Samsung Galaxy S Pen vs S Pen Creator Edition: Battle of the styli

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  Samsung Galaxy S Pen

  The baseline

  The default S Pen is a simple stylus that adds plenty of function to the device. Its pressure sensitivity is great for writing and drawing, and the Air Commands and Bluetooth gestures are the icing on the cake that differentiates the S Pen from other products.

  Pros

  • Free with your phone or tablet
  • Charges from the device
  • Bluetooth gestures

  Cons

  • Small size isn’t always comfortable

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  Samsung Galaxy S Pen Creator Edition

  The confusing option

  The S Pen Creator Edition is a weird product. It’s more expensive and replaces the S Pen Pro, but it removes the Bluetooth and battery. On the one hand, that means you never have to charge it, but that also means all of the helpful gestures are missing.

  Pros

  • Larger size is more comfortable to hold

  Cons

  • Expensive
  • Hard to store
  • No Bluetooth

The S Pen is one of the most legendary mobile accessories. Many Samsung fans have loved it since it was introduced in 2011, and it’s gotten better in the thirteen years since, gaining Air Command, Bluetooth, and lower latency. It’s one of the things that makes the S24 Ultra one of our favorite Android phones.

In 2021, Samsung released the S Pen Pro, the first stand-alone S Pen designed to be used with multiple compatible devices and more comfortable for longer periods. That’s since been replaced by the S Pen Creator Edition. If you have a Galaxy S24 Ultra or S Pen-enabled Samsung tablet, should you upgrade to the more premium stylus experience?

Price, availability, and specs

How many pennies are these pens?

The regular S Pen is included with your phone or tablet. Exact models differ depending on the device, but they’re usually sold separately from Samsung and retailers like Amazon for around $50, just in case you lose your original. Inside the S Pen is a capacitor that wirelessly charges while inside or connected to your phone or tablet. This powers the Bluetooth features, and despite being a heavy S Pen user, I’ve never come close to draining it.

The S Pen Creator Edition costs $100 from Samsung and other online retailers. For that, you get a big, unremarkable S Pen. It’s comfortable to hold but lacks smart features like Bluetooth.

• 	Samsung Galaxy S Pen	Samsung Galaxy S Pen Creator Edition
  Compatibility	All S Pen devices except foldables	All S Pen devices except foldables
  Connectivity	Bluetooth	None

Size, shape, and compatibility

One is harder to carry than the other

Not every S Pen is created equal. The version that ships with phones like the S24 Ultra is super thin and takes up as little room as possible inside the phone. The stylus’ top is a flat clicker button that, as well as being a great fidget toy, allows you to lock the stylus into the phone or eject it. Samsung’s tablets ship with a similar S Pen that’s larger, but packs essentially the same features. It attaches to the back of the tablets instead though, and so doesn’t need the clicker button.

You can use these default S Pens on any S Pen-enabled device except foldables, which require a Fold Edition S Pen.

The S Pen Creator Edition is longer and thicker, closer to the tablet stylus. That makes it easier to hold extended periods but also makes it hard to store as it doesn’t slot into any devices. It can magnetically snap onto the side of some Samsung tablets, but phones are out of luck. Like the regular S Pen, it lacks a retractable tip and can’t be used with foldables.

Features

To Bluetooth or not to Bluetooth

The standard S Pen has Bluetooth, which enables a few handy features. One of the best is making it harder to lose. Your phone or tablet knows if the stylus is inserted into the phone and can measure how far away it is via Bluetooth. If you put the S Pen down and walk away with the phone, the S24 will remind you to go back to the S Pen and mark its last known location in SmartThings Find. You can also use Bluetooth gestures to perform remote commands. Holding the button down and gesturing with the S Pen, you can go back, home, and open the overview menu from any screen. It can also control the camera, your browser, and much more.

The Creator Edition replaced the S Pen Pro. The Pro offered a USB-C port to charge a battery and enabled the same Bluetooth options as the built-in S Pen. It also had a switch that put it into Z Fold Mode, which meant it could be used with the Z Fold 3, 4, and 5. Despite owning the same $100 price as its predecessor, the S Pen Creator Edition lacks Bluetooth gestures and foldable support. That means the phone can’t tell you if you’ve left it behind somewhere, you can’t remotely control the camera or perform certain gestures, and Z Fold 3, 4, and 5 owners are left out completely.

Some people don’t care about the Bluetooth features, but I’d argue you should still get them if you’re paying the same price, even if you don’t use them. But that lack of foldable support is unforgivable. One of the best parts of using a larger S Pen like this is quickly switching between devices, like your phone and tablet. I use my S24 Ultra as my primary phone and a Z Fold 4 as my tablet, but the only S Pen that works properly with both is the old S Pen Pro. That’s fine for those of us who own one, but that doesn’t help anyone else now that it’s out of stock in most places.

Which is right for you?

Stick with the one you have

If you’re an S24 Ultra or Tab S9 user, stick with the S Pen you have. It’s always conveniently available and has smarter features; you already own it without paying extra. Even if you lose it, replacing this S Pen is half the price of the S Pen Creator Edition. If you want a larger and more comfortable S Pen that you can use across multiple devices, just look online for anywhere that still stocks the S Pen Pro; it’s a better product.

If you want a larger S Pen and don’t care about Bluetooth or foldables, the S Pen Creator Edition will do everything you need. It’s not a bad product; it’s just odd that it costs the same as a predecessor with better features.