This the latest model in Samsung’s army of pens

Oct 30, 2021 15:00 GMT  ·  By

Pen input has been one of the signature features of Samsung’s Galaxy Note lineup for many years already, but on the other hand, more and more companies embraced this little accessory and invested heavily in its development.

Microsoft and Apple are two of the biggest names, like the Surface Pen and the Apple Pencil both came with substantial improvements as part of every single refresh, eventually further refining the sensitivity and making the experience overall more polished.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Samsung abandoned the battle. Not at all. While Microsoft and Apple focused on pen input for laptops and tablets, the South Korean phone maker tried to focus on pretty much every single front out there.

So right now, the company has not one, not two, not three, but five different pens on the market, and needless to say, they all provide a similar experience. The Galaxy Note S pen and the Galaxy S21 Ultra S Pen are pretty similar, but on the other hand, the new S Pen Fold Edition and the S Pen Pro promise upgraded features that make using a stylus even more natural.

And without a doubt, the S Pen Pro is the model you need if you just want the best of the best.

Samsung S Pen Pro

The first thing I noticed when I started using the S Pen Pro is that it feels awkwardly similar to the Surface Pen. The two aren’t necessarily identical, but the feeling they provide when writing and drawing is almost as with a real pen. In other words, both Microsoft and Samsung have somehow managed to find the approach that turns their styluses into a digital version of a traditional pen, and it goes without saying this is extremely important at the end of the day.

The Galaxy S Pen Pro tips the scales at just 14 grams, so in theory, it has double the weight of a traditional pen, which weighs on average about 6 or 7 grams. Obviously, given we’re talking about grams here, it’s hard to tell the difference in real life.

But in addition to its natural design, the S Pen Pro is also packed with technology.

And one of its best features is the Smart Select integration mixed with new sharing capabilities. The S Pen Pro makes it incredibly easy to share content from one device to another, simply because you can use the same pen on all of them.

And here’s how it works. First and foremost, you obviously need to pair the pen with all your devices. Once you do this, just press the button on the S Pen Pro to switch from one device to another. It’s that easy, and it all takes just a couple of seconds.

Powered by Bluetooth, the connection is obviously established almost instantly, so the sharing experience is as seamless as possible. Select the content you want to share, copy it, and then switch devices and paste it on the screen.

Samsung S Pen Pro

Worth knowing that certain capabilities, such as the sharing feature with Smart Select, only work as long as Bluetooth and Continue is enabled on all devices. The same Wi-Fi network should be used on all devices, and Bluetooth obviously needs to be activated. You must also use the same Samsung account on all devices.

Let’s admit it, keeping track of such an accessory isn’t always the easiest thing. While I never lost my digital pen, I know people who did, so in theory, a feature that helps us locate these accessories should really come in handy.

Samsung seems to believe the same thing, so the company has developed S Pen Pro integration in the SmartThings app, therefore allowing you to easily figure out where the stylus is located.

Now let’s talk a little bit about the battery. The S Pen Pro comes with a 30 mAh unit, and while it seems small at first, let’s not forget this is a digital pen that only needs to power the input on a touchscreen and the Bluetooth connection. And as compared to the original Surface Pen, for example, which used a replaceable battery, the S Pen Pro comes with the benefit of integrating a rechargeable unit that makes the whole thing even more convenient.

It’s enough to charge the stylus for 50 minutes to get a battery life of 16 days, Samsung says, though I think that for those who use the pen on a regular basis, the autonomy might actually get closer to 10 days. This isn’t necessarily a problem since charging the device doesn’t take more than one hour, so if you do it every night, you should be good to go the next day, even if you plan to use it for several hours in a row at school or anything similar.

Samsung S Pen Pro

The S Pen Pro comes with a dedicated top featuring a USB-C port, so once again, charging it is extremely convenient.o

Now, about its actual performance, the only thing I noticed is some sort of input lag when using the device at an angle. This isn’t necessarily a huge problem, as I think Samsung needs to adjust the sensitivity of the S Pen Pro, but for those who are drawing on the screen, this might be an inconvenience that eventually interrupts its work.

There are other things that could be improved as well. For example, some say the S Pen Pro would need an audible notification to easily find it in your backpack or around the house, and at some level, this is true, as the blinking light doesn’t make much of a difference in this regard.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The S Pen Pro comes with almost the perfect dimensions and features that perfectly demonstrate Samsung has always been committed to this little accessory while others forget it even exists.

At some level, the S Pen Pro is the result of years of investments in the regular S Pen, as it’s pretty clear Samsung learned from the previous versions and used all the information it collected to build this really great product.

Without a doubt, the S Pen Pro is Samsung’s almighty pen that anyone interested in drawing and writing should own, not only because it’s super easy to use, but also because it comes with extra convenience in nearly every single regard.

I used the S Pen Pro for nearly one hour every day during a whole week, and the device didn’t even need to be recharged. I’m guessing a hardcore user would have to recharge it at least weekly to make sure they wouldn’t run out of battery, so it’s pretty clear the battery life would never be a problem.

The only thing I would worry about is how the S Pen Pro feels in smaller hands. At some level, the S Pen Pro is a rival to the Surface Pen and the Apple Pencil, so if you think these devices are big, then there’s a chance you could end up struggling with Samsung’s latest stylus as well.

But as I said earlier, Samsung has built an army of digital pens, so if the S Pen Pro isn’t exactly your cup of tea given its dimensions, the company already has several other smaller alternatives waiting for you to try them out.

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