For a long time, if you wanted a phone with a legitimate pen – and I don’t mean one of those weaksauce has a soft bump on top – his only real choice was a Galaxy Note. However, after adding stylus support to some of its tablets and laptops, this year Samsung decided to release the stylus on their phones, also, creating an S-Pen for the Galaxy s21 Ultra. And while the S21 Ultra’s $ 40 additional accessory does not do exactly the same cohesive package that you get with a Note, it is useful for less hardcore stylus enthusiasts.
One of the best things about the S-Pen on the S21 Ultra is that there is virtually no configuration. Just pick it up from the box, hold it close to the phone screen and you’re ready to go – all the software you need is already built-in. AND as the S-Pen of the S21 Ultra is also a passive pen, there is no need to worry about keeping it charged.
Just like on a note, swiping the S21 Ultra’s pen above the right edge of the screen causes a floating button to appear, which gives access to almost all of Samsung’s standard S-Pen functions, including traditional notestake, Smart Select (to cut photos from videos), Screen Write, Live Messages, AR Doodle and Translate. There is also a useful settings shortcut that allows you to customize the features of the S-Pen, such as enabling the Screen Off Memo (which allows you to take notes without unlocking the phone), show a pointer while the mouse cursor and more.
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However, as the pen does not have an active Bluetooth connection as you get with a Galaxy Note S-Pen, you cannot use the S21 Ultra’s pen as a remote shutter to take photos or shake it to use Samsung shares.
That said, the S21 Pen’s S-Pen has some of its own advantages. Not only does it come with two extra stylus tips that you can exchange for a slightly different feel, the stylus itself is also a little longer and thicker than a standard Galaxy Note stylus. This may not seem like much, but even for someone like me, who doesn’t have big hands, it is significantly more comfortable to hold, while offering a practical button for things like erasing. TThe super-slim dimensions of a Note’s S-Pen often made it look as if I were going to break it, while the S21 Ultra’s pen looks more like a normal writing utensil.
The disadvantage of this S-Pen version is that, as an accessory, there is nowhere to store it when not in use, unless you choose Samsung’s $ 70 package that includes the S-Pen and a silicone case for the S21 Ultra. By itself, Samsung’s silicone case is perfectly functional and does everything you need it to do: It covers all corners, protects the rear camera housing and has a slot for the S-Pen.
Unfortunately, for me and the other 90% of people in the world who are right-handed, the slot for the S-Pen is on the left, which means that you have to make a little weird shuffle or reach out to put the pen the right hand to draw or write downtaking. I admit, it’s not a big deal, but it’s a bit clunky and, compared to a Galaxy Note, it’s just not that elegant. But this is the commitment that you have to I do for an optional accessory.
Still, even as someone who doesn’t consider himself a stylus fanatic, he complementsUsing the S21 Ultra with an S-Pen transforms the experience. Thanks to Live Messages, I definitely found myself sending more text messages, even if it was just for doodling memes from friends. I use Smart Select to make GIFs of stamps stamps when I see them, just because it’s so easy. And although I don’t take a lot of traditional annotations, I think being able to annotate PDFs is very useful. So, even if you don’t use it all the time, it’s nice to have the option of using a pen when the situation arises.
I really appreciate that Samsung is no longer confining the pen to the Galaxy Note line. Pens on phones are not for everyone, but should not be strictly limited to $ 1,000 flagships and that one Moto device. And while the S21 Ultra is definitely not cheap, we hope that Samsung will continue to expand pen support to the rest of the Galaxy S line and more in the future.