Samsung has filed for a patent in Korea, one intended for the Galaxy Note series and related to pen input recognition. The new patent filing shows that the South Korean company is working on a method to recognize pen input with special ultrasonic sensors.
They are meant to replace the ever present digitizers, that have been so reliable over the past years. The patent documents claim that 3 sensors can record two dimensional data, while the use of 4 sensors will allow the recording of tridimensional data. On paper it sounds like a big deal, but in real life that’s not totally a new feature.
There are already options like these on the MDP tablet that Qualcomm designed. The use of ultrasonic sensors could eventually eliminate the digitizers, that could make phones and tablets slimmer by a whole milimmeter. Another advantage is the decrease in cost that this switch would involve. I’m not sure if the technology will be ready in time for the Galaxy Note 4, but it would better be, to make this model stand out somehow from the previous two generations.
