Anyway, during the tour we were walked through the design story of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5. A multitude of mockups showing design iterations were on display, giving us a glimpse of the shapes, color options, and finishes that were considered for Samsung’s latest foldables, yet didn’t quite make the cut.
One particular dummy unit caught my attention – a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 with a built-in S Pen slot.
To be clear, what was on display was a not a functioning phone. It was just a plastic dummy device – a physical, conceptual representation of what a Galaxy Z Fold 5 with an S Pen might have looked like. The S Pen appeared very similar (if not identical) in size to the one found on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, though I didn’t have one on hand to compare.
While it would have been awesome to have an S Pen and a slot for it on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 – a feature our readers have expressed interest in many times – Samsung chose to prioritize design over functionality. We were told that having the S Pen built in would have made the phone thicker. Still, it’s cool knowing that Samsung at least considered the possibility.
With the Galaxy Z Fold 5, we chose to prioritize a design that’s as thin and light as possible based on our user feedback. The new S Pen Fold Edition is 41% and makes real-time annotating and ideation easy while being able to fit more comfortably in the pocket. The Slim S Pen Case is nearly the same thickness as a regular case for the Fold and avalible in a variety of styles and colours so users can carry their S Pens in style – Tae-Joong Kim
