This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Two months ago, I made the case that Samsung had made a good call by removing Bluetooth from the Galaxy S25 Ultra's S Pen because most people didn't really need this and it felt like an over-complication.
I'd go even further: most people don't even need the built-in S Pen in the first place.
The space occupied by the stylus and its docking silo can be utilized in other, better ways. For example, you could do the obvious — fill all the extra space taken by the S Pen silo with more battery.
The S Pen on the Galaxy S26 Ultra: What's happening?
And as luck would have it, Samsung might have finally realized the same thing. Recently, news broke that the company could be taking a radically different approach with the S Pen on next year's Galaxy S26 Ultra. Namely, it might not feature an S Pen silo.
Don't fret, this doesn't mean the S Pen is going away completely — it just won't slot inside the phone. Samsung will most certainly still ship the accessory inside the box, though (as it already does with its tablets).
Who knows, instead of inserting it inside, Galaxy S26 Ultra users could probably attach the S Pen magnetically to the side of the phone. That's similar to how the Apple Pencil attaches to an iPad for charging and again, to Samsung's own tablets.
What do we get instead of an S Pen silo?
Samsung, just cut along the dotted line and fill up the extra space with battery (Image Credit-dbrand)
All things considered, the space occupied by the S Pen silo inside Galaxy Ultra phones is pretty large. On phones, where every minuscule portion of the inner hardware is accounted for and extremely valuable, having such a large space occupied by a hardware stylus that most people might not even use isn't a very efficient use of space.
What else can Samsung use that extra space for?
Well, rumors claim we might see a new main camera with variable aperture on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung is also allegedly considering removing the 3X telephoto camera. This, combined with the removal of the S Pen and its silo, could allow Samsung to place a much larger battery on board, with some speculating that a massive silicon-carbon 7,000mAh battery might make it inside the flagship phone (but I would take such exaggerated rumors with a grain of salt).
Any battery improvement would be great news.
For years, Samsung has doomed its flagships with 5,000mAh batteries. Even upper mid-range phones from China these days arrive with denser silicon-carbon batteries that push 6,000mAh or more, and get this, some of these devices are thinner than the S25 Ultra.
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Samsung has seemingly become complacent with battery sizes, especially on the Ultra flagship.
And what did you lose? Without Bluetooth, the S Pen can no longer execute Air Actions, control music playback, or act as a camera shutter button. Most people probably didn't know these features ever existed!
While we don't have S Pen usage statistics readily available to digest and discuss, I can imagine that many Samsung fans will be very vocal about the potential removal of the S Pen silo, and I get that. Change is scary!
But the potential benefits of detaching the stylus from the phone vastly outweigh the slight inconvenience of not having a designated space for the accessory.
Knowing Samsung, we'd likely see an S Pen case for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, similar to those that exist for the Galaxy Z Fold lineup, so it's just a small setback in terms of overall usability.
I say good riddance, and give me better battery life!
Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.
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