Since the Note series launch, the Samsung S Pen has become a must-have accessory for Samsung users. But it seems that recently a report from ETnews has uncovered that magnets can have a negative impact on the functionality of the Samsung S Pen.
It turns out that the magnets in MagSafe-like cases generate a magnetic field strong enough to affect the S Pen’s electromagnetic resonance field. When magnets are near the Samsung S Pen, they either render the stylus unresponsive or cause it to behave in a strange manner.
SamMobile did some testing themselves and found that it doesn’t even have to be a very strong magnet. They used the charging puck of the Galaxy Watch and stuck it to the back of the Galaxy S23 Ultra and found that it was enough to cause interference.
It probably won’t damage or break the S Pen’s functionality, it is something to consider. We also have to wonder what this could mean for future accessories. 2024’s smartphones are expected to introduce support for the Qi2 wireless charging standard, which is similar to MagSafe in that it relies on magnets.
With the S Pen vulnerable to a simple smartwatch charger, stronger Qi2 magnets raise an interesting question on how badly could they mess things up?