Samsung says S Pen with Galaxy Note20 series is ‘perhaps the most advanced ever’

First debuted with Galaxy Note in 2011, Samsung S Pen has come a long way and evolved over the years to become ‘perhaps the most advanced S Pen ever’ with Galaxy Note20.

Before the launching of new S Pen with Galaxy Note20 series, the S Pen allowed users to do so much more with their mobile device, more comfortably and conveniently than ever before.

But the S Pen launched on the Galaxy Note20 series – the series’ tenth – enhances the user experience even further by offering “smoother, more intuitive note-taking and lifelike precision”, according to Samsung.

The initial S Pen could serve as a pen, pencil, brush, and highlighter. It also introduced what would be the first of many shortcuts designed to help users get things done faster.

Following year, the Galaxy Note2 featured a redesigned S Pen that was flattened on one side to offer a more ergonomic grip. The most notable enhancement from the first to the second model was in pressure sensitivity. The improvement enabled users to enjoy a more nuanced and natural writing experience.

The improvements in the Galaxy Note3’s S Pen went beyond refining the handwriting experience and drastically enhanced the stylus’s productivity features with new Air Command menu that allowed users to access important features and simplified essential tasks instantly.

The Galaxy Note4’s S Pen enhancements were about fostering a more realistic writing experience and adding more productivity tools. Samsung started by greatly improving the S Pen’s accuracy, doubling its pressure sensitivity from 1,024 levels to 2,048. A new feature, Smart select, was also added.

The Galaxy Note5’s Screen Off memo function was added to give users the freedom of jotting down notes or ideas wherever and whenever they need.  Since 2017, many of Samsung’s S Pen enhancements have focused on enabling users to express themselves in fun and meaningful ways.

Introduced with the Galaxy Note8, Live messages are a perfect example of meaningful communication. This feature allows users to use the S Pen to draw their own fun, animated GIFs which can be instantly shared with friends or on social media.

By the time the Galaxy Note9 was introduced, the S Pen had evolved into "so much more than a stylus". Now, on top of offering a diverse array of note-taking and productivity tools, the S Pen would serve as a convenient remote control for a wide variety of functions with added Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) technology.

With the Galaxy Note10, the S Pen became more than a remote control; it became a magic wand of sorts. And the introduction of S Pen Air actions opened the door for users to control their device using simple gestures remotely.

In a rapidly digitising world, we can find ourselves missing the analogue days every now and then.

For those who find themselves longing for that pen-and-paper feel, the Galaxy Note20’s S Pen offers the most true-to-life note-taking experience yet.

A bevy of enhancements, including AI technology that allows for more accurate coordinate prediction, as well as an improved gyro sensor and accelerometer, have been combined to provide the most realistic handwriting and drawing experiences possible. Those experiences are amplified by the new S Pen’s greatly reduced latency.

In addition, for the Galaxy Note20, Samsung has expanded Air actions’ gesture controls to offer users more convenience. Irrespective of using an app, the new ‘Anywhere actions’ make navigating the phone fast and easy. Lightly shaking the S Pen will automatically activate Screen Write, which instantly captures a screenshot of the screen and displays the S Pen’s annotation tools.

The S Pen’s evolution over the last nine years has been guided by a desire to maximise the utility of the stylus-equipped smartphone.

The Galaxy Note20 and its advanced S Pen are the latest products of this “unwavering commitment to convenience”.

“Going forward, as we transition to the next normal, Samsung will continue to enrich the Note users’ lives by making the S Pen more versatile, powerful, and fun to use,” the smartphone-maker said.