TL;DR
- Samsung has launched the S Pen Creator Edition as an unbundled accessory, costing a cool $100 for this passive stylus.
- The S Pen Creator Edition debuted with the Galaxy Tab S9 series.
- The S Pen Creator Edition has a similar shape as the Apple Pencil but lacks smart features.
The iPad has become the de-facto tablet for most people, to the point where even the best Android tablets are a hard sell against it. For creators, the iPad has a trusted accessory that they can rely on: the Apple Pencil. Apple offers a few choices for its Apple Pencil active stylus, ranging from $79 for the new Apple Pencil 3 to $129 for the Apple Pencil 2. Samsung wants to give its tablets a fighting chance against the iPads, so it has launched the new S Pen Creator Edition as a standalone accessory.
The S Pen Creator Edition differs from the S Pen Pro and other S Pens before it. The shape is a lot more Apple Pencil-like, focusing on making it easier for creators to draw and write. The thicker design comes with a new 9mm stylus nib that is tilt-sensitive and replaceable, and it has a single button that can be used for interacting with your tablet. You also cannot use it with the Galaxy Z Fold series since the nib does not retract when pressure is applied.
Interestingly, the S Pen Creator Edition does not have traditional S Pen features. There is no battery in the stylus, making it a passive stylus rather than an active stylus. It does feature magnets on the inside that let it snap to the back of a Galaxy Tab (but your case might not close since the pen is longer than the pen cover). The absence of a battery means you won’t have to think about charging or battery life on this one.
