Galaxy S27 Ultra may get this disappointing downgrade — what we know

Tom's Guide

14 hours ago

At this point, we haven't heard a lot about what Samsung has planned beyond the release of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 later this summer. Despite that, and the fact the 2026 flagship is still a mystery, we just heard a pretty significant rumor about the Galaxy S27 Ultra — and it sounds controversial.
According to claims made by leaker Setsuna Digital, Samsung could be considering scrapping the built-in S-Pen on the Galaxy S27 Ultra. The leaker claims that this would see Samsung go back to the external S Pen, like we've seen with Z Fold devices and the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
It's unclear why Samsung might abandon the built-in S Pen, especially since external options have been less than impressive. Setsuna Digital remarks that the S21 Ultra's S Pen case wasn't aesthetically pleasing, but a newer version could be a good option if done correctly.
More so if Samsung gives Ultra users an S Pen case, rather than making them purchase it separately.
There are two main reasons why Samsung might decide to remove the built-in S Pen. The first is, of course, cost. Galaxy S Ultra phones are already very expensive, and they're not getting any cheaper.
Stripping out the S Pen and selling it as a standalone accessory gives Samsung the opportunity to cut some costs and keep the price static without making additional losses, which no business is happy about doing.
Removing the stylus also frees up internal space within the phone — even if the standalone S Pen is included with the phone. While the stylus isn't particularly big, space inside the device is already at a premium.
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Without the S Pen taking up space, it gives Samsung more freedom to reconfigure the S27 Ultra's internals. This could allow Samsung to add bigger batteries, newer hardware or simply to try and make the phone a little big thicker.
The Galaxy S27 Ultra is still going to be in the early stages of development, so there's no guarantee that the built-in S Pen will be getting removed. Setsuna Digital says that it's something Samsung is considering, and seeing as how the hardware won't be locked in for a while, things can and will change over the next several months.
However the Galaxy Z Fold 7 may not be so lucky, with the leaker claiming the S Pen has been canceled for the foldable — for reasons unknown. According to a separate leak from PandaFlashX, Samsung has canceled an "unknown S Pen" that was designed to work without a digitizer in the display.
They're unsure which phone this applies to, but the Z Fold 7 may make the most sense. The phone is allegedly based on the Galaxy Z Fold SE that was released last year, and that phone lacked the digitizer layer that enabled S Pen functionality in foldable screens. All in the name of reducing thickness, apparently.
Then again the Z Fold 7 is rumored to have a titanium hinge plate, for the specific reason that the metal isn't supposed to interfere with the digitizer layer. So it's not clear which rumors are accurate right now. We won't find out for sure until Galaxy Unpacked, which is rumored to be happening on July 9.
As for the Galaxy S27 Ultra, we're going to have to wait even longer before we even get a hint of what might be happening.