack any form of support for a stylus, despite persistent rumors that Samsung has continuously explored alternative methods for bringing an S Pen experience back to its folding devices.
The core engineering hurdle for Samsung remains the physical digitizer layer. The traditional S Pen relies on a specific electromagnetic resonance layer integrated directly into the display assembly. Incorporating this layer adds tangible thickness and weight to the device—two foundational pillars that Samsung has remained hyper-focused on improving with every successive generation of its foldable hardware.
At the same time, Samsung’s broader Android competition has continued to embrace stylus support across various foldable models. Between the pressure from rival Android manufacturers and Apple’s high-profile entry into the space—with Apple’s move arguably carrying the most psychological and market weight—it is becoming increasingly likely that a future iteration, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 9, will reintroduce stylus support in one form or another. Public statements from Samsung executives have similarly left the door open for a potential return of the S Pen.