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    Go home, selfie stick! With the Galaxy Note 9, I’m finally using the S Pen

    Opinion
    By 

    Last updated: August 14th, 2018 at 14:16 UTC+02:00

    It was back in 2011 when Samsung released the first Galaxy Note and single-handedly started the phablet revolution. Everyone is making big-screen phones now, but the Galaxy Note lineup has continued to be unique thanks to the S Pen. But while the S Pen is great for many who pick up a Galaxy Note smartphone, I had never been a fan. That has now changed thanks to the Bluetooth-enabled S Pen introduced on the Galaxy Note 9.

    The Bluetooth-enabled S Pen is awesome

    As you might have guessed from the title, the ability to control the camera app with the S Pen is the primary reason for why I'm finally using the S Pen. And it's not just about taking selfies, even though using the S Pen for clicking pictures will make things quite convenient. My girlfriend and I frequently connect our device to the TV to see pictures on a big screen, and thanks to the S Pen, flicking through those images will be easier with the Galaxy Note 9. And since I now have the S Pen out of its slot more often, I've also realized how useful it is to be able to scribble notes even when the screen is off. It's not a new feature, but it's easily one of the most thoughtful new functions Samsung had introduced with the stylus and I'm actually using it now.

    In short, it took Samsung eight years to make the S Pen feel truly useful instead of a gimmick for me. The Galaxy Notes are supposed to be all about productivity and creativity, yes, but for those who never used the stylus as regularly as the diehard S Pen fans, things may finally change this year.

    Don't MissThe S Pen in the Galaxy Note 9 packs a lot of new features

    Opinion S PenSamsung Galaxy Note 9

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