Why Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's S Pen still doesn't work with magnetic accessories

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra users discovered last year that using Samsung's S Pen with their flagship smartphones meant that magnetic accessories — like the $59.49 SaharaCase leather folio case — were more or less out of the question. 

Now, as reported by Android Central, owners of the Galaxy S25 Ultra (curr. $1,299.99 on Amazon) are discovering that the same issue exists with the latest Samsung flagship smartphone. Samsung has even implemented a pop-up notification in the OS explaining that any magnetic accessories will interfere with the operation of the S Pen. The magnetic interference may even register false Air Actions on supported devices, like the S24 Ultra, as a result of the false inputs. 

Interestingly, MagSafe adaptors and accessories don't seem to affect the S Pen negatively, based on testing conducted by Android Central. This likely depends on the MagSafe adaptor or accessory in question, though, as stronger magnets could have an impact. 

In our experience, the most common symptom experienced when using the S Pen with magnetic accessories is inaccurate input from the S Pen, which gets worse as you get closer to the magnet. 

Why don't magnetic accessories work with the S Pen?

Samsung's S Pen tech relies on EMR (electro-magnetic resonance) technology licensed by Wacom. This technology requires no batteries, can accurately transmit through thick displays and screen protectors, and is widely regarded to be one of the lowest-latency and smoothest active stylus options available, making it ideal for digital art. 

The issue with magnetic accessories lies in the name. EMR pens work the way they do because of the interaction between a coil in the stylus — which generates an electromagnetic field — and a sensor array in the display that can sense the electromagnetic field generated by the stylus. This information is translated into positional data by the device itself, not the stylus, allowing the stylus to be battery-free. Because the magnetic field in the S Pen is quite weak, any accessory that relies on a magnet for things like closures or attachment mechanisms will interfere with the S Pen's functionality.