topic Re: Can't tell S-Pen apart . Tab S7+ vs Tab S9 Ultra in Tablets

Can't tell S-Pen apart . Tab S7+ vs Tab S9 Ultra

madbrain — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 02:16:29 GMT

My Tab S7+ had a cracked screen that wasn't worth replacing at $400 cost. I bought a new Tab S9 Ultra, and migrated the apps.

During the transfer, the two S Pens got shuffled around on my counter. Now I don't know which pen is which. They each work with both tablets. I think the new S Pen supposedly has lower latency, but I can't humanly detect a difference when using Samsung notes. Is there any way to identify the model number of each S Pen, preferably in software ?

They physically look almost identical except one has the "Samsung" name engraved near the top, and the other does not.

The reason I care is that I want to sell the old broken tablet, and would rather not sell it with the new pen.

Edit: I read about the "new" two-way charging feature of the S Pen in the Tab S9 Ultra. Turns out both pens work with two-way charging in the Tab S9 Ultra. Samsung must have added a second coil to the tablet, and left the charging design part of the S Pen unchanged. So, that feature doesn't help differentiate the S pens, only helps differentiate the tablets, but it's pretty obvious which tablet is which, unlike the pens.

Re: Can't tell S-Pen apart . Tab S7+ vs Tab S9 Ultra

VerbumVeritum — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 05:00:35 GMT

The one with "Samsung" near the top is likely the newer one.

Re: Can't tell S-Pen apart . Tab S7+ vs Tab S9 Ultra

madbrain — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 05:28:33 GMT

Thanks.

Do you own either tablet ?

FYI I did an ebay search for Tab S Pen, and found the following image in a listing for a pair of Tab S7+ S Pens. They both have "Samsung" engraved. But there is additional "China" marking that is not there on either of my S Pens.

This was the Ebay listing.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256010233212?hash=item3b9b66257c:g:6lMAAOSwKDtkEKyf&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0JzJSwgEih0x3VSJ2qrWsukhs4OTGHbZNBY8P6p8Wt586QRJfaYNqtyjiSF1Uxy7dIOZsFhIou%2FWbffajVBLzn772egxJs8LYFRXkTU31ihDt2xwhx8u9l2yFTwWv4sbuejS0SDL237eYlfgrBNtD8TIR%2BcHP%2BcqNU7ZtjVjoaupmDIsIObQQ7d1IrNlcDiGelGlZNVTMeNvdPLemGETAwpivBuPtnaW4vHr17WQZ%2BmY5GTGtu2yZrn%2BxRgfhMCqutLfwA9XdZUQT5g9vgne8M0%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9TKu-bxYg

That's different from both of my S Pen, unfortunately.

Really hoping there is some software way to tell the pens apart rather than just cosmetic - they are supposed to have different features - or is it really just the tablets that are updated and not the pens ?

Re: Re: Can't tell S-Pen apart . Tab S7+ vs Tab S9 Ultra

VerbumVeritum — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 06:12:45 GMT

I do not. It's an educated guess. Someone else might come along with a more definitive answer. What I can confidently say is that the low latency feature is an aspect of the screen itself, not the S Pen. I was trying to see if there was an actual difference between the two, but I don't believe there is. The (much) older S Pens have reduced pressure sensitivity and range, but that wouldn't be applicable to newer devices.

Re: Can't tell S-Pen apart . Tab S7+ vs Tab S9 Ultra

LongHiker — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 15:56:14 GMT

@madbrain I agree with @VerbumVeritum that probably the one with Samsung near the top is the newer one.

The serial number and place of manufacturer is extremely light and hard to read. I have to shine a bright light at an angle on the S Pen to see that information.

Re: Can't tell S-Pen apart . Tab S7+ vs Tab S9 Ultra

madbrain — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 00:04:50 GMT

Thanks ! I shone some light at both S Pens. It turns out they both have the Samsung logo and a place of manufacture as well, which I couldn't see with my naked eyes. I have macular degeneration and have a hard time with the lack of contrast. Anyway, one S Pen is made in Vietnam, while the other is made in China. So I thought the Vietnam pen had to be the one for the Tab S9 Ultra, since the tablet is made in Vietnam according to the box. Except I just looked at the box for the Tab S7+, and it is also says it's made in Vietnam ! Sigh. It's a bit odd to build the tablet in one place and the S Pen in another, and bundle the two.

Back to square one.

Re: Can't tell S-Pen apart . Tab S7+ vs Tab S9 Ultra

madbrain — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 01:58:39 GMT

I finally figured it out. I put both tablets in sleep mode, by pressing the power button once on each.

I then took out the pen from my Tab S7+ case, and pressed its button. It woke up the Tab S9 Ultra screen ! I then took out the pen from the Tab S9 Ultra case, and pressed its button. It woke up the Tab S7+.

I now know which pen belongs to which tablet.