Galaxy S21 S Pen rumors take one step forward, one step back
While the Galaxy S21's expected very early debut suggests it might not have much in the way of new grand features, it seems there is one that may still make the cut after all. Long believed to herald the demise of the Galaxy Note line, the Galaxy S series has been rumored to support the S Pen stylus year after year. Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is believed to finally be it, but it won't exactly replace the Galaxy Note in one important way.
Reasons for the demise of the Galaxy Note series has varied from year to year. Sometimes it's attributed to the obsolescence of the stylus, something that never really happened thanks, ironically, to the Apple Pencil. And then there's the arrival of the Galaxy Fold, now Galaxy Z Fold, that would have taken its slot in the second half of the year, except it still doesn't support a stylus either.
Perhaps the biggest argument in favor of retiring the Galaxy Note is one of duplication, when the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series have very little differences left, the S Pen being the most important one. @Ice universe puts another nail in the Galaxy Note's coffin by "100% confirming" that the Galaxy S21 Ultra will support Samsung's Wacom-powered stylus.
Yes, I can 100% confirm that S21 Ultra supports S Pen
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) November 12, 2020
AllAboutSamsung's Max Jambor, a.k.a. @MaxJmb, however, dampens the excitement a bit. Yes, the most expensive and largest Samsung model will support the S Pen but, unlike the Galaxy Note 20 and its ancestors, that stick won't be installed inside the phone but will be sold as a separate accessory. It will most likely use some magnetic system to stick to the phone's back or side.
Important to say here: It only supports it! It does not have a separate shaft for it!
I can imagine that there will be a case similar to the Tab S7 devices that holds the S-Pen on the rear ✍ https://t.co/pOKru7V733
— Max Jambor (@MaxJmb) November 12, 2020
On the one hand, this separate S Pen almost ensures that few will buy the accessory or, worse, many will get lost in pockets and bags. On the other hand, it helps keep the price for the phone itself down just a bit while keeping the door open for the functionality. If this does come to pass and with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 rumored to use a new and different stylus technology, the end of the Galaxy Note brand might really be close to coming to an end.