Samsung Won’t Scrap S Pen, Prepares a More Advanced Version

Samsung’s S Pen has long been an integral feature of its Galaxy Ultra phones. While rumors hinted at its eventual phasing out, the company has now confirmed that the stylus will continue to remain a core part. In fact, the Korean firm is working on a more advanced version of the S Pen to lessen some trade-offs.

Future Galaxy Ultra phones could feature a more advanced S Pen

Samsung bundled the S Pen with its newly announced Galaxy S26 Ultra, letting users take notes or draw with precision. The phone measures 7.9 mm thick, slightly thinner than the S25 Ultra (8.2 mm) and the S24 Ultra (8.6 mm). This suggests that the company is moving toward a slimmer form factor with each generation. There was chatter that it might scrap the S Pen entirely in future devices to free up internal space. But this assumption has turned out to be wrong.

“S Pen will continue to be one of the core technologies,” said Won-Joon Choi, chief operating officer of Samsung’s Mobile Experience Business, in a recent interview. “We’re working on a more advanced technology within S Pen to come up with a new structure of display, so the penalty of having S Pen is diminished.”

It’s unclear when the company will introduce its next-gen S Pen. Moreover, the executive did not specify the challenges of featuring the stylus on Galaxy phones. However, some potential trade-offs, such as increased phone thickness and S Pen interference with magnets, might be addressed.

For example, the Galaxy S26 Ultra does not feature built-in Qi2 magnets, so it depends on a magnetic case for wireless charging. Samsung may not be ready yet for native support, as magnets can still interfere with the S Pen’s signal. Previous reports suggest that the company may use digitizer-free technology for the next-gen S Pen to reduce the phone’s thickness. We’ll let you know if any developments regarding the advanced stylus surface.