Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s iPhone-like design means the S Pen is changing too
The S Pen on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is being redesigned to keep itself in tune with the phone's broader design changes that make it look like an iPhone 17.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will be seeing some significant visual changes next year, some of which make the S26 Ultra look ancient. Due to these changes, the S Pen — which Samsung will keep, thankfully — is also undergoing a minor cosmetic change, according to a new leak.
The S26 Ultra will have much rounder corners compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which itself broke the tradition of Samsung’s unique, boxy look. As such, the S Pen’s external end, the bit that is visible when the pen is stored away inside the phone, will also be becoming curvier (translated source).
Are you okay with Samsung's new design choices?
Yes
28.57%
No
57.14%
Indifferent
14.29%
While not a big deal in of itself, it does put into perspective just how much the S26 Ultra is going to resemble the iPhone 17. Not only is Samsung making the edges a lot more curved, the Galaxy S26 Edge will apparently also feature a large rear camera module, very much like the iPhone 17 Pro.
Personally, I was already pretty bummed when the S25 Ultra dropped the sharp edges, but at least it still looks like a modern smartphone. The Galaxy S26 Ultra, what with its downright ugly rear camera module, looks positively archaic.
Galaxy S26 Ultra will feature a redesigned S Pen. | Image credit — Ice Universe
Make no mistake, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is going to be a superb phone in every other aspect. It will feature the brilliantly capable Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 — though some regions may get Exynos — and it will also finally come with a tangible camera upgrade. The battery, unfortunately, will still remain at Samsung’s usual 5,000 mAh.
But, considering the redesign of the phone, I would personally choose the Galaxy S26 Edge. Both the standard model, which will reportedly be called the Galaxy S26 Pro, and the Ultra model will feature the outdated design that I heavily dislike.
If you don’t want the Edge and also find the new designs unpleasant to look at, but still want to stick with Samsung, perhaps it’s time to give the company’s foldable phones a try. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a brilliant phone: powerful, beautiful, and actually practical.
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Abdullah loves smartphones, Virtual Reality, and audio gear. Though he covers a wide range of news his favorite is always when he gets to talk about the newest VR venture or when Apple sets the industry ablaze with another phenomenal release.
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