explaining how the sPen tech works (and is very diff than other styluses)

[sount]

either way i do believe that the power for this field is very weak, otherwise (or it may be the case as well) samsungs engineers would have built some switch (soft- or hardware (sensor if pen is out)).
but generally high resonance surface fields (as it would be the one here) wont use much power anyway, so don't worry! it's more like a sensor array which detects EM "disturbances" created by the coil of the pen. pressing the buttons on the pen (eraser also possible and working on the note, but not with stock stylus) just alters this disturbance by shortening some wires of the coil and therefore generate a characteristic "fingerprint".

Hope this info is not too old. Within the Note II, I've noticed a setting where it looks to switch this field off (speculating here) if the pen itself is attached. The option being:

Battery Saving
Disabling pen detection when the pen is attached can extend battery life

 

[Kamy]

Interesting info! Thanks for sharing.

 

[amd-dude]

Thanks for this, always wanted to know how it worked

 

[steveblue]

I was the original op on this. I not that this Wacom EMR process we have is now using the same tech for the MS surface pro. So in some ways, this is validating our tech after all these years. One day apple might realize their folly in not moving to it. So you are all early adopters of a tech that is catching on.

Sad how ( and I give them hell all the time in the comment sections) that the tech media ( typically pro apple site like cnet, engadget, ...) never explain the difference in this pen tech we have and the super lame capacitive pen Apple has, always implying the int he Note it is the pen and never mentioning a full digitizer under our displays and the full way it works and is superior.

Lastly someone needs to investigate if the ms surface pro tech is exactly the same or for instance a minor upgrade - I know from my snooping it is generally the EMR Wacom tech we have but has it been updated by Wacom I wonder - as this might show direction for the Note 3.

 

[indrajatmiko]

Thanks for very useful information,

 

[neograndizer]

Very informative article. Thanks for the info.

I just played with the Surface Pro Pen... on my Note 2. LOL. All the display models in the Microsoft store I was in were filled with people trying it. I saw the pen open and lying around with no one using it, so figured what the heck. Tried it and found it okay on the Note 2. Even more impressed when I used it's push button top as an eraser. Saw the price was $10 cheaper than the official S-Pen with eraser (or OEM S-Pen for that matter) and decided to buy it (the pen, not the Surface Pro).

I said it was okay on the Note 2 because of a slight calibration issue. The pen has to be perpendicular to the screen to be spot on accurate. If it's held at an angle, the 'cursor' will be a mm or two off and under the actual tip of the pen. Funny thing is, on the Note 10.1, it has no real calibration issue. It is pretty accurate even at an angle.

 

[amarch]

s pens in chinese smartphones

I am beginning to see S Pens sold with some chinese smartphone clones. Do you think these pens have a similar performance? There is one such "Star N9599 quad core MTK6589 note 3 3G Cell phone 5.7" QHD 1280*720 1GB RAM android 4.2 8.0MP S pen" in DHGate, for example. I of course mean "similar"...not "equal" . Thanks for your excellent review.

 

[zviki]

I am beginning to see S Pens sold with some chinese smartphone clones. Do you think these pens have a similar performance? There is one such "Star N9599 quad core MTK6589 note 3 3G Cell phone 5.7" QHD 1280*720 1GB RAM android 4.2 8.0MP S pen" in DHGate, for example. I of course mean "similar"...not "equal" . Thanks for your excellent review.

Yeah,my friend bought some fake Chinese Note2 which was in exactly the same box as original,but... spen is only drawn (embossed) on the phone body(frame) :what:

...from SG NOTE N7000 with Tapatalk 2

 

[yogi_raj2]

Great explanation steveblue

In S-memo settings there is an option to tell the screen only to recognise edits made with the s-pen.
Hope that helps.

As per the latest updates, whenever the S-Pen is recognized by the screen no random clicks can be made by the hand. Only the S-Pen is able to emulate clicks on the screen.

 

[AladdinWarlord]

Hi man do u know how to calibrate the spen on galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition