S Pen

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The S Pen is Samsung’s wireless digital stylus, using Wacom EMR technology. It first came with the Galaxy Note in 2011 and has been a signature feature of the Note line. It’s designed for Galaxy phones, tablets, and some Samsung notebooks and Chromebooks, with many devices often bundling the pen.

Key features over the years include translating text by hovering, creating animated messages, and various pen gestures. The early S Pens offered pressure sensitivity, a side button for shortcuts, and “Air View” to preview content by hovering. Over time Samsung added tools like translation, screen magnifier, GIF recording, and a single Samsung Notes app to replace older note apps. The Note 8 introduced “Live Message” for handwritten notes that can become animated, and Note devices introduced “Screen Off Memo,” which works because many screens support always-on display.

From the Note 9 onward, the S Pen gained Bluetooth, letting you perform remote actions with a press of the pen button (such as camera control and exporting handwriting). The Note 10 used a one-piece plastic design and expanded Air Actions for more remote control features. The Note 20 brought faster response and longer battery life.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra was the first S series phone with a built-in S Pen, making the stylus a core feature of the line. The S Pen’s latency improved to about 2.8 ms on the S22 Ultra, much faster than earlier models. There are reports that the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s S Pen may lack Bluetooth.

All S Pens use Wacom EMR, so other EMR-compatible pens can work too, such as Hi-Uni Digital, Staedtler Noris Digital, LAMY AL-star, and the Wacom One Pen.