Apple’s iPhone Duo Brings Stylus Support Back to the Spotlight, Putting Pressure on Samsung’s Foldable Strategy

Apple’s newly introduced iPhone Duo may not have completely reinvented the established formula for Android foldables, but it has certainly brought a notable level of polish and refinement to the category. Among the features garnering the most attention is stylus support on the iPhone Duo. While the implementation may seem straightforward on the surface, bringing a pen interface to Apple’s first foldable device involved significant engineering hurdles behind the scenes—an effort that Samsung, its chief rival in the foldable space, should arguably take a close look at moving forward.

To understand the significance of this development, it helps to rewind the timeline of foldable displays and mobile styluses. Samsung’s pioneering Galaxy Z Fold series first introduced stylus support back in 2022 with the release of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Recognizing the physical constraints of a folding screen, Samsung engineered a specialized version of its S Pen stylus explicitly tailored for foldables. This accessory did not require an internal battery, nor did it stow away inside the chassis of the phone like the legacy Galaxy Note series.

Still, it was fully supported and welcomed by power users, particularly as the iconic Galaxy Note line was phased out in favor of Samsung’s dual-track flagship strategy. However, priorities shifted dramatically with subsequent hardware iterations. In a quest to make its devices as thin and lightweight as possible, Samsung ultimately opted to drop support for the S Pen entirely, starting with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 released last year.

Now, of course, Samsung may find itself rethinking that strategic pivot following Apple’s entry into the foldable market with the iPhone Duo and its own approach to stylus compatibility.

Apple has heavily touted that the iPhone Duo will support the USB-C version of the Apple Pencil, an accessory originally designed for Apple’s iPad lineup. While utilizing an existing ecosystem accessory sounds simple enough on paper, industry reports indicate that the reality was far more complex. According to reports from Bloomberg, Apple initially intended to develop a dedicated version of the Apple Pencil specifically for the iPhone Duo. This custom stylus was reportedly designed to be shorter and capable of magnetically attaching itself directly to the Duo’s hinge mechanism.

Ultimately, that custom stylus was never officially announced. Apple reportedly encountered critical technical problems right on the cusp of mass production just a few months before the iPhone Duo was formally unveiled. This late-stage roadblock forced the company to pivot toward compatibility with the existing iPad versions of the stylus instead. Furthermore, industry reports note that the forthcoming software update required to enable this cross-device stylus functionality is not as simple as flipping a switch, and it is not expected to roll out to users until fairly late in 2026.

Even with these transitional challenges, Apple’s commitment to stylus input offers a stark contrast to Samsung’s current hardware roadmap. Both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the larger Fold 8 Ultra currently lack any form of native support for a stylus, despite ongoing industry rumors that Samsung has continuously explored alternative methods of bringing pen functionality back to its foldable lineup.

The core engineering dilemma stems from the physical architecture required for traditional stylus tech. The classic S Pen requires a dedicated digitizer layer integrated directly into the display assembly. This extra hardware layer inevitably adds to the overall thickness and weight of the device—two foundational pillars that Samsung has remained hyper-focused on improving with every successive generation of its foldable hardware.

Despite Samsung’s laser focus on shaving millimeters off its devices, the broader Android foldable market has increasingly embraced stylus support, standing apart from Samsung’s minimalist hardware approach. Between rising competition from other Android manufacturers and Apple’s high-profile entry into the foldable stylus arena—with the latter likely carrying the most industry weight—it is becoming increasingly probable that the eventual Galaxy Z Fold 9 will reintroduce stylus support in some capacity. Samsung has notably left the door open to the possibility, signaling that the company is listening to consumer demand even as it navigates complex hardware trade-offs.