Galaxy S25 Ultra’s S Pen reportedly drops Bluetooth, which could remove these features

Andrew Romero | Jan 10 2025 - 8:52 am PT

A new leak suggests that the Galaxy S25 will once again include an S Pen but will not have Bluetooth compatibility. The decision could be a cost-cutting measure, but it surely won’t be received well by some.

At its core, the S Pen is a stylus, allowing users to write on the display with ease. Beyond that, the S Pen has had multiple functions that rely on utilizing Bluetooth to work. For example, a side button on the S Pen will trigger certain tasks when pushed, like pulling up a favorite app, acting as a camera shutter button, controlling music, and even performing automatic formatting in the Samsung Notes app. The chosen tasks are up to the discretion of the user, and it has become a key utility for some.

According to a leak from Ishan Agarwal on Twitter/X, the S Pen on the Galaxy S25 will not have Bluetooth. That does not mean the stylus will lack a button though. The button is still seen in leaks. This could be a cost-cutting measure or a way to save some battery life for the device since an S Pen does need a charge if it utilizes a Bluetooth signal. Without Bluetooth, the stylus can simply be used with no battery inside.

For enthusiast users who have been rocking an S Pen with custom functions since the Galaxy Note 9, this might feel like a big loss. New users, though, might not be so inclined to miss the functionality at all. Further, there is a subset of Galaxy S Ultra users who may never even pull the stylus out of it’s silo. Either way, it feels like a punch in the gut if the lack of Bluetooth actually means that these features are dropped, but it’s entirely unclear right now.

Samsung will fully launch the Galaxy S25 series on January 22.

Samsung has reservations open now for the Galaxy S25 series, with a $50 credit when you pre-order and up to $1,200+ in savings. Reservations are free, and there’s no obligation to actually buy a device if you sign up, but there’s no other time you can get that $50 credit.