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Samsung announces S Pen Pro for S21 Ultra, opens up S Pen ecosystem

By Joshua Swingle

Updated: Jan 14, 2021, 2:54 PM

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Samsung announces S Pen Pro for S21 Ultra, opens up S Pen ecosystem

Samsung S Pen vs S Pen Pro

The S Pen has been the defining feature of the Galaxy Note line since its inception. It has also made appearances on certain tablets, but now Samsung has announced new plans to drastically expands its availability.

S Pen vs S Pen Pro differences

Unlike earlier Galaxy S models, the Galaxy S21 Ultra offers support for the S Pen as standard. There isn’t a built-in slot for the popular stylus, though, so customers will have to purchase it separately.

The version on sale at launch is priced at $39.99 in the United States, which isn’t too high, but there is a reason for that. This particular stylus is lacking some important features and instead seems to be targeted at customers that aren’t familiar with the Galaxy Note line.

The standard S Pen is intended for writing & drawing and is therefore similar in terms of features to the type of stylus included with lower-end smartphones. If you’re looking for additional functionalities, the S Pen Pro is the one for you.

The standard S Pen

Samsung’s S Pen Pro is physically larger than the standard Galaxy S21 Ultra S Pen and it introduces Bluetooth Low Energy support. The latter enables gesture navigation and the ability to control your phone from across the room.

The S Pen Pro is due to be released ‘later this year’ but its price hasn’t been confirmed. It’s also unclear how users will charge it. After all, there isn’t a dedicated S Pen slot on the phone or magnetic pins.

Samsung is opening up the S Pen ecosystem to other companies

In related news, Samsung has announced partnerships with a number of hardware companies to add compatibility for S Pen features to their own products, which will then be compatible with the S21 Ultra.

The current list of partners working on dedicated pens includes Wacom, Staedtler, Uni, and Lamy.