Samsung takes on the Apple Pencil with the S Pen Creator Edition

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 Galaxy S Pen Creator Edition was first launched alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series. 9to5Google spotted that the stylus is now available in the US for $100.

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.

Samsung seems to have priced the accessory quite high for what it is. The regular S Pen for the Galaxy Tab S9 comes at $60, while the S Pen Fold Edition for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is just $54.99 at Samsung. The Wacom One pen is a close match to the S Pen Creator Edition, and it comes at just $30.