You'd like the reason why Samsung may remove the Galaxy S26 Ultra's S Pen

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Samsung's removal of the S Pen's Bluetooth features on the Galaxy S25 Ultra understandably led to concerns among fans about the future of the stylus. There are already rumors floating around that future Ultra models may not have a built-in slot for the S Pen, with Samsung selling the stylus separately.

Another rumor has emerged out of China which claims that Samsung might remove the slot as early as next year, and the reason for which it may do that is one that a lot of fans can get behind.

Samsung's decision will inevitably be polarizing for fans

The rumor floating around on Weibo suggests that Samsung is contemplating a removal of the S Pen slot on the Galaxy S26 Ultra next year. The company apparently wants to do this in order to increase the device's battery size.

The Ultra model hasn't had a battery increase since 2020's Galaxy S20 Ultra. Every model since then has come with a 5,000mAh battery. While efficiency has increased due to improved chipsets and software optimization, it's undeniable that many fans would like a beefier battery.

Samsung may be weighing the potential backlash that it may receive from fans for removing the built-in S Pen slot against the goodwill it may generate for providing them with a bigger battery six years after the Ultra model was first introduced.

This will also mean that the S Pen will no longer ship with the device and if Samsung intends to retain stylus support, it will sell the S Pen separately, like it does for the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

It's too soon to say if this will happen for sure but given the company's recent focus on slimmer devices, it's hard to rule out the possibility that the S Pen slot's days may be numbered, whether to achieve the objective of a slimmer Ultra or one with a bigger battery.

Adnan Farooqui - Executive Editor

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First Samsung device: SGH-E900

Adnan Farooqui is a long-term writer at SamMobile. Based in Pakistan, his interests include technology, finance, Swiss watches and Formula 1. His tendency to write long posts betrays his inclination to being a man of few words.