BGR Picks 3 Android Stylus Phones for 2026, Led by $500 Moto G Stylus

Q: With foldables driving stylus demand, why did Samsung's newest Fold model ditch this key feature?

Samsung dropped stylus support on its newest Fold mainly to make the phone much thinner. The key change was removing the Wacom EMR digitizer layer from the foldable display. That hardware is what enables true S Pen features such as palm rejection, pressure sensitivity and low-latency pen input. Because EMR support depends on a physical digitizer under the screen, it cannot be restored later with a software update. The tradeoff appears to be industrial design. Reports tied to the Fold 7 indicate Samsung wanted a slimmer, lighter foldable, and the digitizer added measurable thickness to the display stack. The company had already been pushing in that direction with its thinner Fold designs, and dropping pen hardware helped it get there. There were also practical reasons. Unlike the Galaxy S Ultra line, Fold models never stored the pen inside the phone, so users had to buy a separate S Pen and often a bulkier case to carry it. That weakened the value of keeping stylus support if Samsung’s priority was portability. The foldable screen itself likely remained part of the equation. A softer inner display is more complex to engineer for pen use than a rigid slab phone, and Samsung has reportedly been exploring thinner or alternative stylus technologies that are not yet ready. That is why the older Galaxy Z Fold 6 remains the better choice for U.S. buyers who specifically want a stylus-capable foldable: it still has the necessary Wacom hardware, while the newer Fold does not.

3 articles · Updated · Boy Genius Report · Jun 18

BGR’s 2026 shortlist names three U.S.-friendly Android phones with stylus support: the $500 Moto G Stylus, $1,300 Galaxy S26 Ultra and $1,400 Galaxy Z Fold 6.
The ranking reflects a small U.S. market for stylus phones, with folding devices and larger screens reviving demand while imports lacking key 5G bands were screened out.
Motorola’s April 2026 Moto G Stylus is positioned as the value pick, pairing an included active stylus with a 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED display, 5,000 mAh battery and 8 GB RAM.
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra is framed as the premium handwriting option thanks to its built-in S Pen and 4,096 pressure levels, while the Fold 6 remains the top foldable stylus choice after the newer Fold 7 dropped digitizer support.
The list leans on specifications plus professional and user reviews, arguing the three models cover most buyers from midrange shoppers to high-end productivity users.