Thinking of replacing SG3. Is the S Pen useful or another Samsung gimmick?

[mojo rising]

I want to upgrade to the Note 3 from the Galaxy 3. I almost purchased the Note 2 instead of the G3 but I was concerned about the size of the phone (was upgrading from an G2 so the G3 was already an upsize) and the usefulness of the S Pen.

I am now OK with the next jump in size with the phone. I want the bigger screen and upgraded RAM, chip speed, camera, etc. My big question is the S Pen useful, or, is it another Samsung gimmick that ends up getting turned off or never used?

Also, I prefer the gel cases. Do they allow for the stow away for the s pen?

 

[Haalcyon]

Re: Thinking of replacing SG3. Is the S Pen usefule or another Samsung gimmick?

Well, it depends on whether or not you need/want to take notes. It works well, but unless you want to use it....

Sent from my humble S4/Note 8.0/Note 10.1

 

[karsdroid]

I want to upgrade to the Note 3 from the Galaxy 3. I almost purchased the Note 2 instead of the G3 but I was concerned about the size of the phone (was upgrading from an G2 so the G3 was already an upsize) and the usefulness of the S Pen.

I am now OK with the next jump in size with the phone. I want the bigger screen and upgraded RAM, chip speed, camera, etc. My big question is the S Pen useful, or, is it another Samsung gimmick that ends up getting turned off or never used?

Also, I prefer the gel cases. Do they allow for the stow away for the s pen?

holy smokes yes to the spen....it rocks.....watch the 18 min. video thats been posted. the pen is freaking amazing. i have the note 2 and love it, but the stuff you can do with it on the note 3 rocks. i can't wait!

 

[Craig King]

Haalycon is spot on. If you decide to give the spen a try and use it is great. There really is nothing like it. But you have to be willing to give it a try. Allot of people don't just because they refuse to actually write things anymore. I have the OG Note on ATT and love the phone, the S-Pen has limited usability because of how the pen is physically designed. It is just very hard to handle because it is so thin. But that is improved on every note device since. I have high expectations for the S-Pen on the Note 3, and will very likely be upgrading to it.

 

[GregMargie]

I absolutely love the S pen and use it every single day. I use it for everything, not just to write notes.

Margie
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2

 

[kca2000]

Not Gimmicky like Smart scroll or Group play on the S4 is. These in my opinion have NO use in a typical day, or ever for some people.

I also recommend watching the 18 minute video posted in the forum. This will give you a good idea of actual usable features that are new to the note series.
Not to mention being able to actually write something in the phone with ease. I could see instances where i could actually use this, The features above, not so much.

 

[anon(27512)]

I don't use my S Pen on my note 2 all that often, but it is far from a gimmick. As others have said it can be very useful depending on what type of user you are.

I think if I get the note 3 I will use it more. They really expanded the functionality in the note 3.

 

[richard hodge]

The Spen is fantastic, I use it all the time rather than using my fingers. The only problem is that it's easy to misplace especially when the kids have been playing with it. Wish it has a beeper in the pen, lol

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4

 

[paga912]

There are a few things that could fall under the "gimmicky" category but thats with any phone. I have a note 2 and I love it. The spen is awesome because ummm...you never need a pen!! Well, I guess if you need an actual pen to sign something you'll use a regular pen but the note 2 is awesome an I cant wait for the note 3. Side note: ive had this note 2 since its launch date which means its the longest ive had the same phone and the note 3 will be no different.

 

[GregMargie]

The Spen is fantastic, I use it all the time rather than using my fingers. The only problem is that it's easy to misplace especially when the kids have been playing with it. Wish it has a beeper in the pen, lol

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4

It does have an alarm setting that will pop up and sound off on the phone if you walk away carrying your phone leaving the Spen behind!

Margie
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2

 

[richard hodge]

Yeah but it don't help me find the pen

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4

 

[Roundpotato]

I don't have a Note device but I'm planning on pre-ordering the Note 3 once an eternity passes and I've finally decided on a color, and the biggest use I can see my self getting from the pen (A rather big use considering how much this annoys me), is making navigating web pages a lot easier by lessening the need to zoom in to tap small links. I also have the dream of being able to use it to draw, but of course I first need to learn how to not be terrible at drawing.

 

[streetslide]

I am getting N3 because the S pen is very useful in real estate. Our form software is PDF on mobile & the S-pen will allow me to fill it out & sign. At least that is what I have been told. Can anyone verify you can sign a PDF document with the S pen? Other than that, how many times have you needed to write a note, phone number, address and are looking for paper & pen? Have you ever thought of the greatest idea in the world (like coming out of a dream) and didn't write it down. With Note, you always have what you need.

 

[sqa4life]

Can you highlight text with the spen when reading ebook in pdf format? If yes, I will definitely switch to the note 3. Thx

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jpriest007]

I want to upgrade to the Note 3 from the Galaxy 3. I almost purchased the Note 2 instead of the G3 but I was concerned about the size of the phone (was upgrading from an G2 so the G3 was already an upsize) and the usefulness of the S Pen.

I am now OK with the next jump in size with the phone. I want the bigger screen and upgraded RAM, chip speed, camera, etc. My big question is the S Pen useful, or, is it another Samsung gimmick that ends up getting turned off or never used?

Also, I prefer the gel cases. Do they allow for the stow away for the s pen?

I have the GN2. The s pen is very useful I use it a lot while playing games and navigating the web. I also write a lot of notes with it. One other nice thing is the snote birthday greetings you can send to your Facebook friends on their birthday through your calendar if you sync your facebook account with your calendar. Any case that I have seen for the GN3 and GN2 make it easy to remove and replace the s pen. To any GS3, GS4 owners who are interested in the s pen Samsung sells some at their site that are made to work with the GS3 and GS4. One of the s pens for the GS3 looks like a high end pen. Friend of mine has one for his GS3. It works good and looks nice too. He got it because he is sort of a neat freak and can't stand fingerprints on his phone.

 

[kinster02]

I have to admit that I rarely use it but it is definitely not a gimmick.

 

[karsdroid]

Can you highlight text with the spen when reading ebook in pdf format? If yes, I will definitely switch to the note 3. Thx

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

yes, it makes highlighting, and selecting for copy, cut and pasting easier....on any document....

 

[sqa4life]

yes, it makes highlighting, and selecting for copy, cut and pasting easier....on any document....

Thank you so much for your confirmation.

I was thinking of buying a GT-N8013 for reading ebook and keep using my current s4. But I guess the note 3 will replace both devices

I will sell my s4 and buy a new note 3 for sure.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

 

[trn]

Not a gimmick but it's also a feature that I never use on my N2.

 

[Preach2k]

I want to upgrade to the Note 3 from the Galaxy 3. I almost purchased the Note 2 instead of the G3 but I was concerned about the size of the phone (was upgrading from an G2 so the G3 was already an upsize) and the usefulness of the S Pen.

I am now OK with the next jump in size with the phone. I want the bigger screen and upgraded RAM, chip speed, camera, etc. My big question is the S Pen useful, or, is it another Samsung gimmick that ends up getting turned off or never used?

Also, I prefer the gel cases. Do they allow for the stow away for the s pen?

I have the Galaxy Note 10.1 the pen comes in handy with taking notes at work or at church. For lectures at school.
Samples:

Galaxy Note 2:

Galaxy Note 3: