The Galaxy S27 Ultra has decided to retain the key S Pen component, the digitizer, in its release next year. At one point, the company considered removing the digitizer to reduce thickness, but has ultimately returned to its original plans. Beyond simple technological assessments, the decision reflects valuable market lessons.
The digitizer forms an electromagnetic field within the display panel to precisely recognize S Pen input. Known as electromagnetic resonance (EMR), this method allows for pressure sensitivity and accurate handwriting implementation. The problem is its thickness, with the digitizer occupying about 0.3 mm of physical space.
To save this 0.3 mm, Samsung sought alternatives. The technology considered required neither the digitizer nor a battery, introducing a new pen input method. The existing active electrostatic (AES) method involves a battery and electrical components in the pen, resulting in increased thickness. Samsung’s evaluated technology resolved the drawbacks of both methods but ultimately settled on maintaining the status quo.
The direct reason for Samsung’s decision to preserve the digitizer stems from last year’s harsh market realities. Samsung ambitiously launched the Galaxy S25 Edge, and Apple its iPhone 17 Air, each promoting “thinness” as their sole value proposition.
Market reactions were tepid. The Galaxy S25 Edge faced diminished production levels soon after its release, and further model development was halted. Similarly, the iPhone 17 Air saw significant production cuts due to decreased demand. Both products compromised on battery capacity and camera performance to achieve slimness, which consumers did not accept. Despite minimal price differences with top-tier models, performance was significantly inferior. Slimness was an attraction, but not a compelling reason.
Last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 foldable phone from Samsung had already removed the digitizer to reduce thickness, eliminating the S Pen input feature. Foldable phones never originally integrated the S Pen within the device, allowing such choices.
The S series Ultra is different. The S Pen’s internal integration gives the Ultra model its core identity. Industry insiders report that alternatives removing the pen input function were not considered, given its pivotal role in the product’s raison d’être. Sacrificing the device’s identity for 0.3 mm is deemed pointless.
The decision to keep the digitizer doesn’t definitively set the S27 Ultra’s design in stone, as greater variables remain. Notably, coexisting with MagSafe technology is a challenge.
MagSafe uses neodymium magnets for accessory attachment and wireless charging. The global wireless charging standard Qi 2 is based on this MagSafe method. However, the interference between MagSafe’s magnets and the magnetic fields generated by the digitizer poses a problem, necessitating an entirely new design to combine both technologies within a device. So far, Samsung smartphones do not formally support MagSafe.
The industry envisions two avenues: developing a new design to technically resolve magnetic interference, or reconsidering the digitizer removal if and when MagSafe is introduced. Regardless of the choice, the S27 Ultra faces unresolved technical challenges.