The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra includes a built-in S Pen stylus — a pressure-sensitive digital pen that slots into the phone’s body and supports handwriting, sketching, and on-screen navigation.
The S Pen has long defined Samsung’s Ultra lineup, separating it from standard flagship models in the company’s Galaxy S series.
What the S Pen Does
Users can pull the S Pen from its silo at the bottom of the device to wake the Air Actions menu, a quick-launch panel that surfaces shortcuts for the camera, notes, and other apps.
The stylus supports pressure sensitivity, meaning it responds to how hard a user presses against the screen — a feature relevant to artists and note-takers who want varied line weights.
Samsung’s handwriting-to-text conversion tool works directly within the Notes app, translating written input into typed text in real time.
The S Pen also enables Screen Off Memo, which lets users write notes on the display without unlocking the phone, storing them directly in Samsung Notes.
Remote Control Functions
Beyond the screen, the S Pen doubles as a Bluetooth remote for certain device functions.
Users can click or gesture with the pen from a short distance to advance presentation slides, snap photos, or pause and resume media playback.
Samsung has not published official Bluetooth range figures for the S26 Ultra’s S Pen specifically, though prior Ultra models supported connectivity up to roughly 10 meters.
Writing and Drawing Tools
Samsung bundles several apps optimized for S Pen input, including Samsung Notes, the PENUP drawing community app, and a dedicated Sketch feature within the Gallery app.
Third-party apps compatible with Android’s stylus input APIs — including Adobe’s mobile suite — also respond to the S Pen’s pressure and tilt data.
Tilt sensitivity allows users to shade sketches by angling the pen, mimicking the effect of a traditional drawing implement held at an angle.
AI-Assisted Features
Samsung integrates its Galaxy AI toolset into several S Pen workflows on the S26 Ultra.
Note Assist, one of those tools, summarizes handwritten or typed notes automatically, while Transcript Assist converts recorded audio into formatted text.
The company also built a generative sketch feature — accessible from Samsung Notes — that expands rough drawings into more detailed images using on-device and cloud AI models.
Samsung has not broken out standalone figures for S Pen-related AI feature usage across its device base.
Hardware Details
The S Pen in the S26 Ultra requires no separate charging; it draws power from the phone when seated in its silo.
Samsung has not confirmed whether the S26 Ultra’s S Pen carries any changes to nib material or pressure sensitivity thresholds compared to the S25 Ultra model, which supported 4,096 levels of pressure.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra sits at the top of Samsung’s 2025 flagship lineup, competing directly with stylus-equipped devices like the Apple Pencil Pro paired with iPad models, though the S Pen’s integration into a phone form factor remains a point of differentiation for the Android market.
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