Galaxy Z Fold 3 could be next to get S Pen support

In the lead up to the launch of the Galaxy S21 earlier this year, we heard numerous rumors which claimed that at least one of the phones in the line would support Samsung's S Pen. Those rumors ended up being true, with Samsung later confirming such support for the Galaxy S21 Ultra. As it turns out, the S21 Ultra may not be the only phone outside of the Note line to get S Pen support this year, as now the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is rumored to be getting it as well.

That's according to ETNews, which reports that Samsung has worked out how to get S Pen functionality up and running on the Galaxy Z Fold 3. ETNews reports that the Galaxy X Fold 3 should be launching in Q3 2021, with mass production said to be starting in May. ETNews' source is an unnamed industry insider with apparent knowledge of Samsung's plans – though Samsung unsurprisingly declined to make anything official when reached for comment by ETNews.

It sounds like getting S Pen functionality on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 – which is the device's tentative name – wasn't an easy task, as Samsung needed to not only create a digitizer that could fold while still recognizing pen input, but it also needed to create ultra thin glass (UTG) that could fold and remain resistant to potential scratches from the pen itself.

With S Pen support now rumored for the Galaxy Z Fold 3, it certainly makes one wonder about the future of the Galaxy Note. S Pen support was a cornerstone of the Galaxy Note series, but now that S Pen functionality is spreading to other devices, it seems like the Galaxy Note may be getting squeezed out of its own niche.

Samsung has indicated that we'll see a new Note lineup in 2021, but that hasn't stopped rumors of the Note's demise from swirling. We'll see what happens from here, but assuming all of these recent rumors pan out, we may soon be looking at other Samsung phones to get our S Pen kicks.