Samsung’s S Pen is among the few really distinctive {hardware} options within the smartphone enterprise, however one thing makes me assume that the corporate is perhaps slowly abandoning its stylus.
It began with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely, which landed in late January with a extreme new look and a strong new processor.
Certainly, Samsung’s newest flagship cellphone is flat out higher than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely earlier than it (or a minimum of pretty much as good) in all however one notable manner: its built-in S Pen stylus.
Causes to be fearful
As our reviewer Luke Baker famous, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely’s stylus not helps Bluetooth. Whilst you can nonetheless sketch away to your coronary heart’s content material, it’s not potential to make use of its clicky button as a distant digital camera shutter.
Neither is it potential to make use of the stylus to carry out air gestures, as you may earlier than.
It’s a minor downgrade, little question, and one which’s probably been initiated as a method to avoid wasting house or cash – presumably each. However a downgrade is a downgrade, and it’s not one thing you’d anticipate of Samsung’s showcase gadget.
What does it say about Samsung’s long run dedication to the S Pen? Presumably nothing, however a current piece of reports surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 provides additional gas to the hearth.
Luke Baker
Extra S Pen downgrades incoming
Tipster Kro just lately claimed on X (previously Twitter) that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 would characteristic a downgraded S Pen. They didn’t specify what this downgrade could be, however presumably it’s a reference to the Bluetooth-deprived Galaxy S25 Extremely stylus.
This may occasionally nicely recommend that Samsung is disposing of Bluetooth capabilities throughout its smartphone S Pen vary, not simply on its Extremely smartphones. There’s a case to be made that it might stick round within the S Pen variants meant for Samsung’s laptops, however this could possibly be it for Bluetooth within the extra compact fashions.
After all, the S Pen itself is already a distinct segment proposition. We don’t have chilly onerous figures, however anecdotally amongst fellow tech journo sorts, it doesn’t appear to be a characteristic that many individuals use day after day on their Galaxy Ultras.
You need to suspect that the S Pen’s Bluetooth capabilities are utilized by a good smaller subset of an already small group.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
Why we’d miss the S Pen
It’s common for smartphone producers to take away once-lauded expertise when it isn’t getting used – Apple’s 3D Contact springs to thoughts.
If the S Pen goes the identical manner, nevertheless, it could symbolize a uncommon rollback on the Galaxy S Extremely’s ‘the whole lot however the kitchen sink’ propositon, and will even mark a basic shift within the Galaxy S line-up. Would we actually want a stylus-free Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely and a Galaxy S26 Plus?
It might additionally rob us of what has appeared to be the obvious and even inevitable growth since Samsung began releasing foldable telephones – a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold with an built-in S Pen. That bigger show and physique has all the time appeared higher suited to such a software than even the chunky Extremely sequence.
There’s each likelihood Samsung is solely honing its S Pen stylus providing in keeping with what its prospects truly need. The aforementioned tipster claims that in downgrading the S Pen, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 would be the slimmest Fold but, which might be an excellent factor certainly.
I simply hope that Samsung doesn’t finish the S Pen stylus experiment altogether. I’ll not use it on a regular basis, however in an more and more samey smartphone market I’m glad it exists.