It was sort of already confirmed that the upcoming Galaxy S21 Ultra would support the S Pen, but we weren’t sure of the implementation. Given that the S21 Ultra will lack a Note-like slot to house the stylus, the solution wasn’t expected to be particularly elegant. Unfortunately, that exactly turns out to be the case. A new leak shows us how Samsung wants you to safekeep the optional S Pen, reminding us of one of its recent budget tablets.

The S Pen itself is your usual barrel-shaped stylus and is very reminiscent of the one Samsung bundles with the Tab S7. It’s said to be pressure sensitive, using a Wacom digitizer, and can be used as a remote controller for your presentations and camera shutter. Plus, it supports all sorts of air gestures using the onboard accelerometer. We understand that all those wireless functions require battery power, but it's not clear how exactly this S Pen is supposed to charge.

We do know how you're supposed to carry it, though. It turns out that one of the flip covers for the S21 family we saw last week will have a slot to stick the S Pen in. Samsung has clearly taken a page out of its own book here and repurposed a design choice that perhaps works with budget tablets for its top-of-the-line flagship for 2021. Using the S21 Ultra’s stylus would also mean that you’ll have to put up with that extra-wide case as well, unless some third-party makers come out with a cleverer solution.

Unlike Note phones, the S21 Ultra won’t ship with the S Pen in the box; Samsung reportedly plans to sell it as an optional accessory for €40, or around $50 on direct conversion. The company could offer phone and stylus bundles (complete with a first-party case), but no pricing details for any of those were shared in this leak. We’ll get to know about that for sure next week when Samsung is set to unwrap its 2021 smartphone lineup.