Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: The S Pen rumors were true all along

New Samsung S pen
(Image credit: Samsung)

Rumors about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra supporting the S Pen — an appealing feature previously associated with the Galaxy Note series line — has now been confirmed with an FCC filing (via SlashGear).

Spotted by hawk-eyed folks at Android Authority, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra's FCC filing is now live. The legal document reveals that Samsung's highly anticipated, top-tier phone can be used with the snazzy stylus.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will come with S Pen support

The S Pen is one of the most appealing features of the Note Galaxy series. Not only can you use the stylus to take notes and doodle, but you can also use the snazzy stylus to take photos and videos remotely and use it as a "remote control" to issue commands from a distance.

Tech leakers such as @UniverseIce spilled the beans about Samsung's plans to equip the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra with the S pen. 

On top of that, Samsung's President and Head of Mobile Communications Business TM Roh recently published a blog post that hinted at the Samsung Galaxy S21 line's adoption of the S Pen.

"We’ve also been paying attention to people’s favorite aspects of the Galaxy Note experience and are excited to add some of its most well-loved features to other devices in our lineup," Roh said.

A filing spotted in the FCC's database confirms the rumors. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will, indeed, support the highly praised S Pen.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Excerpt from FCC filing (Image credit: FCC)

“The [equipment under test] can also be used with a stylus device (S-Pen). The [equipment under test] operates with the S-Pen in two different inductive coupling modes of S-Pen motion detection (Hover and Click)," the filing said.

Although the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will have support for the S Pen, we're less confident that the S Pen will ship with the high-end phone. As we reported in late October, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra design leaks reveal that the top-tier phone does not have a stylus garage for the S Pen.

If you're wondering if the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra's support for the S Pen will make the Galaxy Note series redundant, making it a prime candidate for being booted from Samsung's phone portfolio, the answer is reportedly no — for now. 

As we reported last week, sources say that the next-gen Galaxy Note series will be released during the latter half of 2021. However, we're unsure of Samsung plans to continue releasing Galaxy Note phones beyond next year.

Kimberly Gedeon

Kimberly Gedeon, holding a Master's degree in International Journalism, launched her career as a journalist for MadameNoire's business beat in 2013. She loved translating stuffy stories about the economy, personal finance and investing into digestible, easy-to-understand, entertaining stories for young women of color. During her time on the business beat, she discovered her passion for tech as she dove into articles about tech entrepreneurship, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the latest tablets. After eight years of freelancing, dabbling in a myriad of beats, she's finally found a home at Laptop Mag that accepts her as the crypto-addicted, virtual reality-loving, investing-focused, tech-fascinated nerd she is. Woot!

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