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Samsung's new premium S Pen targets creative pros - and look, no batteries!

The Galaxy S Pen Creator Edition boasts enhanced tilt sensitivity and ergonomic design. Are Apple Pencil users prepared for stylus envy?
Written by Maria Diaz, Staff Writer
S Pen Creator Edition
Samsung/ZDNET

Samsung's latest and most premium S Pen, the Galaxy S Pen Creator Edition, is now available for sale for $100. The company originally announced the new Creator Edition S Pen during the launch of the Galaxy Tab S9 series in July as a new smart pen designed primarily for writing and drawing. 

The brand new Galaxy S Pen Creator Edition is only available in white, contrasting with Samsung's traditionally dark aesthetic and a choice that resembles the Apple Pencil, which just saw the release of a simpler and more affordable USB-C model for $79. 

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Unlike the Apple Pencil and the standard S Pen, however, the S Pen Creator Edition has an ergonomic design to support agility and comfort during long graphic design, drawing, or writing sessions. It also has an enhanced tilt sensitivity to give creators more precision in their graphic work. 

The battery-free S Pen Creator Edition doesn't support Bluetooth features or Air Commands but that also means it'll never need charging or leave you hanging due to a dead battery. The premium stylus can still magnetically snap onto a Galaxy Tab to make for easy transportation. 

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The S Pen Creator Edition is about half the weight of the Apple Pencil 2nd Generation, which is priced at $129 and has an IPX4 rating that makes it resistant to water splashing. Apple doesn't give the Apple Pencil an IP rating. 

Though Samsung increased the diameter of the Galaxy S Pen Creator Edition by 0.9mm to make it thicker and easier to hold for extended periods of time, it's still slightly thinner than the Apple Pencil. 

The Galaxy S Pen Creator Edition is now available for purchase at the retail price of $100 and is compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and newer, the Note 10 and newer, Galaxy Tab S Series, and Samsung PCs with S Pen support. It's not compatible with the Galaxy Z series. 

The regular S Pen comes bundled with Samsung's S series tablets and the Galaxy S series Ultra smartphones, and a Fold Edition is available specifically for the Fold series.

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