Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra S Pen: Was the Downgrade Right?

Mostly, yes: Samsung was justified in removing Bluetooth and remote-control functions from the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s S Pen because relatively few users relied on them, while the change helped simplify the phone’s stylus design. But it was a genuine loss for people who used the pen as a camera shutter or presentation remote, and it made the S25 Ultra a less complete upgrade for those owners.

What Samsung removed—and what stayed

The S Pen included with the Galaxy S25 Ultra still supports direct writing and drawing on the screen. It remains useful for handwritten notes, marking up documents, selecting text, sketching, and navigating the phone with precise input. Samsung did not remove the core function that makes an S Pen a stylus.

What disappeared was Bluetooth connectivity and the associated Air Actions: gestures and button controls that worked at a distance. On earlier compatible Ultra models, the S Pen could trigger the camera shutter, control media, and operate some apps remotely. The S25 Ultra’s pen cannot perform those Bluetooth-based tasks. Its button remains useful for on-screen functions, but it is not a wireless remote.

That distinction matters because “the S Pen lost features” can sound as though the phone no longer supports writing or pressure-sensitive drawing. It does. The change concerns remote interaction, not the ordinary pen-on-screen experience.

Why the decision makes sense for most owners

A built-in stylus has to fit inside the phone, remain available, and work reliably without getting in the way of the device’s main functions. Bluetooth features add electronics and complexity for tasks that many people can do another way. A timer, voice command, smartwatch control, or an inexpensive Bluetooth shutter can replace the camera-remote use case; tapping the screen or using the phone’s camera controls can handle everyday photos.

For a person who mainly writes quick notes, signs a document, or crops and selects content, the Bluetooth hardware does not improve the central stylus experience. Removing seldom-used functionality can be a reasonable trade if it helps simplify a component that has to fit into a tightly designed phone. However, Samsung’s rationale should not be treated as proof that the change made a measurable improvement to battery life, durability, or the phone’s dimensions. The important, verifiable point is the feature change itself; claims about specific engineering benefits need evidence.

The decision is strongest when judged as a product choice for the majority of buyers, rather than as an improvement for every S Pen user. A feature can be niche and still be valuable to the people who depend on it.

Why some users have a fair complaint

The older remote controls were practical, not merely novelty tricks. A photographer could place the phone on a tripod and press the pen’s button without touching the screen, reducing the chance of disturbing a carefully framed shot. A presenter could advance slides from across a room. Media controls could also be handy when the phone was propped up or out of easy reach.

These uses are especially relevant to people who bought an Ultra partly because it combined a large display, an integrated stylus, and remote controls in one device. Those customers may reasonably see the S25 Ultra as a regression, even if the functions were not widely used. And because the pen sits inside the phone, they cannot simply keep an older Bluetooth S Pen and expect it to restore remote control on the S25 Ultra: the phone’s support for the required Bluetooth functions is absent.

The other frustration is that a built-in S Pen can create an expectation of a fully featured accessory. Samsung retained the recognizable pen and its familiar writing role, so the missing remote functions may be easy to overlook until someone tries to use them. Clearer communication matters when a familiar accessory changes capabilities.

How the S25 Ultra pen works now

The S Pen communicates with the display for direct input. Writing and drawing happen when the tip interacts with the screen; they do not require the pen to act as a Bluetooth remote. This is why the principal note-taking and annotation tasks remain available despite the removal of Air Actions.

In practical terms, the S25 Ultra S Pen is best understood as an integrated, screen-focused stylus rather than a two-way remote accessory. Before buying, consider which of these tasks you actually do:

Writing and annotating: The S25 Ultra remains suited to notes, handwriting, document markup, and precise selections.
Drawing: It remains a direct-input tool for sketches and compatible creative apps.
Taking photos from a distance: The included S Pen no longer provides the Bluetooth shutter function.
Controlling presentations or media remotely: Do not expect the pen to supply the older Air Actions controls.

App support can affect which on-screen pen tools are available, so a particular shortcut or feature should be checked in the app itself. That is separate from Bluetooth remote control, which the S25 Ultra pen does not provide.

Choosing between the S25 Ultra and older models

If you are upgrading from an older Ultra, make the decision based on your own use rather than on the S Pen’s name alone. Someone who never used Air Actions may notice little practical difference. Someone who regularly takes tripod photos or advances presentations with the pen should treat the loss as a meaningful trade-off.

Use this checklist before choosing:

Review whether you have used the pen’s remote shutter or gestures in the past year.
Check whether a voice command, timer, wearable, or separate shutter would suit your camera setup.
Compare the S25 Ultra’s other features and changes independently; do not assume a stylus change makes the whole phone better or worse.
If remote pen control is essential, keep using a compatible older phone or choose a device whose specifications explicitly include the feature.

For a new buyer who wants an S Pen mainly for handwriting, the removal is unlikely to be a deal-breaker. For an existing owner whose daily routine includes Air Actions, staying with a compatible earlier model may be more sensible than upgrading solely for the newer phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Galaxy S25 Ultra S Pen still write on the screen?
Yes. It supports the core on-screen stylus functions, including writing, drawing, and annotation. The removed functions are Bluetooth-based remote controls.

Can the S25 Ultra S Pen take a photo remotely?
No. The included S Pen does not have the Bluetooth remote-shutter capability available on compatible earlier Ultra models. Use another camera-control method if you need hands-free shooting.

Can an older Bluetooth S Pen restore Air Actions on the S25 Ultra?
No. The phone does not support the Bluetooth Air Actions functionality, so an older pen cannot restore those remote controls simply by being paired or inserted.

Did Samsung remove pressure sensitivity?
No. The headline change was the removal of Bluetooth and remote-control functions, not the removal of the S Pen’s core screen-input role. For specific drawing requirements, check the phone and app specifications.

Is the S25 Ultra S Pen worse than the S24 Ultra’s?
It is less capable as a remote: the S25 Ultra pen lacks Bluetooth Air Actions. For ordinary writing and on-screen use, it still serves the central purpose of an integrated S Pen.

Verdict: a defensible trade, not an upgrade for everyone

Samsung was probably right to prioritize the S Pen’s most common role over remote functions that many owners may never use. That is a reasonable product decision, but it is not a universal improvement: photographers and presenters lose conveniences that cannot be recovered with the included pen. The fairest conclusion is that the S25 Ultra keeps the S Pen useful while making it less versatile. Whether that is acceptable depends on whether you used the features Samsung removed.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.

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