The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the only smartphone in the Galaxy S26 lineup with a built-in S Pen. It slots into the bottom of the phone and is available whenever you need it, without a case or separate accessory.
The S Pen works most naturally with Samsung Notes, which has been updated with Galaxy AI[3] features that make handwritten notes significantly more useful.
A summary of the S Pen tips and Samsung Notes features worth knowing on the Galaxy S26 Ultra:
- S Pen basics: Pressure sensitivity, hover detection, and how to get the most from precise handwriting and sketching.
- Handwriting-to-text: Converting S Pen handwriting into typed text directly in Samsung Notes.
- Note Assist[1]: Galaxy AI tools in Samsung Notes for summarising, formatting, translating, and correcting notes.
- Transcript Assist[2]: Recording and transcribing audio into searchable, summarisable text in Samsung Notes.
- S Pen in other apps: Using the S Pen beyond Samsung Notes for annotation, screenshots, and quick memos.
What can the S Pen do on the Galaxy S26 Ultra?
The S Pen on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is a pressure-sensitive stylus with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and hover detection that activates up to 2.5mm above the screen.
This level of sensitivity makes it well suited for handwriting, detailed sketching, and precise annotation. It responds to how hard you press in the same way a pen on paper does, producing thinner lines with a light touch and thicker strokes with more pressure.
The S Pen slots into the bottom of the Galaxy S26 Ultra and ejects with a single push. It does not need charging or pairing. The 6.9-inch display gives the S Pen plenty of room to work with. The large screen makes tasks like annotating documents, marking up photos, and sketching more practical than on smaller phones.
To get the most from the S Pen, it is worth exploring the pen settings in Samsung Notes. You can adjust nib sensitivity, set custom pen styles, and switch between a range of tools including ballpoint, fountain pen, and brush. These settings stay consistent across notes, so you can build a setup that suits how you write or draw.
How do you convert S Pen handwriting to text in Samsung Notes?
Samsung Notes includes a built-in handwriting-to-text conversion tool that works directly with S Pen input. You can write naturally anywhere in a note and then select your handwriting and tap Convert to text. Samsung Notes converts it to typed text while preserving the layout of the note as much as possible.
Beyond Samsung Notes, S Pen to text works system-wide on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Enable it at Settings > Advanced features > S Pen > S Pen to text, and you can then write directly into search bars, address bars, message boxes, and any other text input field on the phone.
Your handwriting converts to typed text automatically. This is useful for quick searches, replies, and form filling without needing to switch to the on-screen keyboard.
If you prefer to keep notes in handwriting, Samsung Notes also makes handwritten text searchable. The search function in the app can find handwritten words without needing to convert them first, which makes it practical to search through a library of handwritten notes.
What is Note Assist in Samsung Notes?
Note Assist is a set of Galaxy AI tools built into Samsung Notes. It works on any note with at least 200 characters and can summarise a long note into its key points, auto-format a messy note into a clean structure with headings and bullet points, correct spelling and grammar, and translate the entire note into another language.
Note Assist works with both typed and handwritten S Pen notes. For handwritten notes, it first converts the handwriting to text and then applies the same tools. This makes it practical for situations where you write quickly by hand and want a clean, formatted version afterward without retyping everything.
Note Assist also works with PDFs imported into Samsung Notes. You can attach a document and use Note Assist to translate it directly within the note, which removes the need to copy and paste content into a separate app. To access Note Assist, tap the Galaxy AI icon in any note.
How does Transcript Assist work in Samsung Notes?
Transcript Assist is a Galaxy AI feature built into the Voice Recorder app. It records audio and generates a full written transcript with speaker labels. Once the transcript is ready, it can be imported directly into Samsung Notes, where Note Assist can then summarise or translate it.
For Galaxy S26 Ultra users who take notes with the S Pen, Transcript Assist works well alongside handwritten notes. You can record a meeting or lecture with Transcript Assist running, take handwritten notes with the S Pen at the same time, and then bring both into Samsung Notes for a combined reference. Note Assist can then summarise the transcript to pull out the key points alongside your own handwritten annotations.
Transcript Assist supports 22 languages and can translate the transcript into a different language after recording. The transcription itself is processed on the device, so the audio does not need to be uploaded to a server. Summarisation and translation require a network connection.
How can you use the S Pen outside of Samsung Notes?
The S Pen works across the Galaxy S26 Ultra beyond Samsung Notes. In the Gallery app, you can use it to annotate photos directly — drawing, writing, or marking up images before sharing them. In Samsung Internet, the S Pen can be used to highlight and annotate web pages saved to Samsung Notes via the built-in capture tool.
Screen Write is a useful feature that lets you take a screenshot and annotate it immediately with the S Pen before saving or sharing. Pull the S Pen out of the phone while the screen is on and tap Screen Write from the Air Command menu that appears. This is particularly useful for annotating maps, marking up documents, or adding notes to anything on screen quickly.
Screen off memo lets you jot a note with the S Pen without unlocking the phone or opening an app. Enable it once at Settings > Advanced features > S Pen > Screen off memo. Once enabled, pull the S Pen out while the screen is off and start writing directly on the screen — the note is saved automatically to Samsung Notes. For quick capture of an idea or a phone number, this is one of the fastest ways to get something written down on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
[1] Note Assist: Samsung account login and network connection required for summarisation and translation. Minimum 200 characters required.
[2] Transcript Assist: Samsung account login required. Network connection required for summarisation and translation.
[3] Galaxy AI: Samsung account login is required for certain AI features.
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