It’s Evolving, Just Backwards: Galaxy S25 Ultra Could Come With A Major S Pen Downgrade

Andy Walker / Android Authority

Samsung’s erstwhile Galaxy Note lineup and the recent Galaxy S Ultra flagships have become synonymous with the S Pen, helping these top-tier Android flagships remain unrivaled in at least one feature. A few OEMs have experimented with the idea of a stylus, but only Samsung has managed to execute it perfectly with the S Pen. Samsung seems to have some changes planned to the S Pen that will come with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it could be a drastic downgrade instead of an upgrade.

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Leaker Ishan Agarwal says that the S Pen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra will no longer feature Bluetooth functionality. This means the stylus will lose features like gestures and remote control.

Removing Bluetooth from the S Pen may not necessarily convert it from an active stylus into a passive stylus (since you can still have features like pressure sensitivity). Still, it will surely be a significant downgrade for the S Pen experience. It’s not immediately known if Samsung is using any other new technology to compensate for the feature loss.

Samsung introduced the S Pen in 2011 with the first-ever Galaxy Note. Bluetooth functionality was added to the S Pen much later, with the launch of the Galaxy Note 9 in 2018. With Bluetooth, Samsung added the ability to use the button on the stylus for various actions, like activating the camera shutter. Over time, Samsung has improved the Bluetooth functionality with Air Gestures and also improved its range, with the latest S Pen able to communicate with the Galaxy S24 Ultra from as far as 30 feet away.

Andy Walker / Android Authority

While most users may not be using the S Pen to its full extent, it was certainly a nice set of functionality for the high price you pay for the flagship. Although Ishan has a great track record, this is still a leak, so you should continue to treat it with the same skepticism as all other leaks.

What are your thoughts on the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s S Pen potentially losing Bluetooth functionality? Let us know in the comments below!

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