Updated November 26: article originally posted November 25.
Even though the Galaxy Note series came to an end in 2020, one of its most innovative functions found a new home with the Samsung Galaxy S flagships. Not only is Samsung carrying on that tradition with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but the Ultra offers a feature that will enhance this classic technology… the S-Pen.
Update: Sunday November 26: Samsung isn’t relying just on the classics. The brave new world of AI-first smartphones—an area Google defined with the launch of the Pixel 8 Pro—will be a massive part of the Galaxy S24 family. Samsung has already revealed Samsung Gauss, its AI building blocks that will appear inside the hardware, along with some potential functions.
Now, the push to promote AI has been revealed, with trademark documents reported by GalaxyClub showing Samsung’s filing for multiple trademarks. The two of interest are “AI Smartphone” and “AI Phone” in both the EU (here and here) and the UK (here and here). It would be surprising if these terms are seen as anything other than generic and not eligible for trademarking.
Yet Samsung’s punt to bring them to South Korea clearly indicates that it sees the Galaxy S24 as an AI Smartphone, as well as one specifically designed for a stylus.
The S24 Ultra’s design has been tailored for the S-Pen. Specifically, the move away from the curved screen of previous Ultra handsets towards a totally flat screen.
Details on the new display come from the latest leaked photos of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. These show a number of S24 Ultra highlights, including the lack of an isolating camera island for the five lenses, the always-useful volume and power buttons on the right-hand edge and, of course, the flat screen.
Sometimes, the smallest design changes can have the biggest impact.
With a flat screen, the S-Pen will happily reach out to the edges, and the interface will be far more comfortable to use. No more will the stylus slip away over the edge of the screen. If you want to select, highlight, or draw at the edges of the screen, the Ultra makes your smartphone world a little easier.
This is before you consider the new hardware that will be packed into 2024’s S-Pen—which has already cleared certification in a number of territories—and in the S24 Ultra’s digitizer that reacts to stylus inputs.
Few other manufacturers offer the synergy between these two elements in their high-end handsets. It’s more noticeable in the tablet space, but if you’re looking for a stylus to go with your flagship phone, it will be very hard to look beyond Samsung’s latest package.
The Galaxy S24 family, including the S24 Ultra and S-Pen, will launch in early 2024 at a “Galaxy Unpacked” event widely expected to occur on January 17th.
Now read how Samsung will bring AI to the Galaxy S24 Ultra…
Brendan Martin is a tech enthusiast with a deep understanding of the latest technological innovations. He explores the intersection of science and technology, providing readers with insights into the digital revolution. When not immersed in the world of gadgets and code, Brendan enjoys experimenting with DIY tech projects.
