The key feature that sets the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 apart from other large screen devices is the S Pen — a stylus that you can use with the phone. Over the years Samsung has improved the design of the S Pen to be more ergonomic and user friendly, with the latest iteration not only shedding some weight but also bearing an IP68 water and dust proof rating.

Apart from the new design, the S Pen has also increased in functionality with 3 new features, while that for notes and memos has been streamlined.

To set-up the S Pen:

• Remove the S Pen from the Galaxy Note 7

• When the Air command menu opens, select the Settings icon at the bottom left hand corner
  • If not all of the six Air command shortcuts are utilised, you can directly select Add Shortcut instead of going to Settings

• Select Shortcuts to add and remove up to 6 shortcuts that will display under the Air command menu by dragging them to the right side
  • Shortcuts can be S Pen features or App icons

• You can also toggle the Floating icon and change the location where you would want it to appear on your screen by dragging and positioning it there

The new features of the S Pen are:

Glance

Allows you to create a floating app icon to quickly switch between apps

• When in any app, remove the S Pen and tap on Glance

• The app will then appear as a floating square icon

• You can then open any other app, to revert back to the previous app, just hover the S Pen above the floating icon

• Move the S Pen away to have the app re-appear as a floating icon

The small square at the bottom is where the second app appears

If you need to multitask or copy copious amounts of information from one app onto another, you can use Glance to rapidly switch between apps and not have to open the app drawer each time.

Translate

Translate words from images, the internet or in a message by hovering the S Pen over the word

• Open any image or web page that is in a foreign language

• Set the translation from the said language to the language of instruction (in our case French to English)

• Hover the S Pen above each word to view a translation (It cannot translate sentences)

• Connection to the internet is required as it uses Google Translate to give the meaning of the word

The word to that you wish to translate will be automatically highlighted

This is especially handy when in a foreign country and wanting to know the meaning from a menu item at a restaurant. You simply take a picture and use translate to get the meaning.

Magnify

Enlarge areas of the screen by hovering over it (Magnification up to 300%)

• At anytime, remove the S Pen and tap on Magnify

• Use the above toggle to set the magnification level

• Hover the S Pen above the screen to view a magnified version of the screen

You can magnify any screen and toggle the magnification amount

If you do require reading glasses and are too lazy to use them or have momentarily misplaced them, this tool is a quick and easy way to read messages without having to go hunting for your specs.

The S Pen has truly brought a new level of innovation and functionality to the Galaxy Note 7 with all the added functionality. Do read our article on the multiple ways you can use the S Pen in conjunction with the Note 7 to learn more about the features.

Which of the new features of the S Pen for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 do you think is the most useful? Do let us know in the comments below.