The S Pen on the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 can be used for so many tasks, including drawing, note-taking, and so much more.
Unlike other Galaxy laptops, the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is a touchscreen convertible and comes with an S Pen in the box. Though it has a button, the S Pen isn’t Bluetooth like other S Pens on Samsung Galaxy phones. Rather, it’s a Wacom EMR pen that doesn’t need batteries or recharging. This means you can get started with the S Pen more easily, especially through Windows Ink. Besides drawing on the beautiful 16-inch AMOLED screen, taking notes, or using Samsung’s integrated apps and services on Windows 11, here’s what else it can do.
Air Command & Samsung’s apps
Samsung’s S Pen features a unique ability to summon what’s called an “Air Command” menu on your Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360. This feature has always been present on Samsung’s Windows convertibles, and it’s again present this year on the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360. With it, you can simply hover the S Pen close to your screen and then press the button on the side of the pen. A menu will pop up, showing you the various apps you can open and use with your S Pen.
Samsung’s apps are front and center here in the Air Command menu. You can create a new note in Samsung Notes or click to view past notes. For more creativity, you can record and annotate on the screen with Screen Write or start PenUP, Samsung’s digital art app and social hub, to share and download drawings and other images created with S Pen. You can also customize which apps appear on this menu by clicking on the settings gear. It could be any app you want, whether it’s robust software like Photoshop or even a simple note-taking app you downloaded.
Other apps like Live Message are here, too. This is another fun Samsung note-taking app found on Samsung Galaxy phones. The person who sees your notes can replay them and see a step-by-step visual representation of how you wrote the note.
The final Samsung app we want to mention that has S Pen functionality is Samsung Gallery. This is an alternative to the Windows 11 photos app where you can annotate your photos, draw on images, and send them out to friends and family.
Windows Ink
Since the S Pen is recognized by Windows as a standard stylus, you also can use it with Windows Ink. Whenever you press the pen on the screen after it’s been inactive for a while, you’ll notice the Windows Ink menu pop up at the bottom of your screen that’ll suggest Windows 11 apps to use with your S Pen, like opening OneNote for note-taking or even the Snipping Tool to annotate your screen.
You can summon the menu later by tapping your pen on the pen icon in the System Tray. From there, you can edit which apps you want to open whenever Windows detects your S Pen. You also can change additional pen settings, like which hand you write with, showing the cursor when hovering, and more. You also can set Windows to use your handwriting to enter text where supported.
The S Pen for the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 isn’t all too fancy when you think about it. It’s just like the regular styli that many convertible laptops also include. The S Pen is best used with Samsung’s own apps on Windows, which can also be accessed through the Air Command Menu. It also can be used with any other drawing or note-taking app you can think of. You’ll just want to keep in mind that the S Pen still doesn’t have a storage slot on the new Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, so invest in a case that has an extra zipper or slot to keep it safe.