Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra leak shows backward‑storing S Pen, still lacks Bluetooth

The leak, posted by X user @KaroulSahil, shows a production‑ready Galaxy S26 Ultra on a local market shelf, giving the first unfiltered look at Samsung’s flagship ahead of its official debut. Beyond the expected upgrades—a 5,000 mAh battery and a “privacy display” that masks on‑screen content when viewed from an angle—the most talked‑about detail is the S Pen slot. According to 9to5Google, the stylus can be inserted in two orientations; when placed “backwards” the tip protrudes beyond the chassis, a quirk that could annoy users accustomed to the snug, single‑direction slot of previous Ultra models.

The same report confirms that the S Pen remains a passive accessory with no Bluetooth connectivity, a feature Samsung dropped with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Without a wireless link, the pen can only interact when physically touching the screen, limiting use cases to on‑device tasks such as note‑taking, photo‑capture assistance, or presentation control when the phone is held directly in hand. 9to5Google notes that “sending a signal to the Galaxy S26 Ultra with the S Pen without being right on top of it is impossible,” underscoring that Samsung has not revived the remote‑control functionality that some competitors have begun to explore.

The design shift that enables the backward‑storage issue stems from the S26 Ultra’s slightly more rounded chassis. 9to5Google explains that the new silhouette prevents the S Pen silo from sitting as deeply as on prior models, forcing the ejection port to sit “one further than the other.” When the stylus is seated correctly, its slanted tip sits flush with the phone’s edge; when reversed, the opposite end sticks out, creating an asymmetrical look. While the leak’s video later shows the orientation being corrected, the fact that the slot does not physically block the wrong insertion is a departure from Samsung’s usual ergonomic safeguards.

Beyond the stylus, the leak validates other specifications that have been circulating in the rumor mill. The privacy display—an adaptive dimming layer that obscures the screen from side‑glances—is fully visible in the footage, confirming Samsung’s push for on‑device data protection. The battery capacity, shown as a 5,000 mAh cell, aligns with the company’s claim of “all‑day endurance” for the S26 Ultra’s power‑hungry Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. These details, combined with the confirmed lack of Bluetooth S Pen support, paint a picture of a flagship that leans heavily on hardware upgrades while retaining a conservative approach to stylus functionality.

The timing of the leak coincides with a broader shift in Samsung’s AI strategy. Recent reports from ZDNet, The Verge and Ars Technica indicate that Samsung will preload Perplexity AI on upcoming Galaxy devices, potentially sidelining Google’s Gemini assistant. Although the S26 Ultra’s S Pen cannot act as a remote controller, the integration of a third‑party generative AI could compensate by offering on‑screen assistance for note‑taking and drawing, all without the need for Bluetooth. This move suggests Samsung is betting on software‑level intelligence rather than hardware‑level stylus interactivity to differentiate its premium line.

In sum, the early retail leak confirms that Samsung’s flagship will ship with a backward‑compatible S Pen slot but no Bluetooth link, a design choice that may frustrate power users while keeping the device’s form factor sleek. At the same time, the confirmed privacy display and sizable battery, coupled with an upcoming Perplexity AI partnership, indicate that Samsung is doubling down on security and AI‑driven productivity to offset the stylus’s functional limitations.