Over the years, Samsung has enhanced the smartphones’ trademark tool with innovations that have transformed the way users manage their mobile lives. Here, we’ll show you how to utilize the S Pen’s new Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) connectivity and other convenient enhancements to enjoy a more fun (and efficient) mobile experience.

Tip #1: Customize Clicks for the S Pen’s Remote Control Function

Settings > Advanced features > S Pen > S Pen remote

New BLE technology transforms the S Pen into a handy remote control that allows Galaxy Note9 users to manage a wide variety of functions and apps from within 10 meters of their device.

Users can customize clicks of the S Pen’s button to perform specific actions within specific apps. Single clicks and double clicks can designate different actions, while holding down the pen button can be assigned to opening other apps and the S Pen features. This means that you can open the camera by holding down the S Pen’s button, click once to take a picture and twice to switch cameras, without the need to touch the smartphone’s screen at all.

The S Pen’s single and double press functions are compatible with more than 10 apps and is expected to expand to further apps thanks to the S Pen’s open SDK. You can pick and choose which remote control functions you’d like to enable by accessing the S Pen’s settings.

Tip #2: Flex Your Creative Muscles with Photo Drawing and Live Drawing

Photo Drawing: PENUP > Drawing > Set background image

Good news for those of us who’d like to fine-tune our artistic skills: the Galaxy Note9’s new Photo Drawing and Live Drawing features offer simple tools to add an effortless creative flourish to your images.

Both feature integration with PENUP—a social network for creative types to share S Pen-created artwork. Photo Drawing allows you to use the S Pen to draw over images as you would with a sheet of tracing paper. Once you’re finished, you can delete the original photo or drawing and save your new creation as a separate image.

Live Drawing: PENUP > Live drawings

Live Drawing, meanwhile, allows you to see for yourself how seasoned S Pen artists create impressive works of art. The feature’s wide selection of step-by-step tutorials offer simple instructions for drawing everything from everyday objects to cute characters and scenic landscapes. The videos make it easy to see exactly which colors and brushes the artists used, and you can also trace over the featured objects, scenes and characters to practice drawing them.

Tip #3: Make Your Emojis More Meaningful

Keyboard/Air Command > Live message

Introduced in the Galaxy Note8, Live message allows users to easily send handwritten notes, make animated GIFs, and create the perfect emoticon to capture the emotion they wish to express. The feature was recently enriched for the Galaxy Note9, with three new pen effects bringing the total number to six effects, and various pen colors to choose from. Live message can also be added to users’ AR Emoji Stickers, bringing an even more personal touch to their messages.

Introduced with the Galaxy S9, Samsung’s augmented reality-based emoji feature utilizes machine learning and facial recognition technology to create a 3D model that matches your appearance and facial expressions. From a simple selfie, the function automatically generates a total of 36 sharable stickers that feature your unique AR Emoji expressing a wide range of emotions.

The combination of AR Emojis and Live message creates a unique way to make your messages more personal, and makes messaging friends and family that much more fun.

Tip #4: Take Advantage of User-favorite S Pen Functions

In addition to introducing an array of brand-new functions and innovations, the Galaxy Note9’s S Pen includes the great collection of fan-favorite features that have enabled Galaxy Note users around the world to experience new levels of convenience in their daily lives.

Screen off memo has been a user-favorite feature ever since it was first introduced with the Galaxy Note5. The function gives you the freedom to jot down notes or ideas whenever you need by writing directly on your device’s off screen. The memo can be pinned to AOD (Always On Display) and automatically saved in Samsung Notes.

The Galaxy Note9 has made Screen off memos more dynamic by adding color to the mix. Now, when users compose a note, the S Pen’s markings match the color of the S Pen itself—either yellow, light gray, lavender purple or metallic copper. Users who prefer Screen off memo’s classic gray pen can easily select this option in the function’s settings.

Settings > Advanced features > S Pen > Air command

The S Pen’s Air command menu offers users instant access to some of its most convenient functions. The menu can be customized with up to ten of your most frequently used functions with S Pen and shortcuts. Such S Pen functions include Smart select, which allows users to select, clip and collect content in one quick move with the S Pen in a desired shape, and the Translate function which lets users highlight and translate text on the screen, without the need to navigate away to another app. The Air command menu can be accessed simple by taking out the S Pen or by hovering S Pen over the screen then clicking the S Pen’s button.

Settings > Advanced features > S Pen > Air view

Air view is another convenient function that offers instant insight into your phone’s content, simply by hovering the S Pen over the device. With Air view, you can see a short preview of your schedule in the Calendar app, text of webpages, and enlarged thumbnails of your pictures saved in the Gallery.

With innovative features designed to enhance your work and play, the S Pen for the Galaxy Note9 has redefined the mobile lifestyle, as the connected stylus brings even greater convenience and fun to both work and play.

