Samsung's VP of innovation R&D talks about the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, the S Pen stylus, more

The device that is commonly referred  as one of the progenitors of the "phablet" portmanteau term, the Samsung Galaxy Note, could have been a lot different from what it turned out to be back in 2011. This was disclosed in a brief interview by the vice president of Samsung's innovation R&D department, Tae Moon Roh, who was among those responsible for the pioneer of the Galaxy Note family and its functional S Pen stylus.

In particular, the executive revealed that the development team behind the phablet spent quite a lot of time on the drawing board looking for a way to fit the stylus inside the Galaxy Note, as they investigated the possibility to either attach it magnetically, put in a dedicated silo in a case, or even add a second, more compact tooth-sized stylus. What's more, the first prototypes of the S Pen depicted a substantially-larger stylus (almost as a regular ball pen). Eventually, Samsung had to resort to a smaller-sized S Pen that rested in a silo inside the phablet.


As far as the upcoming members of the Galaxy Note line, the vice-head of Samsung's innovation department revealed just as little as we had expected. "You can take my word that when it comes out, it will suit your needs," Roh hinted. Yet, he suggested that the troubled giant is prepping a new round of innovations and features that will grace its devices.