Samsung reveals why its Galaxy Note 8 smartphones still has a stylus

Every year when Samsung announces a new Galaxy Note phone I ask myself why it is sticking with the S Pen, the stylus that comes with the super-sized Galaxy Note phones. Indeed, the next Galaxy Note phone, which will debut this autumn, will bring the S Pen back for another go-around.

Surely, this age-old technology – which debuted for most consumers on the Palm Pilot in 1997 – has no place here in 2018.

But I am very wrong. I was stunned to find out that 92 per cent of Galaxy Note 8 owners – the most recent model – are active users of the S Pen, Samsung senior director of smartphone marketing Drew Blackard said. And 73 per cent of those who bought the Note 8 bought the device specifically for the S Pen.

Blackard said Samsung is not disclosing Galaxy Note sales numbers, so it is hard to know in absolute terms how popular the stylus might be. Still, he did tell me that more people in the US pre-ordered the Note 8 when it was announced than any previous Note device.

That is notable because the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, the 2016 model, was infamously recalled after several devices overheated and exploded, triggering a global recall.

Still, it shows that there is demand for the Samsung Galaxy Note product line, and it turns out that the majority want it for the S Pen.

With that in mind, it would be misguided for Samsung to drop the S Pen in its Galaxy Note smartphones, no matter how obsolete they may seem. It would disappoint an overwhelming number of S Pen fans on a device that is a “central part” of Samsung's premium device strategy, Blackard said.

So what do these S Pen loyalists know that I do not, and why do they need it so badly?