Samsung confirms new S Pen for Galaxy Z Fold 3 and other 'foldable surprises'

Samsung Unpacked Summer 2021 Invitation
Samsung Unpacked Summer 2021 Invitation (Image credit: Samsung)

What you need to know

  • Samsung teases the next Galaxy Z Fold for its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event.
  • The company further confirms that the Note series will not arrive this year.
  • A new S Pen developed specifically for foldable smartphones will be unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked.

Samsung is preparing to introduce new foldable experiences at its next Galaxy Unpacked event, and the company is giving us an idea of what we can expect at the launch.

Samsung's President and Head of Mobile Communications, TM Roh, has unveiled in a blog post that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the next Galaxy Z Flip will take the stage at the event. He says that the next Galaxy Z Fold will represent "the very best that smartphones and tablets offer," while the Z Flip will feature a more refined design with stronger materials. He also mentions "amazing new multitasking capabilities and enhanced durability" for the upcoming foldables.

This would be in line with rumors that the upcoming foldable phones will have IP-rated water resistance, something that was missing from the current models.

Roh also confirms the absence of a Galaxy Note successor this year, which the company suggested earlier this year. He says that the company will instead "further broaden beloved Note features to more Samsung Galaxy devices," something that was alluded to when launching the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. That said, the company is preparing to unveil a new S Pen "designed specifically for foldable phones."

What that means is anyone's guess, but it hints at foldable-specific features and will likely differ from the S Pen Pro that was announced earlier this year.

Roh says that the successors to the best foldable phones will improve on the overall foldable experience thanks to collaborations with Microsoft and Google to bring new apps and services that take advantage of the foldable form factor, such as hands-free Google Duo. Roh also points to Samsung's collaboration with Google on the upcoming Wear OS 3 update, which will arrive first with One UI Watch on the upcoming Galaxy Watch 4.

While the blog post makes no mention of a new watch, we're expecting Samsung to unveil one alongside its upcoming foldables. With just over two weeks until the big event, there's undoubtedly a lot of anticipation building for Samsung's upcoming products.

Anyone interested in reserving "The Next Galaxy" can already sign up for reservations and double-up on savings by trading in two devices.

Derrek Lee
News Editor

Derrek is a long-time Nokia and LG fanboy who loves astronomy, videography, and sci-fi movies. When he's not working, he's most likely working out or smoldering at the camera.