The Galaxy Note9’s S Pen with remote control takes the iconic stylus to the next level, further transforming simple gestures into powerful actions. If you think you already know the S Pen, you’re in for a surprise.

A recent partnership neatly illustrates the digital art ecosystem in action, as PENUP, a digital art community for S Pen artists, and The Frame lifestyle TV got together to launch a Challenge for the PENUP community. The theme for the Challenge was “Let’s Draw a Picture for Kid’s Room”, with the window for submissions opening on May 16 and closing a month later, on June 15.

The competition was open to all PENUP users and a total of 1,846 drawings were submitted. After 15 days of careful deliberation, the judges awarded 17 entrants with prizes. The first-place winner and runner-up both received their very own The Frame TVs and all winning pictures were placed in The Frame “Art Store”, to be exhibited in front of owners of The Frame TVs across the globe.

First place was awarded to hee_ddo27 (entry shown above) for a charmingly imaginative illustration, with warm colors and a playful depiction of nature. The picture stimulates the mind, leaving the lines between mountain, sea and sky undefined.

The runner-up was nana, with a fairy tale representation of animals popular amongst children (above). The black and white monotone color scheme is minimal and stylish, fitting for its display on The Frame TV and appealing to children and adults alike.

With many artists choosing animals and child-friendly characters as their subjects, soft lines were a recurring feature amongst the winning pictures. The S Pen allowed the artists to express details in a wide variety of different, creating watercolor strokes, pencil lines and cartoon effects that reflect their unique styles.

Check out more of the prize-winning pieces below.

Drawn by CAREUS

Drawn by Elly

Drawn by miram

Drawn by Jeru_art

Drawn by toBACme

Drawn by cici

The S Pen allows anyone to draw and develop their skills on their own digital canvas. Owners of The Frame TV can change the digital artworks they see according to their mood. With this collaboration between PENUP and The Frame TV, the digital world has brought us even closer to the small masterpieces in our everyday lives.

^*The S Pen is available for Galaxy Note smartphones, Galaxy Book, Galaxy Tab S3, Galaxy Tab A with S Pen, Samsung Notebook 9 Pen and several other tablets and laptop devices.

To celebrate and showcase these artists and their talents, PENUP is launching a new monthly Challenge. The winners of the month’s Challenge will receive exciting prizes, ranging from their own The Frame TV, to an opportunity to open their own “store” for their artworks within The Frame’s dedicated Art Store, where users can purchase photos and digital artworks to display via Art Mode.^*

Activated when the TV is switched off, Art Mode allows The Frame to display beautiful works of art that are indistinguishable from the real thing and add elegance to an interior. The Frame’s Art Store serves as both a platform for artists and galleries to showcase their works and a channel for consumers to discover them, with a growing collection of art available to purchase.

Users from across the globe are invited to submit their entries for the Challenge via the PENUP app. The title and theme for the first Challenge is “Let’s Draw a Picture for a Kid’s Room”. The window for submissions opens on May 16 and closes on June 15. The first winner will be announced on July 2.

Please find more information on the PENUP app available for download here, or the official PENUP website.

^*Depending on the winner’s country of residence, the prizes may be offered in the form of a cash prize equivalent in value to the original price of the awards, and the delivery of prizes may depend on the availability of the prize in the given country

The Galaxy Note8’s is the most powerful S Pen the series has ever seen. Here, Hyesoon Jeong, the Principal Engineer of Framework R&D Group for Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business Team, discusses various ways that Samsung optimized the implement’s latest iteration to streamline more facets of users’ daily lives.

Q. What kind of value does Samsung hope to deliver to consumers with the Galaxy Note8 and the S Pen’s new functions?

We’ve been delighted to hear that consumers who have used the S Pen with the Galaxy Note8 have given it good reviews so far, and remarked on how much better it feels to use the S Pen.

Many of these consumers had not had a chance to experience the S Pen’s convenient functions since the last device debuted. Therefore, when refining the design for the Galaxy Note8’s S Pen, we decided to, rather than upgrading the technology within, focus on adding features that would prove convenient in daily use.

Q. What are some of the processes that Samsung utilizes to identify potential S Pen functions?

In the beginning of each year, we hold a series of “Note Kickoff” meetings, which bring together our Development, Product Planning, UX and Usability teams. Each department is asked to present brand-new ideas for innovative features to include in the new model, and come up with ways to improve upon the previous device based on customer feedback. This is how the Note8’s new S Pen features came about – by diligently listening to our customers’ insights on previous S Pens.

Q. One of these new features, Live Message, has been particularly well received. What were your main focuses when developing it?

Live Message is a fun GIF-creation feature that’s an evolution of sorts of Smart Select, which was introduced with the previous Note device. We wanted to expand this type of functionality because the ability to create GIFs has proven popular among Note users, who are very active on social media. Live Message takes GIF creation a step further by allowing users to add personal touches to messages, via animated text or live emojis, and customize their photos with various pen effects.

