The stylus in the image here may look like an Apple Pencil, but it's a very different device: it's the new version of Samsung's much-loved S Pen, which turns devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra into a scribble-friendly slate for artists and writers.
The new edition is called the S Pen Creator Edition, and it's $99 / £99 / AU$162. You can have it in any colour you like as long as it's white.
Other than the new colour, the other new features are designed with practicality in mind and should deliver a better writing and drawing experience on supported devices.
What's new in the Samsung S Pen Creator Edition?
The two key changes in the S Pen Creator Edition are that it's bigger – it's wider than the standard S Pen so it's a better fit in the hand – and there's a new stylus nib. But there are also some things that Samsung has removed, most notably Air Commands: there's no battery in this version of the S Pen so Air Commands won't work. It's interesting that Samsung also appears to have discontinued the S Pen Pro, which is no longer listed on its website for sale.
The S Pen Creator Edition is purely for Galaxy smartphones, tablets and laptops that already support the S Pen; the Galaxy Z Fold foldable phones are not supported. It attaches magnetically to the side of your device.
I'm not going to mock the very Apple design, because I'm an Apple Pencil owner twice over and I really rate how comfortable it is. The S Pens I've tried by comparison aren't as good. So this redesign is welcome in that respect. However, it's odd that Samsung is charging a premium price for what is in effect a lesser product: as 9to5Google points out, it's considerably more expensive than the battery-powered S Pen for the Tab S9, and more expensive than the S Pen for the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
If you fancy one it might be wise to hold off for a bit, partly to see if Samsung discounts it and partly to see what other people think of it. Early reviews are mixed, with some posters complaining of latency issues.
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