Samsung threw us a curveball this week, or rather a ball that flies straight before making a spectacular 90-degree turn, a fold, if you will: The company plans to unveil a folding Galaxy Ultra.
Now, some might see this as a simple rebranding of the anticipated Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 (or maybe they were just jealous over Apple’s rumored rebranding of all platforms to year format), but I do believe it’s more than that. Without a doubt, it means very good things for the Z Fold…er…Z Fold 7 Ultra’s camera array, which has always lagged behind the flagship Ultra line. As with previous top-tier Galaxy S phones, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra features a 200MP main camera and 50MP 5X optical zoom. By contrast, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has just a 50MP main camera and a 10MP 3X optical zoom lens.
Most people now expect that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Ultra (or just Galaxy Z Fold Ultra) will match the S25 Ultra camera specs.
But, to my mind, that still doesn’t make this new foldable a true Ultra. To do that, it needs to incorporate the S Pen. I’m aware that the Galaxy S Ultra line didn’t always feature a stylus. This happened when, in a similar fashion to what Samsung is announcing here, the Samsung Galaxy Note line disappeared and core features, like the S Pen, became part of the S21 Ultra line.
It’s been four years since Samsung made that choice and, as I see it, the S Pen is now integral to the S25 Ultra’s identity. It makes the phone far more versatile than flagship competitors like my beloved iPhone 16 Pro Max and many other Android rivals. It’s a powerful tool when paired with Galaxy AI features like Sketch to Image, as well as note taking, and one of my favorites, drawing.
S Pens are not foreign to the Galaxy Z Fold line. You can buy a one or a special case that incorporates one. It isn’t the same S Pen that slips into the S25 Ultra. You would damage the Z Fold’s flexible screen if you used the traditional S Pen on it. There has never been, though, an S Pen incorporated into the Z Fold body.
There are likely good reasons for this. Chief among them is the current Z Fold 6’s incredible svelte frame. Unfolded, the Z Fold 6 is 5.6mm thick. That’s 0.2mm thinner than the new Galaxy S25 Edge and a few millimeters thinner than the S25 Ultra.
Still, if Samsung insists on calling this new phone an Ultra, simple “S Pen support” won’t be enough. I want to see it innovate and make a special S Pen thin enough to slide inside one side of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 Ultra. It seems almost possible – after all, Samsung already removed Bluetooth support from the current S Pens. That likely means fewer components and more space, or at least the option to slim down a little bit.
It’s not that I can’t live with a decent S Pen Z Fold case but, considering what we’re paying for the fold, and the Z Fold Ultra is unlikely to be any cheaper, why should I pay another $100 or $150 for a case and accessory? Also, the convenience of having the S Pen just a press away – it pops out of the Z Fold Ultra body – is so alluring.
So, that’s my pitch. I’m all for a little strategic rebranding but, if you want me to get excited about it, it should bring some reinvention, too. A Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Ultra with an integrated S Pen would be the absolute bomb.
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lance.ulanoff@futurenet.com (Lance Ulanoff)
