Galaxy S21 Ultra works with Samsung S Pen, Pro stylus: Price, features and limitations

This story is part of CES, where our editors will present the latest news and the hottest gadgets from CES 2021 entirely virtual.

Samsung finally got it. The smartphone maker only announced the Galaxy S21 lineup, and with that, the fact that the Galaxy S21 Ultra supports a feature that was previously exclusive to the Galaxy Note ($ 780 on Amazon) phone family: S Pen holder.

This means that owners of the S21 Ultra will soon be able to use the small digital pen to take notes, take better screenshots, sign documents or draw in their favorite applications. There will be a number of things the S Pen can do on the Note, however, that it will not be able to do on the Galaxy S21, and the pen will not come with the S21 Ultra – you will have to buy it separately.

We’ll walk you through the basics of Galaxy S21 Ultra pen support, including compatibility with the S Pen, features, and where you can store the pen when not in use. (How to use the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag.)

Does the S21 Ultra come with an S Pen?

Not that. You can buy one directly from Samsung for $ 40, which was designed specifically for the S21 Ultra. There are also two different styles of Samsung cases that you can buy, both with an S Pen. They cost $ 70 each.

Alternatively, you can purchase and use any Samsung S Pen, with prices ranging from $ 25 to $ 40.

Can I use the S Pen of a Galaxy Note or Galaxy Tab?

Yes. Samsung said that the Galaxy S21 Ultra will work with an existing S pen on a Galaxy Note phone or Galaxy Tab tablet. It won’t be able to use all functions, however (further below).

Does the S21 Ultra have a place to store the S Pen like the Galaxy Note?

No. Instead, you’ll either have to buy an S21 Ultra case designed to hold the S Pen for you or get really good at keeping track of the small pen.

What can I do with the S Pen on the S21 Ultra?

You can use it to tap and navigate through various menus, write your thoughts or take notes in the Samsung Notes app, or sketch a new idea in your favorite drawing app.

What can’t the S Pen do on the S21 Ultra that it can on Note phones?

The integration of the S Pen with the Galaxy S21 Ultra does not support Bluetooth, which means that you will not have the same gesture feature that allows you to do things like control slide shows or skip songs by moving the pen like a magic wand – see below S Pen Pro.

Another disadvantage of the lack of Bluetooth support is that you will not receive any alerts if you leave the S Pen behind. Therefore, if you move away from the pen, your phone will not buzz and notify you that the two are separate.

Want more functionality? Wait for the S Pen Pro

Samsung spoke briefly about the S Pen Pro, a new pen that the company plans to launch later this year that will include Bluetooth features similar to the Galaxy Note line. During the Unpacked presentation, Samsung specifically highlighted the ability to use gestures with the S Pen Pro on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. At the moment, we don’t have an exact price or release date. But if you want more than a basic pen with your S21 Ultra, you may want to wait until the S Pen Pro is available.

We hope there are more features of the new S pen on the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but we will have to wait until we have the S21 Ultra in our hands and start looking before discovering more features. In the meantime, be sure to check out our initial impressions, and if you’re looking for a Galaxy S21 for you, we’ve covered everything you need to know to get one on launch day.