Samsung could be planning an auto-eject feature for Galaxy Note 5’s S-Pen

Samsung’s latest idea for the next Samsung Galaxy Note 5 might not be a groundbreaking invention, but it is pretty damn cool. The company has patented a mechanism for a Note device’s S-Pen that’ll allow it to automatically eject from its chassis.

The patent details a system where a user can issue some sort of command — be it a gesture, voice or a simple touch of a button — to have the S-Pen eject from the device. An ejection feature for the S-Pen doesn’t sound all that great when you first think about it — you still have to reach under to fully eject the pen — but it could improve the user experience in a couple of different ways.

For instance, an app that primarily uses the S-Pen for manipulation might automatically eject the pen when you open it, giving the user a meaningful cue that it’s probably best to use the pen for that app.

More than just that, though, the patent also discusses the possibility of using a mechanical locking system to keep the pen in place when not in use. It’s pretty hard to lose an S-Pen if you keep it inside the phone as the magnets are strong enough to hold it securely in place, but if for whatever reason your S-Pen often wiggles its way out of the holding bay this would be a nice addition.

But mostly it doesn’t sound like anything that would make or break the Note experience. It’s cool, though, and we’d love to see it implemented in the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 when Samsung reveals it later this year.