The S Pen Isn’t Going Anywhere: Samsung Confirms New Display Tech in the Works

Almost half a decade after Samsung officially retired the iconic Galaxy Note series in favor of foldable devices, its defining feature—the S Pen—continues to thrive within the premium Galaxy S lineup. Despite recent industry rumors suggesting a gradual phase-out or a lack of significant upgrades for the stylus on the latest Galaxy S26 Ultra, the South Korean tech giant has no intention of abandoning its signature accessory anytime soon.

Official Confirmation from Samsung Leadership

Speculation regarding the S Pen’s demise was recently put to rest by Won-Joon Choi, Chief Operating Officer at Samsung’s Mobile Experience (MX) division. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Choi explicitly assured that the company has no plans to discontinue the stylus.

Going a step further, Choi revealed that Samsung is actively developing new display technology designed to ensure the S Pen remains a viable and highly functional tool in the future. While the executive refrained from disclosing specific technical details, his comments suggest that the company is tackling the engineering challenges associated with housing and supporting the stylus in increasingly thinner devices.

A Digitizer-Free Future?

Although Choi did not explicitly name the technology in development, industry experts strongly suspect that Samsung is working on advanced touchscreens that eliminate the need for a dedicated digitizer layer. Currently, a digitizer is a mandatory hardware component required to detect the stylus’s electromagnetic resonance and differentiate its input from a standard finger tap.

Removing the digitizer would have profound implications for smartphone design. Last year, Samsung notably removed this specific layer from the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to achieve an ultra-thin profile, which consequently resulted in the device losing its S Pen support.

What This Means for Foldables and the S Ultra Series

The landscape, however, is expected to shift rapidly. Current industry rumors suggest that S Pen compatibility will make a return later this year with the introduction of the highly anticipated Galaxy Z “Wide” Fold.

If this new, digitizer-free display technology proves to be viable and scalable, it is highly likely that Samsung will eventually implement it across its flagship Galaxy S Ultra models. This would allow the company to maintain the beloved S Pen functionality while freeing up valuable internal space for larger batteries or further reducing the device’s thickness. Until then, the tech community will be watching closely for more concrete details to emerge.