Are you looking for a Galaxy tablet or a shiny new Samsung? Galaxy S23 Ultra and noticed that the awesome looking S Pen is offered as an app, but you don’t know what exactly it does?
This is where we at Trusted Reviews come in. We’ve used Samsung’s S Pen with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the newest Galaxy S23 Ultra, and a handful of older Galaxy phones and tablets, and we know everything there is to know about the high-tech stylus.
From explaining what the S Pen is to what it can be used for, we break down everything you need to know about the Samsung S Pen stylus.
What is the S Pen?
The S Pen is a stylus that can be used with a Samsung Galaxy device. It comes with a variety of devices, each with their own unique features and capabilities.
The most basic model has a button that allows you to take notes or draw pictures on the screen.
Other more advanced models, such as those included in the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and Galaxy S23 Ultra, can control the device by hovering the mouse over certain areas, such as viewing images in the Gallery app, as the display can recognize a contactless stylus.
The hover effect means it’s easier to take notes and create digital art with the stylus, as it gives you a preview of where the pen tip will be on the screen.
The latest S Pen is also one of the world’s most responsive, with an impressive 2.3ms latency, bringing the stylus closer to a traditional writing experience than even the iPad-exclusive Apple Pencil 2’s 22ms latency.
What can you use the S Pen for?
The S Pen can be used for a wide range of tasks. Some of the more common uses include:
- To write, draw and paint on your Galaxy Note device with the S Pen stylus.
- To take notes in meetings or during lectures, write directly on the screen of the device.
- To manually edit documents while viewing them on a tablet or smartphone screen.
- To crop text, images or other graphics from your phone.
- As a shutter control for your device’s camera app.
Is the S Pen worth it?
Based on our experience reviewing devices with the S Pen since the technology first appeared on the original Galaxy Note, the answer to this question depends on which device and type of S Pen you pair it with.
This is great for devices like Galaxy S22 Ultra and the newest Galaxy S23 Ultra, in which the S Pen fits easily into a small hopper at the bottom of the device, ensuring it’s always accessible for notes or camera shortcuts.
However, that’s not the case with the S21 Ultra or the Z Fold 4. For those phones, you’ll need a separate case for the S Pen, and that can make it an awkward addition.
As far as tablets go, we found the S Pen to be very useful Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. Paired with the tablet screen, the S Pen was fantastic for everything from taking notes to managing spreadsheets and drawing digitally.
What devices does the S Pen work with?
S Pens work with a variety of Samsung devices, including:
