• 

  Samsung S Pen Fold Edition

  Small and affordable

  The S Pen Fold Edition is built for the Galaxy Z Fold series, which don't ship with a stylus in the box. The most important feature is its tip, which is more rounded than others and can retract into the body under pressure. Both modifications exist to keep you from damaging the Folds' relatively sensitive displays.

  Pros

  • Low price
  • Small and easy to carry

  Cons

  • Air actions unsupported

  $48 at Amazon

• 

  Samsung S Pen Pro

  Widest compatibility

  The S Pen Pro is the pinnacle of Samsung's S Pen range. Its battery enables all the Bluetooth features we know and love from built-in S Pens, and compatibility with Samsung's Z Fold series is the icing on top. But is all of that worth it if it makes it harder to carry?

  Pros

  • More comfortable to hold
  • Air actions

  Cons

  • More expensive
  • Harder to carry around

  $100 at Amazon

When the Galaxy Z Fold 3 added support for the S Pen, foldables became a lot more interesting. The big inner display has always been good for media consumption, but now it can also be a place of productivity and even creating art. The Fold 4 made slight improvements to the experience, and the Fold 5 has done the same.

If you have a Galaxy Fold that supports the S Pen, then you have two S Pen options — S Pen Fold Edition and S Pen Pro. Which one is the best for you? Let's break down the differences and find out.

Price, availability, and specs

The S Pen Fold Edition can be found for $50 from Samsung or Amazon, and that will get you the S Pen and a carrying pouch that doesn't attach to any device. If you'd prefer to keep the S Pen close at hand, we recommend that you buy the S Pen with the carrying case appropriate for your phone, especially if you have the Z Fold 4 or 5. That'll set you back around $80 for the Z Fold 3, $90 for the Z Fold 4, and $100 for the Fold 5.

The S Pen Fold Edition now comes in two versions. The original is designed for the Fold 3 and Fold 4 and is compatible with their accessories, while the newer version is designed with the Fold 5 in mind. It's smaller, making it close to the internal S Pen found on the S23 Ultra. Aside from size, both Fold Edition S Pens function the same in every way.

The S Pen Pro is $100 from Samsung but can frequently be had for $75 from Amazon. Like the Fold Edition, that price gets you the S Pen and a carrying pouch. Sadly, there's no phone or tablet case to recommend for this one.

• 	Samsung S Pen Fold Edition	Samsung S Pen Pro
  Compatibility	Galaxy Fold 3, Fold 4	All S Pen-enabled devices
  Connectivity	Bluetooth, USB-C	Bluetooth, USB-C
  Weight	6.3g	13.8g
  Dimensions	132.1 x 7.7 mm	170.9 x 8.89 mm

Size, shape, and compatibility

There are a lot of similarities between the S Pen Fold Edition and the S Pen Pro. For one, both are larger than any of the S Pens that slot inside a phone, with the S Pen Pro coming in at a similar size and weight as the 2nd gen Apple Pencil. Both also have a special retractable tip mechanism that prevents them from damaging foldable screens, plus both pens are sold separately from the phones.

Samsung has made a revised version of the S Pen Fold Edition for the Z Fold 5 that's smaller, bringing it closer in size to the S Pen found inside the S23 Ultra. That's the only change, though, and it is backward compatible with the Fold 3 and Fold 4.

The S Pen Fold Edition only works with compatible foldables like the Z Fold 3, Fold 4, and Fold 5, while the S Pen Pro has a switch that locks the retractable tip in place for use with other devices like the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra or S24 Ultra.

The Fold Edition is too small to fit a USB-C port, and it can't be inserted into a device, so it lacks any means of charging. Because of that, the Bluetooth-enabled gestures found on most other S Pens aren't here, although that isn't much of a sacrifice, in our opinion. The larger size of the S Pen Pro gave Samsung enough room to fit a battery and USB-C port, so this stylus is fully featured.

The S Pen Pro has some extra tricks up its sleeve. Although there's a switch on the S Pen Pro to lock that retractable tip when using non-folding phones, it will work with any compatible device when in foldable mode — it'll just feel a little odd. This enables features like text sharing, where you can use the S Pen to copy text from your Z Fold 4 and then paste it onto another device. You can also have your Z Fold 4 or Fold 3 act as a color and brush selector in Samsung Notes while you draw in full screen on your tablet.

A carrying case or a pouch

Samsung has Fold 3, 4, and 5 cases that include the stylus in the box. Unfortunately, on the Z Fold 3, this was awkwardly placed along the hinge, making the phone too wide in hand.

For the newer phones, the S Pen pouch is on the back and far more comfortable to deal with. The Fold 4 case lets you remove this S Pen pouch and replace it with a kickstand, making this one of our favorite cases for the Z Fold 4.

For the newly released Fold 5, Samsung has completely reworked the case. The removable pouch is gone in favor of a mechanism that holds the newer S Pen more securely without adding any extra depth to the back of the phone. Like last year, this has become one of our favorite Fold 5 cases. If you liked the kickstand from last year, it's available as a separate case, but lacks the S Pen or the carrying pouch.

Due to the increased size of the S Pen Pro, no phone case can hold it, so it comes with a small carrying pouch.

Which is right for you?

The answer depends on how you plan to use your S Pen, but for most people, the Fold Edition is the best option. The beauty of the S Pen is that it's always there when you need it, and that holds true with this version, thanks to the fact some cases accommodate it so well. It might lack Bluetooth-enabled gestures, but those are only nice to have bonus features and have never been a part of the core experience.

If you have a Z Fold 5, you're best off buying the smaller, updated model, which will be compatible with the latest Z Fold 5 cases.

If you have a Fold 4 or Fold 3, then you might as well stick with the slightly older, larger version.

If you have an S Pen-enabled tablet or laptop in addition to your foldable, then the S Pen Pro might be worth considering. Being able to highlight and copy text on one device and drop it onto another using the stylus is incredibly useful. Software like this makes the S Pen Pro a device that can tie the ecosystem together at the expense of a higher price and lack of portability.