C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A teardown video of the Galaxy S25 Extremely reveals that the cellphone nonetheless has a charging coil much like the one utilized in earlier fashions to cost their battery-powered S Pen.
- The S Pen included with the S25 Extremely doesn’t require charging because it lacks Bluetooth options like Air Actions and distant digicam controls.
- Samsung could have left the charging coil inside both as an oversight or as a backup plan in case it determined to launch a separate Bluetooth-enabled S Pen for the cellphone.
Samsung’s resolution to strip Bluetooth performance from the Galaxy S25 Extremely’s S Pen didn’t sit properly with many customers, and now, there appears to be a bit extra to the story. When the corporate launched the S25 sequence final month, it made it clear that the Extremely mannequin’s built-in stylus would not assist Bluetooth, that means customers would lose out on options like Air Actions and distant digicam controls. To make issues worse, Samsung additionally confirmed that even if you happen to purchased a separate Bluetooth-enabled S Pen, the S25 Extremely merely wouldn’t assist it.
That appeared to be the ultimate phrase on the matter, however now, a teardown of the gadget has added one other layer to the confusion. Tech YouTuber JerryRigEverything, identified for dissecting devices layer by layer, found an sudden part throughout their Galaxy S25 Extremely teardown.
At across the 2-minute, 45-second mark of the teardown, JerryRigEverything peels again the layers of the S25 Extremely and spots a well-known part — the identical charging coil Samsung utilized in previous Extremely fashions to energy Bluetooth-enabled S Pens. The YouTuber questions its presence right here, declaring that the S Pen bundled with the S25 Extremely has no battery and no want for charging.
A lazy oversight or a sensible plan B?
There are a few methods to take a look at this. One chance is that Samsung merely didn’t hassle eradicating the charging coil, leaving it there regardless of deciding that the S Pen wouldn’t want it. Nevertheless, that’s an odd alternative, contemplating fashionable flagship smartphones are constructed with millimeter-level precision. Manufacturers are at all times in search of methods to shave down prices and optimize inside area, but right here’s Samsung conserving an apparently ineffective half within the gadget. This is identical firm that hasn’t upgraded battery capability or charging speeds for its Extremely fashions in years, so leaving further, non-functional {hardware} inside doesn’t fairly add up.
One other concept is that Samsung was not sure how individuals would react to the removing of Bluetooth options and left the charging coil as a contingency plan. If the backlash had been too extreme, it might need had the choice to launch a separate Bluetooth-enabled S Pen that would benefit from the prevailing charging {hardware}. Nevertheless, now that Samsung has explicitly acknowledged that the S25 Extremely gained’t assist any Bluetooth-powered S Pen, this concept doesn’t maintain up fairly as properly.
Do you suppose Samsung ought to take away the S Pen from the Galaxy S Extremely line?
1449 votes
The larger query right here is whether or not Samsung is slowly setting the stage to part out the S Pen completely. As Android Authority’s Scott argues, dropping the S Pen outright would have been met with huge backlash, but when Samsung progressively reduces its usefulness, it’d have the ability to part it out with out an excessive amount of outcry.
The S Pen has lengthy been an indicator of Samsung’s Extremely lineup, however its utility has waned as opponents prioritize battery life and sooner charging. Ditching the stylus might unencumber area for upgrades like Qi2 wi-fi charging magnets or a bigger battery — a trade-off many would welcome. After all, that is all hypothesis at this level, however given how firms function, it’s not a completely far-fetched concept.
