14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung made some major improvements to the S Pen accompanying the Galaxy Note 7, but it seems that the company has some more changes in mind for the future. Samsung patented a stylus that works as the smartphone's speaker.
The stylus could be featured on upcoming Galaxy Note devices and it has the capacity to double as a smartphone speaker. In addition, the stylus would have the capacity to output sound even when removed from the device, according to Patently Mobile.
The patent application shows a complex system that includes the “accommodation space” or the S Pen silo, a speaker module, and an accessory that would be placed in the accommodation space, in other words the S Pen itself.
The system allows the stylus to transmit sound from the speaker module found inside the phone to the speaker at the end of the S Pen, which faces outwards. Apparently, the accommodation space inside the phone would be able to transmit audio from the speaker module.
The stylus speaker could replace the speaker grille on upcoming Note phones
The accommodation space could also contribute to the improvement of sound quality as it would be connected to a resonance space of the speaker module. The smartphone would also have the capacity to detect whether the speaker module outputs sound or if the stylus is located in the S Pen silo.
The patent application could also mean that the stylus speaker system could potentially replace the speaker grille found near the pen slot. Considering that it's a patent application, it's unclear if Samsung will actually go ahead and develop the new idea and feature it on an upcoming Galaxy Note smartphone.
There's also a chance that the tool will never make it to any of Samsung's products, considering that many smartphone manufacturers patent lots of concepts, but don't get around to developing them. The S Pen on the Galaxy Note 7 came with added functionality, including Air Command and Smart Select tool.