- Some third-party magnetic cases seem to interfere with the S Pen stylus on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
- This is reportedly not a problem with official cases.
- Samsung plans to develop a more advanced S Pen in the future, and it may not have this problem
The Samsung Galaxy S26 series has just launched and potential issues are already emerging, as it appears that third-party magnetic cases might not work well with the S Pen on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Leaker Max Jambor has shared a screenshot showing a warning that appears when placing a third-party magnetic case on the phone. As you can see below, it says that “magnets on the accessories may interfere with your S Pen’s signal,” which could cause connection or writing issues.
It’s unclear whether this is an issue with all third-party magnetic cases or not, and as expected, this doesn’t seem to happen with Samsung’s official magnetic cases according to Phandroid, but it’s still a concern and may make you want to think twice before purchasing a third-party option.
notification on S26 Ultra when using a third party case with magnets pic.twitter.com/XuoLBg1EaKFebruary 26, 2026
This interference could explain, at least in part, why the Samsung Galaxy S26 series does not have built-in magnets, even though the technology exists and can be found in products like the Google Pixel 10 line.
A more advanced future
But there is some hopeful news on that front, as in an interview with Bloomberg (via SamMobile), Won-Joon Choi, COO of Samsung MX (Mobile Experience) said: “We are working on more advanced technology inside the S Pen to create a new screen structure, so that the penalty of having S Pen decreases. S Pen will remain one of the core technologies.”
While they didn’t give specific details, SamMobile speculates that these changes could mean there is less interference with the magnets; Anyway, it’s certainly possible that this interference is part of the “penalty” mentioned here.
However, if this requires a new display structure, then we won’t see this new S Pen sold for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Rather, it would accompany a future phone.
But maybe it means that the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra or some other model could have an S Pen stylus and built-in magnets, and at least it looks like Samsung is committed to the S Pen.
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
