The New Galaxy S26 Ultra S Pen Still Doesn’t Have Bluetooth
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Samsung's Galaxy S26 lineup is here, and in most ways, it's an upgrade. There are new features like the privacy display, alongside more expected upgrades to the chipset, battery life (for the base model), and charging speed (for the Ultra). But one key part of the S26 ecosystem remains a downgrade from even the Galaxy S24's: Samsung removed Bluetooth from the Galaxy S25 Ultra's S Pen last year, and unfortunately, it's not back for the S26 Ultra.
It's a hit to fans of the S Pen's former wireless control features, which debuted on the Galaxy Note 10 in 2019 and allowed the S Pen to do things like take a photo or switch between camera modes from afar. Essentially, it was a built-in remote control for your phone, so you wouldn't need to fuss with camera timers or PowerPoint remotes anymore. Users were clear that they didn't like it being removed from the S25 Ultra, but it seems like that wasn't enough to keep Samsung from leaving the feature in the past.
Why did Samsung get rid of Bluetooth on the S Pen?
With the S26 Ultra's announcement, the last glimmer of hope that Bluetooth on the S Pen might make a triumphant return seems pretty dead. Samsung's been quiet about it this time around, but the company did offer some explanation for why the feature was removed back when the S25 Ultra was revealed.
In a statement to Android Police, Samsung blamed the feature's discontinuation on low user adoption, saying "Bluetooth Low Energy is not supported on the Galaxy S25 Ultra as Samsung found that S Pen usage for BLE-enabled features was very low." However, the company also took the opportunity to plug products that still offered some of the features cut from the S Pen, adding that "Galaxy users are utilizing gesture controls on the Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch for hands-free photo capture instead."
While it's heartening that Samsung hasn't given up on remote control for its phones entirely, it should be noted that the current generation Galaxy Watch starts at $350, while the Galaxy Ring is $400. These aren't exactly replacements for an accessory that comes with your phone.
What features did the S Pen lose?
Bluetooth on the S Pen was also a bit more versatile than gesture controls on the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring. While the S Pen was useful for photo capture, its full list of Bluetooth features included:
Capturing photos and adjusting camera modes from afar.
Moving to the next photo in the Samsung Gallery app.
Moving forward and back in the Samsung Internet browser with the function button, and using gestures to navigate the page.
Recording voice notes.
Navigating around the Samsung Notes app and selecting pens from afar.
Moving between slides in PowerPoint.
Controlling audio and media playback.
Using Air Actions, which functioned like gesture controls for activating specific, sometimes customizable phone features.
Can I still use the Galaxy S24 Ultra?
The most recent phone to have Bluetooth included in the S Pen is Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra, and if you're a diehard Bluetooth S Pen user, I've got good news for you. The Galaxy S24 line was Samsung's first to promise seven years of updates, meaning the Galaxy S24 Ultra will get official support straight from Samsung until 2031. That leaves you plenty of time until you'll need to upgrade, so you can stubbornly stick to your handset for at least a little while longer. And despite being a few years old, the S24 Ultra is still plenty powerful, with the same display resolution and amount of RAM as the S26 Ultra, a still competitive Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, and a 200MP main rear camera lens. Unless you absolutely need the most cutting edge technology possible, that's a great setup, and can run even demanding apps like Genshin Impact on high settings without issue.
Now that we're two generations past the S24 Ultra, it seems unlikely that Bluetooth is going to leave Samsung's graveyard. But if you have an older device, you won't have to mourn for at least a little while longer.