With the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung surprised fans by downgrading the S Pen, removing its Bluetooth functionality. This fueled speculation that the S Pen might be scrapped entirely with next year’s Galaxy S26 Ultra. Frustrated users — including us — launched a petition urging Samsung to bring back the Bluetooth-enabled S Pen, which has over 8,500 signatures. Now, Samsung has put those fears to rest.
Samsung confirms the S Pen will remain a “key part” of Ultra phones
Speaking to TechRadar, Samsung UK’s marketing head, Annika Bizon, made it clear the S Pen is here to stay. “Multimodal is really important to us,” Bizon said.
“So [that’s] how people use their phone – whether they’re speaking, whether they’re writing, whether they’re in a meeting. People do use their S Pens in meetings to write notes. So, I don’t see a space where the S Pen is not a key part of our portfolio.”
Despite dropping Bluetooth, Samsung says demand for the S Pen remains strong, and Ultra users still expect it.
Galaxy AI may be just as good, but the S Pen still has its place
Galaxy AI may have made some of the S Pen’s previous functions less unique. However, Samsung believes the stylus continues to be a valuable feature, especially for creative users. Bizon pointed to the new Sketch to Image AI feature, which enhances creativity when paired with the S Pen.
“Creativity is one of our core values,” she said. “If you’re creative, you want to be able to draw and sketch things. And with Sketch to Image being one of our AI features, you can sketch beautifully using the S Pen.”
So, despite speculation, Samsung isn’t pulling the plug on the S Pen. Barring any surprises, expect it to return with the Galaxy S26 Ultra and beyond.