Our main focus when developing it was usability. We wanted to make sure that the function would be freely available for users in markets across the world. Because people in different countries communicate via different channels, we worked closely with popular messaging services around the globe, working out conditions and regional restrictions, to build something that would work with them.

We also want to show users how easy it is to utilize the function when communicating with their friends. Our developers are currently working on software updates that will introduce more beautiful and decorative examples of animated GIFs for users who may not be entirely satisfied with their own GIF-creating handiwork to plug into messages. We’re also looking into expanding the selection of pen effects that users have at their disposal.

Q. What are some of the ways that users can utilize the S Pen when using Bixby?

Bixby integration currently allows users to utilize its voice command feature to adjust the type of pen they’re using, as well as its color.

The S Pen’s Bixby support also makes it easier for users to shop. When you’re surfing the web and you find an image of a product that you like, you can activate Bixby Vision via Air Command, hover the S Pen over it, and instantly search for it online.

Q. How did you improve the Screen off memo feature?

Screen off memo is another function that’s receiving positive reviews from users. It automatically activates when you remove the S Pen, and allows you to instantly jot down notes to the off screen. This is a new function that enables users to write even when the screen is off, so that you don’t forget any passing thoughts.

For the Galaxy Note8, we’ve enhanced the feature to deliver new levels of convenience after listening to the consumers’ voices. Whereas before this update, the function was well-suited for simple, temporary memos, now, Screen off memo supports up to 100 pages of notes and allows you to pin notes to the AOD and make edits. This makes the function perfect for taking notes during meetings or presentations, managing to-do lists, or writing quick reminders for important tasks.

Q. Could you elaborate on how collaborating with Wacom has helped Samsung maximize the S Pen’s utility?

Our collaboration with (pen display, tablet and stylus manufacturer) Wacom, incorporating its tablet technologies into mobile devices through the S Pen, has been excellent – a win-win. Although other mobile-device manufacturers could design a smartphone with a large screen, by introducing Wacom’s solutions to the mobile realm, we’ve been able to establish a new standard when it comes to productivity.

We’re currently working with Wacom to explore new possible S Pen features and B2B solutions, including support for secure digital signatures, that could offer users and businesses additional convenience.

Q. What motivates Samsung to constantly seek out new ways to innovate with the S Pen?

The S Pen is a feature that’s unique to our company. We often hear that Note users are very loyal, and I would like to add that we developers are also greatly committed to our work. Those of us who work on the Note devices take great pride in providing users with an S Pen experience that allows them to streamline how they work, live, and express themselves.

This desire to arm users with a tool that makes a difference in their daily lives is what motivates us to identify new and exciting S Pen innovations.

To spotlight the many creative capabilities of the Galaxy Note series’ signature S Pen, Galaxy Unpacked 2017 will feature a showcase of unique S Pen-created artworks presented on Samsung Electronics’ The Frame, lifestyle TV.

The venue for the August 23 unveiling of Samsung’s latest Galaxy flagship device, New York City’s Park Avenue Armory, is characterized by antique interiors that reflect its history and tradition. With the showcase, which will feature The Frame lining attendees’ path to the venue, Samsung aims to cultivate a refined atmosphere that harmonizes with the Armory’s distinct ambience.

The Frame will be used to exhibit a total of 54 artworks created by 13 artists whose images are frequently featured on PENUP, a social media platform for sharing S Pen-created art. The images will be presented utilizing The Frame’s dedicated Art Mode, which depicts works of art or the user’s personal photos in vivid detail and automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness to compensate for ambient lighting, as well as the TV’s Smart View function, which allows users to view content displayed on their Galaxy smartphone’s screen on their TV.

In addition to featuring functions that allow it to better showcase content, The Frame’s design also boasts a design that’s meant to complement its surroundings’ aesthetics, including an array of frame options to suit various decors.

To follow the launch of the newest addition to Samsung’s Galaxy Note series, be sure to tune in to the livestream of Galaxy Unpacked 2017, available at news.samsung.com/global, www.samsung.com and www.samsungmobilepress.com on August 23 at 11 a.m. (EDT).

About The Frame

Launched in June 2017, The Frame is available in 65- and 55-inch models and features a charcoal black body as well as a choice of three frame options – Walnut, Beige wood, or White – designed to suit a range of consumer tastes. The TV’s elegant framing and No Gap Wall Mount, which positions the device flush against the wall, make it easy for users to enhance their living space’s interior by transforming their TV into a veritable work of art.

The Frame earned Samsung the Best Innovation Award at CES 2017 based on its ability to not only present content in vivid detail, but also elevate TVs to the artistic realm by providing a gallery-like viewing experience. This experience is amplified by the TV’s ability to introduce world-famous artworks to consumers’ homes. The Frame makes it easy to compile a collection of stunning works of art by purchasing images of iconic photos and paintings – either through the device itself, or via the accompanying Art Store mobile app.