Samsung equipped the Galaxy S24 Ultra with an S Pen as one of its unique features over the standard Galaxy S24 models, but drawing with it may prove difficult if you're using certain cases.
As shown by early users of the Galaxy S24 Ultra and its associated accessories, cases with magnetic attachments — such as those designed to work with MagSafe or the new Qi2 wireless charging standard — make the S Pen work inconsistently.
YouTuber M. Brandon Lee, showed the issue off in a video on X/Twitter, where attaching a magnetic accessory to the back of the S24 Ultra stops the S Pen from responding in the area directly in front of the magnetic field.
✅CONFIRMED: The S-Pen ceases to work properly when MagSafe/Qi2 accessories are attached, like wallets, mounts, etc. https://t.co/OYnPMj6oSY pic.twitter.com/lPUD4qTldvJanuary 18, 2024
It's worth noting that the Galaxy S24 series doesn't support the Qi2 charging standard itself. However, the Qi2 mounting uses magnets, like MagSafe, to align the phone (or phone case in this circumstance) with a wireless charger, something that any phone can benefit from.
A fix may be possible
The Galaxy S24 Ultra and its accessories are only in the hands of a select few users right now. So it's hard to know at this moment in time if these are isolated incidents or will affect everyone who pairs their S24 Ultra with a MagSafe/Qi2 ready case.
This was not an issue users reported when using the Galaxy S23 Ultra last year. But Samsung's made a number of design changes in the move to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, notably flattening the display edges and adding a titanium frame. Perhaps one of these alterations, or another hidden change made relating to them, is to blame.
It's not clear if there's a fix for this, or if accessory makers are going to have to redesign their products, or just warn users to remove all magnetic peripherals before doodling with the S Pen. X/Twitter user Alex Stankie, part of accessory maker Moment, claims they're working to address the issue though, so hopefully we'll have a definite answer one way or the other soon.
For now though, you can read our Galaxy S24 hands-on and Galaxy S24 Ultra hands-on to learn about the other features. And if you're convinced that it's the phone for you, magnetic interference issues be damned, we have a guide on Galaxy S24 preorders for you to check out before the phones go on open sale on January 31.
