Skip to main content

Samsung’s Notebook 9’s S Pen challenges Google and Apple, sans batteries

Samsung Notebook 9 Pen: Full Feature Tour
Samsung already offers credible competition for Google’s Pixelbook in the Chromebook space, and now with its new
Recommended Videos
Notebook 9 and included S Pen, it’s gunning for its Pen too. With 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt support, Samsung’s offering is already fully featured, but ditching the need for a battery could help it stand out from the crowd.

Although Steve Jobs famously decried the humble stylus on modern touch devices, the use of a digital pen or pencil for artistic and calligraphic input has made quite a comeback in recent years. Apple’s own Pencil and Google’s Pen are two standouts, but just as Samsung has provided credible competition for such tech giants in a variety of sectors, its new Notebook 9 Pen with included S Pen could do much the same in that input market.

The Notebook 9 is a refresh of previous models, with three different versions likely to debut at next year’s CES show. One of them, however — the “Pen” version — will include the new S Pen stylus peripheral built right into the body, according to Hexus.

It has a 0.7mm fine tip, with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. In comparison, the Google Pixelbook Pen has 2,000 levels of sensitivity, which might mean Samsung’s is a more versatile tool for artists. Apple’s Pencil has an unspecified number of pressure levels, while Microsoft’s Surface Pen also offers 4,096.

Tilt support is also offered with the Samsung S Pen, a feature that was much hyped among other technology companies with stylus devices earlier this year. We’re also told that when you pull the S Pen out of its dedicated holster that the notebook will automatically launch the Air Command app, which gives you quick and easy access to S Pen specific apps and functions.

The feature that could help Samsung’s S Pen really stand out is that it doesn’t require an external battery. Google’s Pixelbook pen requires an AAAA battery to operate, which are pretty cheap and can also be found in similar products like Microsoft’s Surface Pen, though they’re not a common type.

Not having to worry about batteries running out without a replacement is a nice feature for those who like to use their digital pen on the go.

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is a freelance evergreen writer and occasional section coordinator, covering how to guides, best-of lists, and…
This Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 leak may have revealed everything
samsung galaxy tab s10 android tablets big leak design specs ultra back render

Samsung fans, get excited. After the certifications for the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and S10 Ultra were spotted online a few weeks ago, we knew it wouldn't be long before more information came our way. Now it's here: Android Headlines and WinFuture broke leaks about the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and S10 Ultra, confirming another rumor: this generation consists of only two models.

The leaks confirmed many of the rumors we already knew, but they also brought with them a fair share of new information. That includes specs, image renders, and notes on expected features. Buckle in because there's a lot to go through.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus

Read more
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s new display could look like this
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's screen, resting on a bench.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 rumor mill is already spinning fast enough to power San Francisco, but leaker Ice Universe has released even more information on the potential — and increasingly plausible — appearance of the new flagship phone. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ice Universe stated the new S25 Ultra would be only 77.6mm across compared to the 79mm width of the S24 Ultra.

Despite the reduction in overall size, the screen is actually larger thanks to smaller bezels. The new phone will reportedly add 0.07 inches to the diagonal screen size and 0.7mm to the width, even as the body frame shrinks.

Read more
Samsung just confirmed big upgrades for the Galaxy S25
The back of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Orange.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Samsung is working on the Samsung Galaxy S25; that’s to be expected since a new flagship generation gets launched every year. What is surprising is just how early Samsung has decided to confirm the existence of the upcoming device. It did so in the latest earnings call, confirming not just the existence of the S25 series ,but also some of the specs.

“So, on your second question, we’ve consistently upgraded the hardware in our S Series to deliver industry-leading experiences to customers, and we’ll continue to enhance key experiences as well (as) upgrade hardware so that we can offer top performance,” said Samsung MX Vice President Daniel Arujo. "For camera and display specs in particular, where we’ve been leading, the S25 at launch will have top-of-the-line upgrades. And we’re also preparing industry-best APs and memory to boost AI performance and offer an overall premium experience,”

Read more