Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3 looks to be an impressive follow-up to the cell phone maker's first foldable phone Our Galaxy Z Fold 3 review is still in progress, but gazing at the 120 Hz display (both inside and out) will make you let out a gasp of admiration - The camera under the display and a number of apps optimized for the foldable screen

Promising improved durability and a new IPX8 waterproof rating, you'd assume Samsung has a winning phone on its hands

Despite all that good news, there is one major drawback about the Galaxy Z Fold 3, and that threatens to eliminate the goodwill I feel about the new foldable That is how Samsung has chosen to handle S Pen support

Don't get me wrong, the Galaxy Z Fold 3's support for Samsung's stylus is a very good thing; on a screen as large as the Z Fold 3's 76-inch display, the S Pen really shines, making foldable phones a more attractive option for some people It has a chance to be a productivity booster

What I'm stuck on is that Samsung is doing with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 what it did with the Galaxy S21 Ultra earlier this year And since neither phone has a slot to hold a stylus, you have to buy a case as well

We understand that installing an S Pen slot in a folding phone is a complicated process If you listen to Samsung's very detailed description of all the work they have done to add the digitizer to the display, you will understand how complex the engineering involved in making changes to the Z Fold's design is With that in mind, using a phone case to hold the S Pen seems like the best possible solution

But dear God - don't make people pay extra for that; the Galaxy Z Fold 3 already costs $1,799 On top of that, Samsung expects people to pay extra to use the phone's major additional features This takes a lot of guts

Samsung offers a solution in the form of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 Flip Cover with S Pen, and since the S Pen only costs $49 on its own, you're essentially paying another $30 to bundle the case, which on the surface seems like a bargain But you are getting a standard S Pen without Bluetooth connectivity As a result, you will not be able to take advantage of features such as air gestures that those who purchase the $99 S Pen Pro will enjoy

By the way, the purchase is not limited to the S Pen and case; the Galaxy Z Fold 3 does not include a charger or headphones, so if you do not have spare headphones, you will need to add them If we're not careful, the Galaxy Z Fold 3's $1,799 price tag is going to get closer to the $1,999 Samsung was charging for last year's Galaxy Z Fold 2

This does not provide a premium smartphone experience Make no mistake, Samsung is trying to sell it with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 Everything about this smartphone - its design, dual screen, and performance - speaks of luxury, and with the Galaxy Z Flip 3 starting at an affordable $999, it's clear that Samsung is aware that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is not for everyone Rather, it is a phone for users who want a premium experience

So why not offer exactly that, with everything you need out of the box, including the S Pen, case, and charger? At the very least, the S-pen and holstered case should be standard equipment

I am by no means a car expert But if I were to walk into a luxury car dealership and pay an astronomical amount of money for a top-of-the-line sedan, the next thing the salesman would say would not be, "Tires are extra, bub" "That's why Samsung charges extra for things like S-pens, cases, and other things you need to get the most out of an already expensive phone Aside from the fact that these fees are relatively nominal compared to what you are paying for the Fold itself, it appears as a nickel-and-dime to customers already willing to pay top dollar

As I said, our review of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is ongoing, and by the time we finish testing it, the strengths of the foldable phone may greatly outweigh the fact that you have to pay for an S Pen But first impressions matter, and as far as the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is concerned, charging an additional $1,799 over the standard price doesn't make it great