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The Galaxy S21 Ultra is likely to include a stylus, but at what cost? A new insider report just raised some S Pen quality concerns surrounding Samsung’s next flagship.
As things stand right now, it appears the Galaxy S21 Ultra S Pen will lack Bluetooth support. You’d think that wouldn’t be that big of a deal on its own. But it essentially sets the S Pen back several generations. Samsung made a pretty big deal out of Bluetooth support back when it launched the Galaxy Note 9.
Sure, maybe the marketing oversold things a bit. But more than two years later, the Galaxy Note line offers some genuinely useful features via that Bluetooth connectivity.
Meaning that even shelling out for the Galaxy S21 Ultra will net you a 2018-level stylus, at best. Not the best of pitches when it comes to selling a device priced at way over $1,000. Probably somewhat over $1,200, as well.
A more positive perspective would be to argue the stylus is just an extra compared to this year’s Galaxy S20 range. This would have been our default position, actually. The issue comes down to numerous reports that the Galaxy Note line is getting scrapped next year. The fact that at least some Galaxy S21 models will offer an S Pen goes in line with those claims.
So, Samsung may streamline its flagships and start with its most meaningfully different range, at that. As its foldable smartphones are certainly more unique than the Galaxy Note line, but still pretty pointless. And yet the S Pen is a genuinely amazing accessory, as most who used its recent iterations will attest.
S21 ultra spen will loose some camera functionality as the spen may not support Bluetooth
— ᴺᴼᵀ DJ Koh 🎃 (@not_koh) October 28, 2020
S Pen quality concerns raise questions about Samsung’s overall strategy
Of course, if the Galaxy Note line carries on, then this subpar S Pen reportedly coming to the Galaxy S21 is a non-issue. Well, so long as you’re fine with eating it up as an excuse for yet another price hike. Because you know it’s coming. The last several years were not happening in a vacuum.
And right now, Samsung’s number one goal is to continue carving out this “flagship’s flagship” category of unprecedentedly expensive devices. Because profit margins are becoming challenging to maintain.
In any case, expect the Galaxy S21 family launch by late January. Slightly earlier than usual, but given the disastrous sales performance from this year and the lack of Huawei, Samsung is in no mood to play the waiting game. Largely because the price of a new round is unclear. Meaning at least its currency is guaranteed to be management’s heads.