Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra reaches the FCC, confirms S-Pen and Wi-Fi 6E compatibility

Samsung’s next Android flagship, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, has landed in the FCC database (first seen by the Android Authority). The listing confirms some of the rumors floating around.

First, the FCC confirms that the Galaxy S21 has S-Pen support. There have been rumors that the Galaxy Note line would be killed to focus on the foldable range of Samsung balloons, and cultivating a single unique feature of the Note would certainly fit that narrative. There are still some disputes as to whether the Note is in fact dead. Reuters cites an anonymous source who claims the note is dead, while Yonhap, South Korea’s largest news agency, cites an anonymous source who claims the note is alive.

What is not in dispute is that the Note is no longer the only Samsung phone with a stylus holder. As a tester of all things wireless, the FCC says the S21 Ultra has “two different modes of inductive coupling to detect S-PEN motion (Hover and Click).” Ultra seems to work the same as the Note, but remember, there is no place to store S-Pen on a Galaxy S21. We know what the phone looks like and it doesn’t have a huge precipice for storing the pen, as Note did. Just like an Apple pencil or a surface pen, you’ll probably need to buy the pen separately and find out where to store it.

Another aspect of the report is the confirmation of 6E Wi-Fi compatibility for the Ultra model. The FCC seems as enthusiastic about Wi-Fi 6E as we are: it wrote a 23-page report entirely dedicated to supporting the new Wi-Fi standard on the S21 Ultra. We could talk forever about new tricks and optimizations in 802.11ax / Wi-Fi 6 standard that has reached phones since 2019, but Wi-Fi 6E is easy to understand: it only adds a large part of the 6 GHz spectrum to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz spectrum we use today. More spectrum means more bandwidth for you and your neighbors.

With the Galaxy S21 rumored to be launched in mid-January (during virtual CES?), The S21 Ultra will be one of the first Wi-Fi 6E customers of any kind to enter the market. You’ll also need a new access point for Wi-Fi 6E to work, and so far none have hit the market. Asus announced “the world’s first Wi-Fi 6E gaming router” in September, incredibly called the “Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 Gaming Router,” but there’s no release date and it’s not for sale yet. A permanently sold out Newegg list is priced at $ 550.

We know almost everything about the Galaxy S21. In the United States, it will be the first phone with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC. It has a larger screen fingerprint sensor. The Ultra should have a 5000 mAh battery and a 120Hz OLED display with dimensions of approximately 6.8 inches. The official images have already leaked, showing the usual design on all the front screens and a rear camera block, which makes the questionable decision to wrap the side and the corner of the phone. I wonder what will happen if you leave him in the corner!

Nothing is official yet, but the phone is expected to be announced on January 14.

Listing image by Evan Blass

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