As much as I love and enjoy using the S Pen with my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, it’s surprisingly easy to break it. If you use your S Pen with a foldable device or tablet, here’s what you shouldn’t do.
1 Don’t carry your S Pen without a case
When you buy the S Pen as an optional accessory, it comes with a carrying case. At first, I thought this added unnecessary bulk, so I carried it loose in my phone case along with my phone. This worked fine until it stopped working.
What happened, you ask? I think something pressed down on the tip of the pen and broke it. After that, I was left with a pen that I couldn’t write with or remove the tip with. It was useless!
I searched around and found a solution on Reddit that worked. However, in removing the broken tip, I ended up damaging some electronics in the S Pen. Now, it doesn’t write reliably, either because it doesn’t register that you’re touching the screen or because it writes on the screen when you’re not actually touching.
So to avoid a similar situation, make sure to place your S Pen in its case unless your phone has an S Pen slot, like the Galaxy S24 Ultra we reviewed.
2 Don’t leave the S Pen lying around
The good thing about a folding machine is that you can do a lot of things wherever you are, even if it’s in bed. The downside? You can do a lot of things without getting out of bed.
Here’s my story: I was using Samsung Notes on my Z Fold with the S Pen when I had to run to the bathroom. I dropped the phone and the stylus and ran out. When I came back, I absentmindedly crawled back into bed and heard a rustling sound. The S Pen was curled up in the covers, directly under my knee. It was a mess.
There was no point in trying to find a Reddit post to help me. I had to continue using my phone without the fantastic S Pen apps I usually rely on.
Pay attention to where you place the S Pen. If you have a Galaxy Tab, place the S Pen back on the side of the tablet using the magnets holding it in place. But if you have a foldable tablet like I do and there’s no obvious place for the S Pen, remember to place it on a table, in your pocket, or in a bag.
3 Don’t buy the wrong S Pen
In case you didn’t know, there are several different types of S Pens. Don’t try using the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s S Pen to write on a Z Fold 5—it won’t work and could damage your expensive display. For foldable phones, you should buy the S Pen Fold Edition.
Okay, so what does that have to do with breaking the stylus? Well, there are several variants of the S Pen Fold Edition. The S Pen for the Z Fold 5 and Z Fold 6 has a different design than the additional S Pen for the Z Fold 3 and Z Fold 4.
The first one is much thinner, so thin that it can bend with daily use. Will it break with daily use? Not likely, but it is more fragile. This is the one I broke with my knee when I was trying to get back into bed.
Thankfully, the Z Fold 5 is perfectly compatible with the older S Pen Fold Edition model. Personally, I prefer the older model for reasons other than durability. It’s a bit thicker and feels a lot more like a regular pen, making it much more comfortable to hold. Sadly, it doesn’t fit in the S Pen holder on the Z Fold 4’s case.
Why does it matter? At $50, Samsung’s S Pen isn’t cheap. I don’t feel too bad about what I spent on my Z Fold 5, since I managed to get it for 50 percent off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. However, spending $100 on a broken S Pen? That hurts. So please don’t make the same mistakes I did.
