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As much as I love and enjoy using the S Pen with my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, it’s surprisingly easy to break. If you use your S Pen with a foldable or a tablet, here’s what you don’t want to do.
1Don’t Carry Your S Pen Without a Case
When you buy your S Pen as an optional add-on, it comes with a case. At first, I thought this added unnecessary bulk, so I carried mine around loosely in my phone sleeve alongside my phone. This worked well until it didn’t.
What happened, you ask? I believe something pressed against the pen’s nib and broke it. After that, I was left with a pen I couldn’t write with, nor could I remove the nib. It was useless!
I searched around and found a solution on Reddit that worked. However, while removing the broken nib, I ended up damaging some electronics in the S Pen. Now, it doesn’t write reliably, either failing to register that it’s touching the screen or writing on the screen when it’s not actually touching.
So, to avoid a similar situation, verify you put your S Pen in its case unless your phone has an S Pen slot—like theGalaxy S24 Ultra we reviewed.
2Don’t Leave the S Pen Lying Around
The nice thing about a foldable is that you can get quite a bit done wherever you are, even if that’s in bed. The downside? You can get quite a bit done without getting out of bed.
Here’s my story: I wasusing Samsung Noteson my Z Fold with the S Pen when I had to run to the bathroom. I put the phone and pen down, then ran off. When I came back, I got back into bed absentmindedly and heard a crunch. The S Pen was curled up in the blankets, directly under my knee. It was a shattered mess.
There was no point in trying to find a Reddit post to help. I had to continue using my phone without theawesome S Pen appsI usually rely on.
Pay attention to where you put your S Pen. If you have a Galaxy Tab, put the S Pen back to the side of the tablet with the magnets that hold it. But if you have a foldable like me with no obvious place for the S Pen, remember to put it down on a table, in your pocket, or back in a bag.
3Don’t Buy the Wrong S Pen
In case you aren’t aware, there are multiple types of S Pens. Don’t try to use the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s S Pen to write on a Z Fold 5; it won’t work and could damage your very expensive screen. For foldable phones, you need to buy the S Pen Fold Edition.
Okay, so what does that have to do with breaking your stylus? Well, there are multiple variants of the S Pen Fold Edition. TheS Pen for the Z Fold 5 and Z Fold 6have a different design from theS Pen add-on for the Z Fold 3 and Z Fold 4.
The former is much thinner—so thin that it can bend from everyday use. Will it break from everyday use? Not likely, but it’s more fragile. This is the one I broke with my knee by diving back into bed.
Fortunately, the Z Fold 5 is perfectly compatible with the older S Pen Fold Edition. I personally prefer the older model for other reasons besides durability. It’s a bit thicker and much closer to a regular pen, which makes it much more comfortable to hold. Sadly, it doesn’t fit in the S Pen holder of the Z Fold 4’s case.
Why does this matter? At $50, Samsung’s S Pen isn’t cheap. I don’t feel that bad about how much I spent on my Z Fold 5 since I managed to get it for 50 percent off MSRP. However, spending $100 on broken S Pens? That hurts. So, please don’t make the same mistakes I did.
