There is a lot to love about the Galaxy S25 Ultra, from the improved AI experience to the brilliant cameras (even if they are essentially the same as the Galaxy S24 Ultra.) However, one thing that has caused contention recently is the removal of the Bluetooth features from the S Pen.
Samsung claims it removed the Bluetooth functionality due to lack of use, so there was no reason to retain them. If accurate then it it would make sense to assume Samsung dropped the features to help cut the production costs of the phones, and in turn avoid the forecasted price raises that, thankfully, didn't come to pass.
However, the move has caused a bit of a stir, with many fans taking to social media to complain about the change to the S Pen. What's more, there's even a petition started by customers aiming to bring back Bluetooth functionality to the Galaxy S26 Ultra's S Pen.
All of this has got me thinking, isn't it high time Samsung just stopped shipping the Samsung Galaxy Ultra models with an S Pen?
What are the missing features of the S Pen?
Before we get into why Samsung should avoid shipping with an S Pen, let's have a quick look at what features were actually removed. The S Pen's main function is to work as a stylus, meaning you can use it to write, doodle and navigate the device. However, older models of the Pen feature Bluetooth integration that added several features to improve the overall user experience.
The first thing that you could do with the pen, and the most useful in my point of view, was use it in conjunction with the camera. When you connect a Bluetooth compatible S Pen you can use it to take photos and videos from a distance, without needing to run over while the timer is on. The other major usage is the Air Action features, which allow you to assign apps and commands to the S Pen, making it much easier to quickly navigate to an app like Samsung Notes or Google Chrome.
The features weren’t always the kind of thing that you'd use daily, but they had their place and a lot of users swore by them. Their removal likely won’t have a huge impact on many users, some of whom might not even know they were on the older phones. However, removing features completely is never going to go down all that well.
If the majority don't use it, why keep it?
So now we know what was removed, the question becomes "Why do we have an S Pen at all?" Hear me out, if Samsung has removed features to, apparently, cut costs but kept the S Pen in the device, would it not be more prudent to completely remove it? Surely, shipping the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, or future versions of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, without the S Pen would make it even cheaper?
This isn't a new concept, and it wouldn't be the first time we've seen a tech company drop part of a package deal. For instance, when Microsoft first launched Xbox One it came with a Kinect in the box. However, this had the effect of seemingly shooting the price up, and, more importantly, no one liked the Kinect at the time. As such, Xbox stopped the practice and elected to sell the Kinect separately from the main console.
I propose that Samsung could do much the same thing, and in the process keep the S Pen features that certain people like. So, in this circumstance, if you bought the Galaxy S25 Ultra you'd get the bigger screen and the improved camera experience over the Galaxy S25, but wouldn't be paying for a stylus that you most likely won't use. Then, Samsung can choose to sell the S Pen separately, in a similar manner to the S Pen Pro, with all the features included.
Will Samsung ever bring the features back?
At the end of the day, it’s up to a company to remove whatever it chooses to remove and there's little we can do about it.
While the S Pen features may be a point of contention for many, there’s still a lot to love about the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The phone includes much of the same hardware as the Galaxy S24 Ultra but with an Improved Galaxy AI and Google Gemini experience, and features One UI 7 at launch.
If you want more advice on which model to pick, then we have a great breakdown between the Galaxy S25 and the Galaxy S25 Ultra. We're also starting to see some deals appearing, with one of the best Galaxy S25 deals coming from Amazon.
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