Hopes of a new version of the Galaxy Fold that will support the S Pen have been dashed, following a report suggesting that Samsung hasn't yet developed a surface that will withstand the pressures the S Pen would add.

The appeal of the S Pen was that you'd have all that screen space to use, expanding the range of possibilities for Samsung's flagship folding device.

The report from The Elec details that Samsung's ultra-thin glass - UTG - is only 0.03mm thick, whereas Gorilla Glass 6, as found on the Galaxy Note 10 - is 0.4-1.3mm thick. In the previous versions of the Fold and the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung also added a plastic layer to the surface of the display.

Neither of these displays - the UTG or UTG topped with a plastic film - is suitable for the sort of pressure that the tip of the S Pen would put on it. It would likely lead to immediate damage and there's been plenty of discussion around whether these first-gen devices can withstand normal use with fingertips, let alone hard pen tip. 

While Samsung is gearing up to launch a number of new foldable devices, it looks like there's still some way to go on the technologies needed to make the most of these devices. Display durability is at the top of that list and likely to be the area where we'll see big developments over the coming years. 

At might mean that a Galaxy Fold supporting the S Pen will come at some point in the future - it's just not going to be in 2020.

We're expecting the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 to be announced alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 at an online event on 5 August. That could be a bumper launch day for Samsung, with a lot of devices expected from the company.