Samsung announced the successor in the Note iteration i.e the Note 9. Like every other Note device from Samsung it features an S-Pen and because of that it stands true to its name of being a massive note taking machine with all the power. Anyways as the Pen is mightier than the sword and in our case its the S-Pen in the Note 9 VS the competition, lets take a look at the best features that it has to offer.
No doubt by default the S-Pen is used for taking notes and this time too like the Note 8, the 9 also has a feature to take down notes even when the phone is locked by just removing the S-Pen from the slot i.e the 'Screen Off Memo'. No wasting time - just remove the pen and start writing stuff. You can also save it directly and various customization options like changing the color of the text, etc. are available. This time the default text color or rather the pen output color will resemble the color of the S-Pen i.e the Yellow S-Pen will yield yellow text or output by default (Insane detailing, isn't it ?). Apart from that, the regular stuff like hovering over the screen which shows the pointer, Air command and also the scrolling, etc which have been present on the earlier note iterations are also present with the Note 9. Of-course, we didn't want to compile a post on those features that have already been in for some time now but the specialty of the new S-Pen is its ability to use it as a remote !!
The S-Pen now comes with a battery that charges when plugged in the slot itself. Precisely its a super-capacitor that charges quickly to 100% by plugging for about 40 seconds in the slot which will yield 30 minutes of usage. Once charged, it can be used for a variety of functions apart from the previous basic S-Pen functions. In order to enable it, there is a toggle in the quick pull down menu or in the settings as "S-Pen Remote". Once enabled, it will display the battery percentage and the various apps that are compatible with its utility. Apps like Camera, Gallery, Youtube, etc. work with it. The button on the S-Pen if clicked for a few seconds will open up the Camera, double clicking will open up the front facing camera or rather just toggle between the front and rear camera and a single click in the camera app will click a picture. Hence, just hold an S-Pen the next time rather than using the timer for group photos ;-)
You can also control presentations via the S-Pen by changing the slide with a click - Probably the best usage of hardware by Samsung (ahem Bixby button). Well yeah!! Bixby button is there too but it does not qualify to come in the discussion now. Apart from that, in Gallery you can slide between the photos and also achieve music and video playback control with it which also extends to YouTube. With a click of a button, just pause and play your favourite videos !! You can also doodle with the AR emojis but thats probably the most useless utility of the S-Pen although that might not be useless for you though! (Personal Preference)
Another major target audience apart from those focussed on productivity are creators and artists. Samsung has its own PENUP community for those who prefer to share their creativity skills in terms of drawings and sketches made by the S-PEN.
These were some of the newer features that the S-Pen boasts apart from the regular stuff that has been mainstream since the first Note. Do remember that the regular stuff does not require charging of the super-capacitor, its only the remote functions that require the additional power. The S-Pen can be used as a remote with the maximum distance range of 30 feet. It comes with 0.7 mm tip and 4096 pressure levels that is also available with the Apple Pencil and the Microsoft's Surface Pen.
What do you feel about the features that the S-Pen has to offer. Do you have any specific utility of the S-PEN in mind that they should implement in the near future? Do let us know.
Images via Samsung's official website
No doubt by default the S-Pen is used for taking notes and this time too like the Note 8, the 9 also has a feature to take down notes even when the phone is locked by just removing the S-Pen from the slot i.e the 'Screen Off Memo'. No wasting time - just remove the pen and start writing stuff. You can also save it directly and various customization options like changing the color of the text, etc. are available. This time the default text color or rather the pen output color will resemble the color of the S-Pen i.e the Yellow S-Pen will yield yellow text or output by default (Insane detailing, isn't it ?). Apart from that, the regular stuff like hovering over the screen which shows the pointer, Air command and also the scrolling, etc which have been present on the earlier note iterations are also present with the Note 9. Of-course, we didn't want to compile a post on those features that have already been in for some time now but the specialty of the new S-Pen is its ability to use it as a remote !!
The S-Pen now comes with a battery that charges when plugged in the slot itself. Precisely its a super-capacitor that charges quickly to 100% by plugging for about 40 seconds in the slot which will yield 30 minutes of usage. Once charged, it can be used for a variety of functions apart from the previous basic S-Pen functions. In order to enable it, there is a toggle in the quick pull down menu or in the settings as "S-Pen Remote". Once enabled, it will display the battery percentage and the various apps that are compatible with its utility. Apps like Camera, Gallery, Youtube, etc. work with it. The button on the S-Pen if clicked for a few seconds will open up the Camera, double clicking will open up the front facing camera or rather just toggle between the front and rear camera and a single click in the camera app will click a picture. Hence, just hold an S-Pen the next time rather than using the timer for group photos ;-)
You can also control presentations via the S-Pen by changing the slide with a click - Probably the best usage of hardware by Samsung (ahem Bixby button). Well yeah!! Bixby button is there too but it does not qualify to come in the discussion now. Apart from that, in Gallery you can slide between the photos and also achieve music and video playback control with it which also extends to YouTube. With a click of a button, just pause and play your favourite videos !! You can also doodle with the AR emojis but thats probably the most useless utility of the S-Pen although that might not be useless for you though! (Personal Preference)
Another major target audience apart from those focussed on productivity are creators and artists. Samsung has its own PENUP community for those who prefer to share their creativity skills in terms of drawings and sketches made by the S-PEN.
These were some of the newer features that the S-Pen boasts apart from the regular stuff that has been mainstream since the first Note. Do remember that the regular stuff does not require charging of the super-capacitor, its only the remote functions that require the additional power. The S-Pen can be used as a remote with the maximum distance range of 30 feet. It comes with 0.7 mm tip and 4096 pressure levels that is also available with the Apple Pencil and the Microsoft's Surface Pen.
What do you feel about the features that the S-Pen has to offer. Do you have any specific utility of the S-PEN in mind that they should implement in the near future? Do let us know.
Images via Samsung's official website